SDG 11 — Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation

Written by Divyansh, class 11 (India)

This article is part of our 2020 Sustainable September Campaign. This article is written by a student participant of the School of Active Citizenship Young Leaders Policy Lab (YLPL) programme. Read more about the campaign here!

Sustainable Development Goal 11 — Sustainable Cities & Communities
Target 3 — By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanisation and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries

Introduction

In this article I will show you the perspective of the youth of today with regards to Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation. I interviewed 4 Students from Viridian- The Environment Club of Sanskriti School: Adya, Rishit, Kartikeya & Piyu. In addition to this, I’d like to extend a special thanks to the Club’s Vice-President, Aashi, for helping me organise this interview.

The Interview — Getting the Perspective

Q1. What do you, as an individual, understand by Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation?
(What is meant by Inclusive, Sustainable, and for that matter, Urbanisation, according to you?)

According to me, urbanisation refers to more than just making an area more urban. It is the way forward to the future. It is the path which leads to our betterment and our improvement. Urbanisation is what creates a society that benefits the future.

Now, achieving the society of the future may not seem like a far-off dream but urbanisation is what will guide us to it. A society that is perfect for each one of us. This cannot be achieved unless this urbanisation is done with the collective in mind. A society that is perfect is one that does not just benefit a special group but all of us: irrespective of gender, caste, religion- or any other social boundary for that matter. And that to me is inclusive urbanisation, one done with everyone in mind.

Such urbanisation is hard to achieve and may cause damage to our own surroundings and lead to our own impending destruction. We take everything from nature to achieve our dreams, but we fail to make it important to give back. And this is a major mistake on our part. We must return what we have taken because a society without its nature and supplement is worthless. Our development must be done with these facts in mind. Without Mother Nature, we simply cannot exist and that urbanisation which keeps our creator in mind, which saves her from us, is what sustainable urbanisation is to me.
- Piya

Q2. Do you think Urbanisation is Good or Bad? Why?

According to me, urbanisation is dichotomous in nature. It has its own set of pros and cons that cannot be disregarded completely. On one hand, urbanisation has led to the construction of more efficient cities in terms of availability of basic needs of the population, like water, electricity etc. They are very convenient when it comes to medical needs, education, social services and transportation. The urban areas have overtime been equipped with more educational institutions to facilitate and upgrade human capital. The structure of these areas contributes to a better social integration. A key role played by the urban areas is in the economic affairs of the country since they are major shareholders in that.

That being said, urbanisation has also adversely affected the environment, given its contribution to increase in temperature, destruction of natural wildlife, air pollution, changes in the water cycle etc. It has created a surplus demand for very little resources and created an imbalance. The increased relocation of people from rural to urban areas has caused them to live in very poor conditions with lack of security and basic needs. Considering the above examples, even though urbanisation has played a vital role in the development of the country, it also widens the gap between the rich and the poor, which becomes hard to bridge.
- Adya

Q3. Is Urbanisation equivalent to Development? Why or Why Not?

Development here is a very arbitrary term because we could be talking about either sustainable development or economic development. Both hold a different connection to urbanisation because in terms of economic development, there is a positive relation with urbanisation considering how it contributes to the GDP growth of the country, whereas when we talk about sustainable development, there is an inverse relation between the two because the underlying agenda of sustainable development is to utilise today’s resources just enough for today’s development and spare enough for future generations as well. Urbanisation as a modern process does not really adhere in the same way and although it is equivalent to development, it does not fit into certain aspects.
- Adya

Q4. What are the key features of Urbanisation?
Do you think a village can be “Urbanised” without turning into a Town/City?

Yes, villages can be urbanised without turning them into towns or cities.
But to actually solve this problem caused by urbanisation, it is crucial to understand the key features.
The first and the most important feature of urbanisation is migration. Rural to urban migration is the major factor responsible for the growth of the urban population. Countries have to change their policies regarding demographic, economic and environmental concerns accordingly.

Let’s take the example of a state in our own country: Assam. After the Bangladesh War in 1971, a large amount of the Bangladeshi population, sought refuge in India, migrating to Assam and West Bengal. This movement displaced the native tribes and Assamese population. These changes are visible even today, 50 years after the end of the war.

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 since early this year is a similar example to the above. Because of the stay-at-home measures, the migrant workers settling in India do not have a place to stay due to the inefficient system of urbanisation in our country. Hence, we need to level the field of migration and urbanisation for better efficiency.

Another aspect of this is connected to the regional disparities in urbanisation. My fellow colleagues have given a national picture of urbanisation, however, please note that variations of urbanisation amongst different states are also alarming. The rate of urbanisation is much higher in a state like Tamil Nadu than in a state like Himachal Pradesh or Nagaland. So it is evident to solve the issue at the grassroots level, before progressing to a larger scale plan.
- Kartikeya

Q5. Do you think India’s Policies and current actions are that which reflect “Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation”? Why or Why Not?

In India, urbanisation is happening at a fair rate. As of 2017, the number of people residing in urban areas was at 34% according to the World Bank, as compared to 11.4% in 1901. However, this development is happening in patches, and hence, the population is moving more toward urban areas due to better connectivity and medical facilities. This is neither inclusive nor sustainable.

Recognising this gap, the current budget has put in a record outlay of INR 2,21,000 crores for infrastructure development. To improve connectivity, the government had put aside INR 97,000 crores in FY 2017. To ensure the effectiveness of the same, a watchdog approach should be taken to ensure a time bound delivery.

However, for the plans to succeed, the sustainability factor is very important. Bridging gaps between urban planning and the rising urban population, and modeling cities as self-sustaining units are important factors and adequate sources of funding, strict timelines and capacity building are required. In a nutshell, planned urbanisation with a sustainable and inclusive approach needs to be the theme for the coming decades in India.
- Piya

Q6. Suggest some actions and ideas which could possibly be implemented by the Government of India to carry out/further develop “Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation”.

1. Collect donations from lower/upper middle-class urban families to make changes in slums/orphanages. Providing basic living facilities and necessities like beds, toilets, water facilities for bathing, healthy nutritious meals etc. would be the first step in the right direction.
2. Providing the poorer sections of society with school level education. This will benefit Indian Society as a whole. The rural society in India struggles against unemployment and a better level of education can help people find jobs that will financially sustain them and their families.
3. Throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, the government has an excellent opportunity to organise online webinars related to sustainable development and urbanisation, and in turn, to educate children. This is an effective way of passing on information and educating people, as the internet is open to most demographics of society.
4. By improving transport systems, the government can help people who have to travel long distances to go to work to earn money for their families and to carry out their daily needs. Every time I travel by public transport like buses or the train, it’s a struggle to find a seat or to even get on without being cornered from all four sides. This can be extremely hard for people who have come back from long days of work or after shopping for their families and carrying a lot of bags. The government should thus create a well-structured system for train and bus timings with an impose a headcount limit.

-Rishit

Q7. How important is global cooperation when we discuss “Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation”?
Do you think that this Goal of Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation (Enhancing Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation and the capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries) can be achieved by the year 2030?
Why or Why Not?

When we discuss global cooperation for inclusive and sustainable urbanisation, we must take into account that in the next few years, most of the world’s population is going to be living in an urban society. Therefore, it is crucial that the world comes together to help each other achieve this goal. Countries which are better developed should make efforts to help those countries who are struggling to reach the goal of sustainable and inclusive urbanisation.

For example, immigration should not be shunned but rather welcomed as an opportunity to improve someone’s life. Throughout COVID-19 pandemic we are witnessing a collective effort towards managing and dissolving this deadly virus. Similarly, the world can work together to achieve this goal.

Even though the COVID-19 Pandemic may appear to have put us behind schedule in completing this task, it has only provided us with more opportunities to reach out to people and to achieve our goal. So, yes, I do believe that by the year 2030, if the world works together as a team and all citizens are on board with this idea, we can achieve this goal.
-Rishit

Q8. Is “Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation” only the responsibility of the Government? Or do the citizens and other civil society groups/organisations have a role to play as well? Explain.

Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation is not just the responsibility of the government but of us, citizens, as well. Society is and will be shaped according to our needs and aspirations. For example, if a country creates a waste segregation policy for proper waste management, the policy would be of no use if the citizens don’t start disposing waste properly themselves. The most a government can do is give incentives to people; performing the action is in the hands of the citizens. This can be observed in all the facets of life.

Organisations also play a key role in countering the issue on the regional, national and international levels. The private sector plays an integral role in development in terms of sustainability. Even during the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, NGOs and Self-Help-Groups were the people who majorly helped in the distribution of masks, sanitisers and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

In addition to this, the power of taking an internationally implementable decision to curb the issue vests with International Organisations. For example, the United Nations, an international union existing for 75 years now, can issue an order which would be globally concrete. The decisions taken in such organisations have a broader base as they collectively include the numerous needs and interests of various people and countries. To conclude, human centred innovations will support the development of a smart and sustainable city.
-Kartikeya

Divyansh is a class 11 student at Sanskriti School, New Delhi. He is extremely passionate about conserving the environment and sustainable development.

NOTE:
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely by the author(s) and do not represent that of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).
Copyright © 2020.