Tuesday, May 15, 2012

[EQ] Sustainable Cities - Local solutions in the Global South

Sustainable Cities

Local solutions in the Global South


Edited by Mélanie Robertson

International Development Research Centre, IDRC 2012

Available online PDF [191p.] at: http://bit.ly/IWsNKV

 

“………..Through nine case studies, the book addresses the diverse urban sustainability challenges facing cities in the Global South, such as tenure policy, water management, sustainable housing, waste treatment and recycling practices, urban agriculture, and construction practices.
By featuring a dynamic mix of academic research and urban design projects from fields such as architecture, environmental science, agroforestry, anthropology, and urban planning, this book discusses the development of relevant tools and methods for conducting sustainable participatory research and practices in cities.

The book thereby aims to promote sustainable, locally driven solutions devised by the populations and authorities who are struggling in the face of poverty.

Urban space in the Global South: The nature of urban poverty

The Global South is home to nearly three-quarters of the world’s urban population and most of the world’s largest and fastest-growing cities (UNPD,2006). At its current pace, urbanization creates population densification, which exacerbates environmental and habitat-related problems of local, regional, and even global reach. The challenge to optimize resource use and waste generation in urban centres is thus of critical importance.

 

In addition to environmental and habitat-related problems, urbanization is also characterized by poverty. The majority of urban dwellers live in shelters and neighbourhoods where they must contend with substandard conditions such as the following: poor-quality and overcrowded housing; inadequate water and food supplies; inadequate sanitation, drainage, and waste collection services; significant health challenges resulting from these conditions; difficulty getting healthcare and affording medication; difficulty keeping children in school; long working hours; and dangerous working conditions………”

 

Content:

Introduction: The challenge of urban sustainability

1 Food-producing trees in urban public spaces:
   An innovative strategy to fight poverty in Villa El Salvador, Peru

2 Urban agriculture in Dakar, Senegal: Health aspects related to polluted irrigation water

3 Participatory transformation of the Women’s Centre of Malika, Senegal:
   Strategies for the development of a productive ecosystem in the peri-urban context

4 Healthy, sustainable, and culturally appropriate living and working environments:
   Domestic pig production in Malika, Senegal

5 Housing for the urban poor through informal providers, Dhaka, Bangladesh

6 Socio-spatial tensions and interactions: An ethnography of the condominium housing of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

7 Partnership modalities for the management of drinking water in poor urban neighbourhoods:
  The example of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo


8 Rethink, reuse:
   Improving collective action capacity regarding solid waste management and income generation in Koh Kred, Thailand

9 Using participatory urban design to integrate organic solid waste management into urban agriculture:
   A case study from Cayagan de Oro City in the Philippines

Conclusion: The challenges of sustainable cities for research and practice

 

 KMC/2012/SDE
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