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| www.urbangateway.org |
Today there is an ever-increasing demand for the collection, integration, management and sharing of reliable spatial information, and the relevant education, experience sharing and development of best practices. This growing demand is driven by some of the most important changes in society which in turn are magnified by rapid urbanisation and the conditions of the world's megacities.
According to predictions by the United Nations, over 60 per cent of humanity will reach a significant demographic milestone by 2030. The growth rate is particularly rapid in many of the so-called megacities- cities with more than 10million inhabitants. The megacities listed by the UN already have a total population of around 280 million. But as these cities and economies grow, so do the challenges.
Urban residents the world over want a good quality of life, good air to breathe, good drinking water, reliable power supply and health care. They also need to be mobile - so transportation systems must be capable of transporting millions of people while putting minimum strain on the environment and city budgets. In other words, a good quality of life requires a well-functioning infrastructure.
"India lives in villages" an oft-repeated adage attributed to Mahatma Gandhi guided the outlook on cities during early years of post independence period. Gandhi wrote, "I regard the growth of cities as an evil thing, unfortunate for mankind and the world, unfortunate for England and certainly unfortunate for India. The blood of the villagers is the cement with which the edifice of cities is built. I want the blood that is inflating the arteries of cities to run once again in the blood vessels of the villagers." (Young India, 26 June 1924).
According to the 2011 census, urbanisation has increased faster than expected in India. This has reversed the declining trend in the growth rate of the urban population observed during the 1980s and 1990s. Also for the first time since independence, the absolute increase in the urban population was higher than that in the rural population. This has huge implications for providing infrastructure and other civic amenities in urban areas.
Urbanisation almost invariably accompanies development and the cities of India are experiencing spectacular increase in population. The concentration of millions of people in a small mass creates challenges for public policy, especially in the area of basic infrastructure, public health, traffic congestion and often law enforcement as well.
Administrations in large cities are often confronted with a multitude of key problems, like high urban densities, transport, traffic congestion, energy inadequacy, unplanned development and lack of basic services, illegal construction in the city and the periphery, informal real estate markets, creation of slums, poor natural hazards management, crime, water, soil and air pollution leading to environmental degradation, climate change and poor governance arrangements. Some cities reported that their administrations have little control over population growth; it was a regional or national issue and must be addressed at that level. However, monitoring population change effectively and being able to respond through planning and infrastructure development will be major challenges.
To achieve a proper development of agglomerations and megacities a comprehensive plan is indispensable, which provides guidelines and principle goals for the urban development. In accordance with the sustainability, the integration and coordination of urban and rural areas with the central city should be a main principle. This requires a "multi-center", "multi-axis" and "multi-level" urban spatial structure. For example the comprehensive plan of Shanghai; lines out five levels that refers to five scales. The urban system is composed of the Central City, New Cities, Central Towns and the Ordinary Towns and Central Villages. In case of the urban development of megacities a shift of urban policy and also of planning strategies is fundamental.
This includes a legalisation and registration of informal settlements slums and squatters. Considerable social improvements and an access to schools and other educational institutions are also necessary. Self-help housing improvements must be strengthened combined with the access to land to enhance the living condition, the identification with the quarter and at least the engagement for the community.
In India, the dramatic effects of rapid urbanisation are very clear in the cities and peri-urban areas. As the cities expand, the main zone of direct impact is the peri-urban area, and those living in the peri-urban interface face many new challenges and opportunities in meeting their needs and accommodating the by-products of the urban populations.
Although, cities serve as 'engines' of growth in most developing countries by providing opportunities for employment, education, knowledge and technology transfer and ready markets for industrial and agricultural products, high urban populations place enormous stress on natural resources and imposes 'ecological footprints' on the peri-urban areas. For example, urbanisation leads to the outward expansion of cities and results in changes in land use whereby urban residents buy up prime agricultural land for residential or commercial purposes.
The conversion of farmlands and watersheds for residential purposes negatively affects food security, water supply and public health in cities and peri-urban areas. Cities impact on health in many ways. In the areas of the environment and health, problems of emission reduction, supply of clean drinking water, sewage and rubbish disposal, food security and poverty reduction are the most important. Vulnerability of the urban population to natural disasters and diseases, especially HIV/AIDS and atmospheric pollution has also been recognised.
Although, data about pollution levels are fragmentary, the air and water quality in many cities threatens the health of millions of city residents. Although, a significant positive impact of urbanisation is promotion of urban agriculture and the cultivation of staple crops, vegetables, poultry and dairy, which are demanded by urban consumers, cultivation of vegetables through sewage irrigation and the use of chemical pesticides affect the health of consumers who are not notified of the circumstances of cultivation of these products.
A large proportion of the urban population is also affected by poor sanitation that threatens their health. River pollution is particularly found to be worse where rivers pass through cities and the most widespread is contamination from human excreta, sewage and oxygen loss. It is estimated that about 400 million people or about one-third of the population in the developing countries do not have safe drinking water. In many cities in India, there is limited access to clean drinking water. The quality of several watercourses is poor, with pollutant levels higher than the WHO's standards.
Pesticide contamination from urban agriculture, residues from sawmills and manufacturing industries, wastewater from urban drains and municipal dumping of waste especially human excreta pollute drinking water sources that affect the health of the urban and peri-urban populations. In the long term, treatment of sewage would be required for safer vegetable production and to reduce water pollution. Other malfunctions that are associated with industrial and traffic injuries and psychological disorders, especially in low-income urban and peri-urban area are also disturbing.
The unhealthy environment and overcrowded housing in the slums expose the urban poor to high rates of infectious diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and diarrhea. Although it is clear that cities in developing countries act as nodes through which development occurs, it is important to note that rapid urbanisation poses particular risks that affect sustainable livelihoods of millions of people. The wide range of effects includes degradation of the environment, destruction of watersheds and wetlands, traffic congestion, contamination of water, and environmental risks associated with low-income housing areas.
Around the world, especially in Africa and Asia, cities are expanding rapidly. For the majority of urban dwellers, especially the poor, finding potable water supply, affordable shelter, accessible and secure urban land for agriculture to ensure food security, securing gainful employment and improvement in health facilities would continue to remain a priority.
Since restrictive urban growth policies, especially population distribution designed to reduce the rate of rural-urban migration appear to have had limited success in many developing countries, policies must be directed at transforming the rural economy in order to slow the rate of urban sprawl. Comprehensive land use planning and revision of planning standards and administrative procedures would, go a long way to, reduce many of the problems that face urban populations in the developing areas, especially India.
Source: Urban Gateway.
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Marcelo Gil é Corretor de Imóveis desde 1998, registrado no Cadastro Nacional de Avaliadores do Cofeci. Especialista em Financiamento Imobiliário e Perito em Avaliações Imobiliárias com atuação no Poder Judiciário do Estado de São Paulo. Pós-graduando em Docência no Ensino Superior no Centro Universitário SENAC. Gestor Ambiental, inscrito no Conselho Regional de Química da IV Região, graduado pela Universidade Católica de Santos com Menção Honrosa na área ambiental, atribuída pelo Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas - IPECI, pela construção e repercussão internacional do Blog Gestão Ambiental da Unisantos. Técnico em Turismo Internacional desde 1999. Pesquisador. Agente Intermediador de Negócios. Associado a Associação Brasileira de Defesa do Consumidor - ProTeste. Associado ao Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor - IDEC. Membro da Estratégia Global Housing para o Ano 2025. Membro do Fórum Urbano Mundial - Urban Gateway. Membro da Rede Social Brasileira por Cidades Justas e Sustentáveis. Membro do Grupo de Pesquisa 'Direito e Biodiversidade' da Universidade Católica de Santos. Membro da Rede de Educação Ambiental da Baixada Santista - REABS. Filiado a Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica e Colaborador do Greenpeace Brasil.
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