Sustainability strategy for Colombo

By Shelton Dharmaratne

Urbanisation is the new reality for the world’s increasing population, but effective leadership, good governance and integrated solutions will ensure a sustainable way forward.

The plan for Colombo needs to incorporate measurable sustainability targets. While the path to building a sustainable future for our city is complex and hinges on numerous factors which require holistic and integrated sustainable solutions, good governance and leadership are among imperative essentials.

We have also much to learn from cities at the forefront of the current urban revolution, such as Seoul, Shanghai, or Sydney. Their unique challenges aside, all cities want to attract good investments, create employment opportunities, ensure high standards of living, as well as promote social cohesion.

‘Urban solutions’

The ‘urban solutions’ thrust to identify and develop solutions ranges from urban master planning, public housing, water and waste management to preserving biodiversity and infrastructure financing. Comprehensive solutions are needed for many of the complex urban problems involving cross-cutting issues that are impact in more than one field like water and energy, etc.

Dealing with the complex challenges of urbanisation will require a great deal of Government effort, involving the public, private and people sectors. Partnerships between Government and industry players which tap on the dynamism and expertise of the private sector will help drive the development and adoption of urban solutions, leading to mutually-beneficial outcomes for both industry and the urban environment.

Numerous challenges

The challenges confronting cities are numerous. Undersized exceedingly compact cities like Singapore face space constraints, but larger cities also face their own issues, such as managing urban sprawl. Slums are common in many cities in the developing world, but developed countries are not without problems, such as old public infrastructure and requisite rapid restoration.

What can be done to improve convenience and encourage the population in the CMC to rely more on public and alternative modes of transportation? We need to change the way cities develop, we have to shift from resource-driven to technology and innovation. This requires a structural adjustment to achieve a low carbon economy, attain green growth and harmonious development, values inherently embedded in sustainability.

Sustainability

Urban development must be sustainable, otherwise even rich resources and abandoned wealth will be depleted. We need fresh ideas, novel approaches and contemporary models – developed through innovation. The Government has been emphasising the importance of environmental protection. Sustainable development has to be the national strategy.

Work toward improving strategic and coordinated action toward sustainability will yield large gains in the ability of nations to identify leverage points for influencing sustainable development, to identify emerging issues and to continuously learn and adapt in a world where surprise, change and uncertainty are the norm, not the exception.

When you look at Brisbane City suburbs from the air, for example, just about all the roofs are covered with solar panels. This has been built into the development regulations with incentives offered for installation. It introduces solar power on a huge scale when you think of the many thousands of roofs.

Sustainable city of the future

There are several components to a sustainable city. The following are suggested as a set of visionary objectives for the sustainable city:

The sustainable city of the future should: Preserve significant heritage and urban green zones; ensure equitable access to and efficient use of energy, including renewable energy sources; establish an integrated sustainable water and storm water management system addressing capture, consumption, treatment and re-use opportunities; manage and minimise domestic and industrial waste; develop sustainable transport networks, nodal complementarity and logistics; incorporate eco-efficiency principles into new buildings and housing; and provide urban plans that accommodate lifestyle and business opportunities.

Achieving resource efficiency

To achieve resource efficiency, the CMC needs to:

=Reduce household waste in the city

=Reduce commercial waste in the municipality

=Develop a municipal ecological footprint and target

=Develop and implement a more economic and efficient waste collection and processing system

The challenge for Government in power and CMC is not only to attract business investments and global talent to maintain city competitiveness but also to address key issues of poverty reduction, infrastructure development, affordable housing, governance, environmental and ecological sustainability, social inclusiveness and financial solvency, among others.

The CMC more often than not has to face fundamental development dilemmas in maintaining economic growth and ensuring sustainable communities. Meeting these challenges will require innovation in policies and institutions.

What makes a liveable city?

What makes a liveable city? Liveability is generally defined by performance in three main areas: environmental quality, neighbourhood amenity and individual well-being.

The key elements of a liveable city often include attractive public spaces, walkable, mixed use, higher density neighbourhoods that support a range of green infrastructure and transport, affordable housing, vibrant, exciting, sociable, human-scaled pedestrian experiences.

It prioritises walking, bicycling and the use of public transport. These attributes help make places pleasant and easy to live. Liveability initiatives often meet environmental, economic and equity goals, which are also the elements for the transition to sustainability.

Sustainable urban planning

At its most basic, the core principle of sustainable urban planning is that we should plan for a better future. In short, liveability and sustainability agendas overlap substantially. Sustainability initiatives can improve liveability.

It requires effective leadership to start and sustain a liveable city. Leadership provides impetus and direction. Successful leadership “aligns will, resourcefulness and energy with vision and an understanding of the needs of a city and its people. It has coherent ideas appropriate to local circumstances and professional traits such as charisma, spirituality. Leaders must develop a story of what their creative [liveable] city could be and how to get there.” A combination of approaches — regulatory and incentive-based will be necessary.

What makes a vibrant city?

What makes a vibrant city? In most cases, vibrancy of the city is enhanced through two key elements: its population and attraction: Visitor attraction for both tourists and locals; cultural industries which focus on art gallery, museums, performing arts, media, etc.; and the buzz quotient which focuses on enlivening the city, providing the city with more high energy places and spaces, and more options for living and recreation.

Such a task is complex, and must take the full gamut of local cultural capital as its point of departure if cities are to remain distinctive and vibrant.

Sustainable urban development does not occurred spontaneously. It will require effective leadership. Most successful cities have good governance and increased responsiveness to changing needs and circumstances. Cities function as ‘incubators’ of creativity and innovation. Cities must promote urban innovations that will improve the quality of life therein, and make them models of sustainable urban living.

Meeting these challenges will require innovation in policies and institutions. The challenges confronting cities are numerous. To the problems confronting Colombo city, a man who is more receptive to innovative ideas has to take over the helm of its administration and control, in order to design the system right from the start to make it effective.

(The writer is CEO of Sustainable Solutions, a graduate of RMIT University Australia and a post graduate of Bournemouth University UK. He can be reached via [email protected].)