Singapore gets top marks in UN World's Cities Report

Ca-Mie De Souza, Channel NewAsia 24 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE: The United Nations (UN) gave Singapore top marks in its latest report on the state of the world's cities, and has said it is keen to deepen its collaboration with Singapore as a knowledge hub.

The UN also called on cities to take on pro-growth policies that support the poor and strengthen infrastructure. It said all these can make a difference when it comes to sustainable living.

The UN said people's consumption and lifestyle patterns, and not urbanization, are to blame for climate change. To solve the problem, cities need to use less fossil fuel, maximise recycling and have a well-planned transport network.

Singapore, which set up an inter-ministerial committee on sustainable development in February, has been highlighted for its low per capita car ownership.

With its greening policy, Singapore has also been singled out as a country that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits. Another achievement is that Singapore is the only country with no slums.

Director of Monitoring and Research at UN-HABITAT, Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, said: "Obviously, (the) government has taken pro-active steps over a long period of time because it has to be sustained.

"One of the problems you find in most countries is they actually start well, but you need constant investment, sustained effort (and) visionary leadership to sustain those kinds of actions."

The latest UN report by UN-HABITAT, the agency working to boost the liveability of cities, studied 245 cities. The report is a lead-up to the UN World Urban Forum in Nanjing, China in November.

It noted another worrying concern of rising sea levels, and Southeast Asia in particular is at the highest risk due to its low elevation.

Singapore has said in parliament in September that it has taken measures in terms of building requirements on reclaimed land and drainage infrastructure. A two-year study to understand the specific implications of climate change, including rising sea levels, is also expected to be ready in 2009.

Director of Centre for Liveable Cities, Andrew Tan, said: "Moving forward, I would say that having achieved the level of environmental quality we have in Singapore, there is still a need for us to maintain these efforts.

"It's necessary for Singaporeans to be proud of what they have achieved, but at the same time, to know that sustained efforts is required."

The UN has lauded the 43-year-old city state as a model city. However, experts cautioned that as all cities progress, they will no longer be measured just by their level of economic, social and environmental progress.

Cities like Singapore will also have to look at its inclusiveness and its quality of life. Related to this, the report said cultural assets too should be protected to nurture the soul of the city.

- CNA/yt

Singapore lauded as slum-free city
Shobana Kesava, Straits Times 25 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE is the only city in the world without slums, a new report by the United Nations Habitat has found.

The director of UN Habitat's monitoring and research division said the achievement was one that should be studied and, if possible, replicated in other cities.

'There is about 6 per cent slums in more developed countries, so to have zero incidence is an achievement worth celebrating,' said Professor Banji Oyeyinka.

The world organisation released its findings yesterday in cities, including Singapore, to coincide with the 63rd anniversary of the UN.

The report studied factors that contributed to harmonious urbanisation in 245 cities which provided data to UN Habitat.

In Asia, where half the population lives in cities, a third live in slums, the bi-annual State of the World's Cities 2008/2009 report said.

These were defined as areas where there was overcrowding, a lack of safe drinking water, sanitation, durable housing materials and rights over tenure.

Prof Banji said Singapore showed how long-term planning worked to achieve success in slum elimination.

A quarter of Singapore's population lived as squatters or in slums in 1959, with as many as 200 people living in a shophouse before the Government stepped in to build public housing. Over 44,000 flats were ready in 1964.

Asked how much time was necessary for a concerted effort to eliminate slums, Prof Banji said it would depend: 'Just for provision of clean water throughout a city, it would need 10 years of consistently and effectively applied policies.'

For the world to understand the best methods to eliminate such pools of disease and poverty, he invited researchers studying cities to collaborate with UN Habitat. He also invited non-government organisations and universities to send their data.

The Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore, set up by the National Development Ministry and Ministry for the Environment and Water Resources in June to enhance Singapore's expertise in urban development, is interested in collaboration.

Its director Andrew Tan said: 'We want to learn the best practices of other cities, like Japan's responsible communities, which take care of the cleanliness of their own environment.'

About 50 researchers, analysts and policymakers attended the launch.

The UN Habitat's next report will be released in 2010.


Republic is a 'carbon sink'
Straits Times 25 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE is known to be a carbon sink, absorbing more carbon dioxide than it releases into the atmosphere, said the editor of the United Nations Habitat Report 2008/2009, Ms Rasna Warah.

She said that the city's intense use of greenery with its numerous parks, gardens and nature reserves allowed carbon dioxide to be trapped and stored in the plants.

This was a sustainable solution for other cities to explore, she said.

'Singapore shows urbanisation does not damage the environment, when combined with environmentally friendly policies like the intense use of greenery and low motor usage here compared to other cities with similar income levels,' she said.

The report alluded to Singapore's success in this regard, but noted it did not take into consideration the amount of carbon dioxide produced by industry for products and services destined for foreign countries, including oil refineries and aviation.

The energy consumed in agriculture, in heat and light for residential buildings and power consumed by industry as well as transport were considered.

UN lauds Singapore urban development
Nisha Ramchandani, Business Times 25 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE has been lauded as an example of a successful urban centre by a United Nations report that studies the state of the world's cities.

The report was issued by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) this week, which aims to provide an update on the challenges facing global urban areas.

Published every two years, this year's report has the theme Harmonious Cities, focusing on three main areas of urban development: spatial, social, and environmental harmony.

Singapore's 'financial trade and communication services' have contributed to its 'significant economic and population growth in recent years', the report said. It also pointed out that Singapore has made 'concerted efforts to reduce levels of air pollutants'. This was aided by Singapore's low private motor use, efficient public transportation system and low levels of energy consumption. Singapore also does not have any slums, which is rare in an urban centre.

UN executive director for UN-HABITAT Anna Tibaijuka wrote: 'Enlightened and committed political leadership combined with effective urban planning, governance and management that promote equity and sustainability are the critical components to the building of harmonious cities.'

Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) director Andrew Tan pointed out that concerns over employment, the environment, safety and security tend to surface as cities increase in size. 'Dealing with these challenges requires a multi- faceted response at the national, regional and international levels,' he added.

CLC is a think-tank that brings together Singapore's expertise on sustainable urban development from the government, industry and academia.

The key findings of the report can be found on the CLC website (www.clc.org.sg), which was launched yesterday.

UN-HABITAT unveils State of the World’s Cities report
UN-HABITAT website 23 Oct 08

Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT said that the crisis should be viewed as a “housing finance crisis” in which the poorest of poor were left to fend for themselves.

"Clearly you cannot have a harmonious society if people are not secure in their homes," she told reporters at news conference to launch of the State of the World's Cities 2008/2009, a flagship report published every two years by the UN agency.

"The financial crisis we are facing today cannot be seen as an event -- it is a process that has been building up over time and this process now has bust." She said governments had to provide cheaper homes for those on lower incomes because the supply of affordable housing could not be left entirely to the market.

The UN-HABITAT said income distribution (measured through Gini coefficient levels) varies considerably among less-developed regions with the divide most noticeable in African and Latin American cities. In both regions, the gulf is often extreme compared to Europe and Asia, where urban inequality levels are relatively low.

South African cities top the list of the world’s most unqual cities, followed by Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico. Urban inequalities in this highly unequal region are not only increasing, but are becoming more entrenched, which suggests that failures in wealth distribution are largely the result of structural or systemic flaws.

Mrs. Tibaijuka said the proportion of people living in slum conditions in wealthy countries could rise because of the credit crunch. With 1 billion people already living in slums at the dawn of the new urban era, the report warned of unrest should governments fail to tackle the urban poverty crisis more seriously.

"I would not be surprised that, if we did another global survey on people living in slum conditions without security of tenure, this number will have increased in developed countries as a result of this crisis," she said referring to a recipe for riots and social upheaval to which the financial turmoil might lead.

"I am not surprised that world leaders are now seizing on the matter because without leadership, without governance, it is a clear test of social tensions," she said. Click here for further details.see Presskit

Background

Not so harmonious cities

In many cities around the world, wealth and poverty coexist in close proximity: rich, well-serviced neighbourhoods and gated residential communities are often situated near dense inner-city or peri-urban slum communities that lack even the most basic of services. Here the expert in charge of UN-HABITAT’s State of the World’s Cities report, Eduardo Lopez Moreno, explains the report’s latest research on a divide so prominently marked by electrified fences and high walls often patrolled by armed private security companies with killer dogs.

Income distribution (measured through Gini coefficient levels) varies considerably among less-developed regions with the divide most noticeable in African and Latin American cities. In both regions, the gulf is often extreme compared to Europe and Asia, where urban inequality levels are relatively low.

South African cities are the most unequal in the world, followed by Brazil. Latin American and Caribbean cities are among the most unequal in the world, with Brazilian and Colombian cities topping the list, closely followed by some cities in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico. Urban inequalities in this highly unequal region are not only increasing, but are becoming more entrenched, which suggests that failures in wealth distribution are largely the result of structural or systemic flaws.

And all too often it is not the actual degrees of inequality that matter, but the perceptions of it. And nothing defines that perception better perhaps than the example of a sign with a skull and cross bones carrying the warning “armed reaction” on a high electrified fence cocooning a suburban Johannesburg home.

When gross inequalities are associated with unjust systems that perpetuate poverty, curb upward mobility and exclude the majority, you have a formula for trouble. Put another way: when inequalities are perceived as the result of unfair processes or the unequal distribution of opportunities, people are less likely to accept them. Indeed such perceptions can nurture high crime rates, social unrest or even conflict.

There is no doubt that social unrest and insecurity reduce incentives for investment and force governments to increase the amount of public resources devoted to internal security – resources that might have otherwise been spent on more productive sectors of the economy or on social services and infrastructure.

Inequalities take various forms, ranging from different levels of human capabilities and opportunities, participation in political life, consumption, and income, to disparities in living standards and access to resources, basic services and utilities. Although the traditional causes of inequality – such as spatial segregation, unequal access to education and control of resources and labour markets – have persisted, new causes of inequality have emerged. These include inequalities in access to communication technologies and skills, among others.

“Digital exclusion”, for instance, has exacerbated inequalities within sub-Saharan Africa and resulted in the further marginalization of the region within a globalizing economy.

A society simply cannot claim to be harmonious if large portions of its population are deprived of basic needs while others live in opulence. A city cannot be harmonious if some groups concentrate resources and opportunities while others remain impoverished and deprived. Income inequalities not only threaten the harmony of cities, but also put the harmony and stability of countries at risk, as they create social and political fractures within society that threaten to develop into social unrest or full-blown conflicts. An excessive distributive polarization of income and wealth challenges social cohesion in many parts of the world, and the demands for narrowing social distance are in fact demands for social inclusion, social mobility and equal opportunities; in short they are demands for human dignity.

In Africa, urban income inequalities are highest in Southern Africa. South Africa stands out as a country that has yet to break out of an economic and political model that concentrates resources, although the adoption of redistributive strategies and policies in recent years have reduced inequalities slightly.

Unfortunately, rising economic growth rates in several African countries have not reduced income or consumption disparities. Instead, urban inequalities in many African cities, including Maputo, Nairobi and Abidjan, remain high as wealth becomes more concentrated. In general, urban income inequalities in African countries tend to be higher than rural income inequalities, and Northern African cities tend to be more equal than sub-Saharan African cities.

In Asia, on the other hand, cities tend to be more equal than cities in other parts of the developing world, although levels of urban inequality have risen or remain high in some cities. These include Hong Kong, New Delhi, Ho Chi Minh City, Davao and Colombo.

Cities in China tend to be more equal than other Asian cities, with Beijing being among the most equal city in the region, although some Chinese cities, such as Shenzhen, are experiencing relatively high inequality levels similar to those of Bangkok and Manila. China’s booming economy has also led to rural-urban and regional disparities, with populations living in cities located on the eastern part of the country enjoying significantly higher per capita incomes than rural populations living in remote western parts of the country.

In Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Indonesia, levels of urban inequality are generally low and are comparable to many cities in Europe, Canada and Australia, even through urban poverty is much greater in the former.

However, recent analyses suggest that India will experience rising levels of urban inequality in the future as a result of liberalization and industrialization policies coupled with lack of adequate investment in provision of public goods to the most vulnerable populations.

From many countries around the worlds, the evidence suggests that the benefits of economic growth are not realized in societies experiencing extremely high levels of inequality and poverty. Societies that have low levels of inequality are more effective in reducing poverty levels than those that are highly unequal.

Inequalities also have a dampening effect on economic efficiency as they raise the cost of redistribution and affect the allocation of resources for investment.

Levels of inequality can be controlled or reduced by forward-looking mitigation efforts on the part of governments. UN-HABITAT analysis of urban inequalities in 28 developing countries indicates that since the 1980s, nearly half of these countries managed to reduce levels of urban inequality while enjoying positive economic growth.

Malaysia, for instance, has been steadily reducing levels of urban inequality since the early 1970s through the implementation of pro-poor policies and through human resources and skills development. Similarly, Indonesia’s Growth, Stability and Equity programme has ensured that income distribution and poverty alleviation are integral components of economic growth and development.

Policies promoting equity in Rwanda have also ensured that the high economic growth rates that the country is currently experiencing do not increase inequality levels. These countries have shown that it is possible to grow economically without increasing inequality levels, and that reduction of inequalities is, in fact, a pro-growth strategy.