interview Charles van Marrewijk ihs at the world urban forum p.38

Transcription

ihs
interview
Charles van
Marrewijk
jubilee magazine 2009
celebrating
50 years
of making
cities work
p.28
urban
meetings
p.10
ihs at the world
urban forum p.38
conflict, crisis
and inequality
p.52
cities are more
important than
countries p.02
ihs is the international institute of urban management
of Erasmus University Rotterdam
cities are more
important than
countries
table of contents
02
cities are more important than countries
celebrating 50 years of the institute of housing and urban development studies
06
 
10
making cities work
ihs 1948 - 2008
a gift to the city of rotterdam
six urban meetings discussed whether cities are more important than countries
28
 
34
38
cities as the engine for economic growth
interview with Charles van Marrewijk on the academic conference
ihs - 50 years in photos
harmonious urbanization
ihs at the world urban forum
44
the jubilee fellowship fund
50
sharing insights on housing and urban development
essay competition
52
conflict, crisis and inequality / urban women
winning essay
58
grasping the scope of ihs
the jubilee film: making cities work
62
ihs staff 2009
capturing urban development
photo contest
For ihs’s international photo competition, alumni, students and staff
were invited to submit their images of housing and urban developments
from around the world. The ten best photos selected are exhibited on ihs’s
website, with the title and photographer credited in each. The images also
travelled as a temporary exhibition from the graduation ceremony and urban
meetings in Rotterdam, to the World Urban Forum in Nanjing, China.
Furthermore, the jury selected the best three images for ihs’s 2008 Christmas card. Of course we do not want to deprive you of seeing these brilliant
images of urban management; the following photos are the jury’s selection:
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09
14
26
40
43
45
46
48
57
Mr Junrong Liu (Bruno) Old port, Xiamen, China
Ms Fei Fei Wang A street in Hong Kong
Mr Wong Chi Keung (Ricky) Tai O, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Mr Piyush Ranjan Rout Puri, the temple town in Orissa, India
Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai On the land of Dan Phuong, Hanoi (Hatay)
Mr Pinggot Zulueta Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines winner special award
Mr Andrea Fitrianto Cityscape from the Wat Saket, Bangkok, Thailand
Mr Ivan Stelmak Historical Cairo, Egypt
Mr Wong Chi Keung (Ricky) Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong overall winner
Mr Wong Chi Keung (Ricky) Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
ihs - celebrating 50 years of making cities work
01
cities are more
important than
countries
celebrating 50 years of
the institute of housing
and urban development
studies
ihs, the Institute for Housing and Urban Development
Studies, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2008.
This magazine is a special edition that marks the occasion by looking back at ihs’s jubilee year.
ihs was established during the period of Rotterdam’s
post-Second-World-War reconstruction. As the international arm of the Bouwcentrum, ihs was tasked to
communicate the knowledge gained, through the development of the city and its housing, to government
authorities in developing countries. Fifty years on,
times have changed; worldwide, cities are growing at
an explosive rate. Along with the considerable expertise ihs has accumulated during the last half century,
the institute has built up an international, urban
management network enabling ihs to help managers,
government officials and policymakers to improve the
way cities function across the globe.
We marked the 50 years ihs has been in operation with
a photography competition, an essay contest, a film
about ihs, an academic conference, and a series of
urban meetings - discussions centred on the city, under
the title, Cities Are More Important than Countries.
02
The title choice was informed by the milestone recorded in 2008 which marked the fact that now, for the
first time in history, more than half the world’s population lives in a city. The economy is also increasingly
focused on cities. City authorities have the power to
act independently, without the involvement of third
parties, and can make agreements with multinationals
to enable the establishment of businesses, creating
opportunities for investment. City dwellers, playing
their part, make use of many facilities in the immediate vicinity of their city environment. Many of these
facilities are created and maintained by city authorities, and not central governments. Cities have therefore become, to return to our theme, increasingly
important in comparison to countries.
This magazine reflects on the activities of ihs held
during the jubilee year. Read about, for example, the
wise lessons shared during the urban meetings, and
find out how the international speakers responded to
testing questions posed by other speakers or members
of the public. The visual impact of urban management
can be clearly seen in the ten photographs published
here too, all winners from the competition ihs staged.
With the inclusion of Lorena Acosta-Colsa’s essay,
which won our contest, new light has been shed on
women’s position of inequality in the design of our
cities.
Nico van der Windt, director
03
Mr Junrong Liu (Bruno) Old port, Xiamen, China
3 February 2008 5 The small fishing community surrounded by high buildings records the history of Xiamen.
4
5
making
cities
work
ihs 1958 - 2008
On November 2008 it was 50 years
ago that the first International
Course on Building (icb) of Bouwcentrum started. This course had
merely nine participants and lasted
six months. It was the start of what
later became ihs.
Since 1958 several thousands of
professionals have been trained in
this Rotterdam based institute, and
hundreds of professionals participated in tailor-made programmes carried out in their countries of origin.
The date 3 November 2008 marked exactly
50 years since the first International Course
on Building (icb) commenced at the Bouwcentrum. Although the course had a mere
nine participants and lasted just five months,
it was the start of what would later become
ihs. Since that course staged in 1958, several
thousand professionals have undergone
training at the Rotterdam-based institute,
and hundreds of professionals have participated in tailor-made programmes held in
their countries of origin.
centrum grew rapidly into a huge institution
renowned for its extensive knowledge and
experience. Rotterdam, meanwhile, grew to
become a city known internationally for its
innovations in housing and architecture.
1958 In 1958 Jan van Ettinger
Senior, managing
director of the Bouwcentrum, established the International
Course on Building (icb). His objective was to
acquaint planners, engineers and architects
from developing countries with the methods
The Bouwcentrum, based in Rotterdam, is a
required to achieve a systematic solution to
private, non-profit development institute
building requirements. Professionals from
for housing, building and physical planning.
Western countries were also interested in
It was established in 1946, immediately after the programme. The six-month course was
the Second World War, and was an initiative
divided into theoretical and practical eleof the Association of Dutch Architects and
ments. The theoretical part contained planthe Central College of Construction. One of its ning, programming, techniques and organimain missions was to develop methodologies zational skills. The practical element, which
and technologies to foster the rapid construc- lasted four months, served to give particition of affordable and adequate housing in
pants an opportunity to specialize. During the
response to the shortages of the post-war
practical, each participant was coached by a
period, as Rotterdam was severely damaged staff member while placed at an institute or
by a bombardment during the Second World
a bureau. Part-time director Frans Verschoor
War. The Bouwcentrum officially opened in
oversaw the organization of the courses.
1948 in what was known as the round buildIn 1968 Jan Ettinger Junior was appointed
ing in the heart of Rotterdam. The Bouwpermanent director.
06
1968 On 30 June 1971, icb’s
educational activities
were transferred to
Bouwcentrum International Education (bie),
which remained located in the round building,
while the remaining activities of the Bouwcentrum were housed in new premises in a
high-rise building. With the move, a clear,
physical and financial distinction was made
between the two, with bie gradually becoming increasingly independent and selfsupporting. With the changes, administration
posts were filled by qualified staff and a
permanent academic staff was appointed.
bie also set up its own library. In February
1972 a newsletter was launched; it became a
bi-annual publication. bie specialized in lowincome housing projects and providing
technical assistance to developing countries.
In addition to the standard course available,
more and more specialized courses were
added to the teaching programme.
1982
A new phase was welcomed in 1982 under
director Cor Dijkgraaf,
appointed in 1976, when bie changed its
name to the Institute for Housing Studies (ihs). After having focused increasingly
on the complexity and integrated nature
of problems faced by cities, the institute
redesigned its programmes to promote skill
development with which to solve problems in
the local context. In 1990 the name changed
again to Institute for Housing and Urban
Development Studies, but the acronym ihs
remained unchanged. At the same time the
institute began linking its short courses to
the development of a Master’s programme
entitled Urban Management and Development, pioneering the design of two major
courses for urban management and urban
environmental management.
1990
During the 1990s, activities overseas intensified.
Longer-term institutional development programmes were grown,
and participating students were assigned to
significant sector studies, looking at housing
reform and municipal development projects.
ihs was responsible for the establishment
or strengthening (and in some cases, both)
of more than a dozen international training,
research and capacity-building institutions
abroad. There was also a significant increase
in projects involving multilateral and bilateral
organizations, including the World Bank,
the Asian Development Bank and the InterAmerican Development Bank. Cooperation
established with un-habitat and its various
programmes – particularly with its capacitybuilding activities and the Sustainable Cities
Programme – brought the parties involved
especially close. 3
Round Building
07
2000
2008
In January 2000, ihs
In line with its mission
moved premises to a
statement Making
new building situated
Cities Work, ihs develops
on the Woudestein campus of the Erasmus
human and institutional capacities to reduce
University Rotterdam; the move coincided
poverty and improve the standard of living in
with ihs undergoing a comprehensive reorcities. 0
ganization that resulted in an institutional
adjustment in its modus operandi and course
programmes. Its activities were organized
– as they are to date – around the triangle
of research, training/education and advisory
services, where each feeds into the others.
Both the Municipality of Rotterdam (through
the Rotterdam Development Corporation,
obr) and the Erasmus University Rotterdam
became stakeholders. Then, in 2004 ihs
became an independent company associated
in the Erasmus University Holding. The move
resulted, in January 2005, in the appointment
of a new supervisory board with Nico van der
Windt as director. The Master’s programme
was redesigned as a one-year unified Master’s degree in urban development management containing six different specializations.
In 2007, ihs received the 2007
un-habitat, Scroll of Honour
Award from Mrs Anna Tibaijuka,
Executive Director of unhabitat, for leading the way as
a global centre of excellence and
knowledge through our highquality teaching programmes
in housing, urban management
and urban environmental management and planning.
J-Building
T-Building
More and more experience is drawn from
the various faculties of the Erasmus University and from newly-formed collaborations
with other institutes in the Netherlands and
abroad. In Rotterdam, which is seen as a
centre of modern architecture, ihs functions
not only as a bridge to the rapidly urbanizing
world in developing countries, but also as
a bridge between academic disciplines and
practice.
08
ihs - 50 years of making cities work
Ms Fei Fei Wang A street in Hong Kong
December 2007
9
Prior to 2008, the majority of the world’s population
lived in an agricultural environment but continued
migration finally tipped the balance in 2008, when
records showed more people living in cites. The population shift has been, and still is, accompanied by a
number of social, spatial and economic opportunities
and challenges, which are further complicated by continued migration. ihs addressed these issues when it
celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with a series of six
urban meetings held under the theme Cities Are More
Important than Countries, which set out to discuss
urban agendas for the future.
a gift to the city
of rotterdam
six urban meetings discussed whether
cities are more important than countries
Bringing together urban managers, developers, designers
and architects, each meeting in the series compared a global
best-practice with a local perspective, namely the policies
implemented in Rotterdam, where ihs is headquartered and
where the talks were held. The opening meeting provided
a general introduction to the growing importance of cities
and the complexities of the environment in which they are
located. The second meeting, entitled Leading Cities focused
on the ways in which urban managers and designers respond
to these challenges and rethink them to create opportunities. The remaining four meetings focused on specific urban
challenges encountered in the twenty-first century, and dealt
with a range of management and design responses: Sustainable Cities focused on environmental policies, Safe Cities on
security issues, Inclusive Cities on participation, and My City
on identification. As a series, the meetings shed light on an
urban agenda for the twenty-first century.
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11
urban meetings
are cities more
important than
countries?
The premier of the People’s Republic of China, Wen Jiabao,
recently stated that ‘cities will lead the way in building a
comfortable society’. But how can we ensure that our fastgrowing, increasingly globalized cities function effectively,
with living conditions at acceptable levels, and with access
for all? What will a viable, attractive, functioning and sustainable metropolis look like? What can urban designers and
urban managers do to achieve this?
j In general, there are two opposing views regarding urbanization. The first approach assumes that cities will inevitably
become society’s dumping ground and inhabitants will be
reduced to fighting for survival. The alternative is a conviction that urbanization is the route to survival: clustering
creates efficiency and economic opportunities. The infrastructure, medical health and education needed to support
a population are more efficiently provided in urban areas.
The World Bank’s 2009 World Development Report provides
confirmation, stating: ‘Third World cities grow large quickly
precisely because they generate vast economic advantages.
Slowing urbanization down, or pushing it towards places not
linked with world markets, is costly and futile.’ The report
states that spatial transformations are necessary to ensure
higher densities (of workers, raw materials, and so forth),
shorter distances and fewer divisions (or economic borders).
Infrastructure is necessary to enable enterprises in developing areas to compete in the world market. The report also
states that although economic growth will be unequal, development still can be inclusive; meanwhile social exclusion still
remains one of the biggest urban obstacles.
j Since wealthy countries are generally urbanized to a greater
extent than poorer countries, it could be argued that economic growth follows urbanization, implying that the city is
becoming more important than the countryside. But during
the first urban meeting Jan Pronk (former government
minister of the Netherlands and Special Representative of
the United Nations) objected to the suggestion, declaring,
‘Cities are not more important than countries. Urbanization is
not a solution. Cities may promise economic growth, techno-
Vedran Mimica
12
logical progress and intellectual vibrancy. But the middle
class, defined as those who live above the level of survival,
dominate cities in our globalized world.’ Pronk expressed his
concerns strongly because he believes that categorizing cities
as being more important than the surrounding area is done
‘To declare cities as being
more important
is to put humankind
under threat.’
Jan Pronk
solely in the interest of this middle class. As he put it: ‘The
majority of votes for politicians are cast in cities. The city
offers direct media access and is the hub that controls
markets. The countryside, on the other hand, is seen as dull,
if not dead. The elite, the middle class and the young have an
urban view of life. But farmers, fisher-man and nomads have
a different view. Are they the people of the past?’ Pronk’s
reasoning was two-fold. Firstly, he said, cities are dependent
on the countryside, and, secondly,
‘The countryside allows cities to breathe.’ Emphasizing the
point, he added: ‘To declare cities as being more important is
to put humankind under threat.’ Pronk’s second point was
that the modernism seen in cities is dualistic since the
presence of an underclass means a proportion of citydwellers have limited or no access to amenities. ‘Many don’t
appear on city registers,’ he said, ‘so no provision is made for
them and they have no opportunity to speak out.’ In addition,
he added: ‘Third world cities are increasingly becoming
dumping-grounds where the rejected products from rich
nations are ditched. Rotterdam is also part of a system that
accumulated its wealth through colonization and the
protection of its domestic market. By using Third World
countries as a dump for surplus products, we throw local
markets off balance.’ Pronk is convinced that mass-migration
and fleeing refugees are the indirect results of Western
Europe’s so-called civilized policies, while, closer to home ‘the
slums spread across the Mediterranean are the slums of
Europe’. 3
Jan Pronk and Felix Rottenberg
13
Mr Wong Chi Keung (Ricky) Tai O, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
19 June 2007 5 Tai O, a fishing village in the outlying island, is arguably the area that has been least affected by Hong Kong’s
massive urbanization.
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While many opportunities are created through urbanization,
not everyone is involved or included in the resulting growth.
There is an increasing group of people who are left with
nothing but their basic identity and dignity. According to
Pronk, these are not the concerns of local politicians who are
more preoccupied with pleasing their own (middle) class.
He asserts that when the middle class wants privatization,
it is granted, but the result, in developing countries, is that
labour relations become less structured and increasingly
informal. A huge body of unskilled workers is paid less and
less; resistance is punished. Pronk went on to explain how
temporary settlements can gradually be transformed into
permanent ones. In the formal phase, when settlements are
improved to a standard above ‘the level of survival’, inhabitants become new members of the middle class. But some
regimes don’t wait, as happened in Beijing in the run up to
the 2008 Olympics. To compete with other mega cities, the
imperial city of Beijing was almost completely rebuilt to make
room for a new wealthier middle class. A similar process is
happening now in Shanghai for Expo 2010.
j Summarizing the central theme, Pronk stated: ‘Cities
shouldn’t be more important. Cities and countries are one
organic whole; (anything else and) we destroy the very necessities needed to keep the city alive, and we widen the gap
between them and us.’ 2
Questions from the audience
‘The urban meetings
series really provided an
excellent venue for the
exchange of experiences
and opinions on managing cities and making
them work for their
countries.’
Aldrin Plaza (Philippines)
master student
15
urban meetings
revitalizing cities
with acupuncture
What can urban designers and urban managers do to equip
a city to deal with the challenges faced? During the second
meeting the positive impact a mayor with vision can have in
forging the social and urban shape of a city rapidly became
clear. And, in addition, it transpired that mayors should think
as urban designers, or once elected, at the very least turn to
urban designers.
j During the urban meetings some striking illustrations
were presented, one by Anthony Williams, former mayor of
Washington, DC, during the second meeting. He elaborated
on how he turned his city around by making it more inclusive.
Williams described how bridging the gap between the federal
government and the local neighbourhood stopped the looping
of a vicious circle. One of his many interesting examples was
that every four years he invited 4000 citizens to participate
in a one-day convention to evaluate processes implemented
and input ideas in strategic planning. Williams said: ‘As
a public servant you are the defender of the public realm.
By nourishing this public realm you will become an urban
designer.’ Williams highlighted three priorities the mayor’s
office should achieve: establishing a functional public realm;
anchoring physical designs to their function and working with
competent professionals. The meeting was held prior to the
presidential elections in North America, so when Williams
was asked whether Obama would be the usa’s first urban
president, he replied: ‘Obama would not be the only president
to have grown up in a city, but he will probably be the first
one who can speak the language of the city.’
j Small-scale strategies can be very effective in raising the
level of living standards and making life in densely populated
cities more amenable. Jaime Lerner, architect and former
mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, described the efficacy of what he
termed ‘urban acupuncture’, pain-relief treatment he applied
throughout the South American city. Brilliantly simple and
yet extremely effective is Lerner’s garbage-for-food programme which motivates locals to take their rubbish to a
depot where it is exchanged for food or money. Later on,
when Lerner became governor, he rewarded fishermen for
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Anthony Williams
Anthony Williams, Kees Chiristiaanse and Jantiene Kriens (From left to right)
every bag of waste collected from the heavily polluted bay in
the Paraná state. ‘If there aren’t enough fish to catch, they
can hunt for waste,’ said Lerner, who attributes the secret of
his successful programmes to the motivation and involvement of locals. His enthusiastic approach has resulted in
a major shift in attitudes in Curitiba. Lerner believes that
densely populated cities function when people live in coexistence. He stated: ‘The city is not the problem. The city is
the solution.’ A second shining example is the public transport system which Lerner introduced – he sees the car as the
‘main cause of sickness in our cities’. Using sheltered tunnels
to get passengers ready to board a bus as soon as it draws up,
the speed of pick-ups and transits was increased. With the
bus system working as a subway or tube, it became a selfsustaining project that paid for itself. Lerner also ensured
that the elderly and those with disabilities had access.
The system proved popular, not least because of an increase
in the perceived status of bus travel. In addition to metrofying the bus system, Lerner introduced further transport
alternatives, like cycle routes and a proposal for small, carsharing schemes.
j Also looking at the extent to which participation can
improve the quality of urban life was Francesco Orsini (ihs
alumnus and engineer). Under his slogan From fear to hope,
Orsini presented concepts from the strategy he devised for
the Proyecto Urbano Integra (pui) in Medellin, Colombia.
Orsini put the project into context, explaining that mass
immigration from rural areas had resulted a drastic change in
the structure of the city. Overcrowded slums, which occupied
more than half the city’s urban area, had become severely 3
Jaime Lerner
‘Creativity starts
when you cut a
zero from your
budget.’
Jaime Lerner
17
congested, exacerbating a growing social inequality.
A second problem was the violence, deep-rooted in the area,
which was also where farc and Pablo Escobar, the head of a
drugs cartel, operated. During the administration of Mayor
Sergio Fajardo (2004-2007) a new formula was introduced
with the intention of curbing physical and social problems
by reducing violence and carrying out social intervention.
The pui strategy was born: a master plan which worked in
combination with acupunctural projects and community
involvement. ‘The public is the main player,’ said Orsini,
‘90 per cent of the effort came from the community.’ Useful
public spaces created in the densely populated areas were
combined with ‘smart infrastructure’, a metro-cable transport system, which enabled those living in poverty to gain
access to the central city, and, through employment, improve
their living conditions. The pui strategy also initiated the
creation of parks, an iconic library, schools, and a centre for
entrepreneurship and housing.
j The results of designers and managers with the insight to
initiate new concepts and new working methods by talking
to locals and discussing the best solution show how effective
direct communication is. Although small in scale, implementing urban acupuncture can result in effective and extensive
change. It does not mean, however, that a master plan is
no longer needed. ‘Acupuncture should be used to speed up
processes. The key is to put your back into the job,’ explained
Lerner, referring to the key to his success as blitz urbanism.
He explained: ‘Work fast with limited budgets to really show
bureaucrats and doubters you are serious. Creativity starts
when you cut a zero from your budget.’ Let’s hope the current
economic crisis acts as a stimulus across the board. 2
Jantiene Kriens
Francesco Orsini
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18
ihs - celebrating
50 years of 50
making
yearscities
of making
work cities work
urban meetings
create access and
opportunities
The crime and social segregation that blight almost every
city results in walls being built ever higher as a city becomes
increasingly divided. Dutch architect Kees Christiaanse claims
these islands must be connected, saying, ‘We have to create
an open city (*) where communities can settle, and which fosters cultural exchange and real urbanity.’ This open city seems
to be analogous with the model of the inclusive city described
by Anthony Williams.
j The pressing questions concern ways in which fast-growing
cities can be kept safe and whether a hard or a soft approach
is needed. As representatives of a soft approach, Lydia
Fitchko (director, Social Policy, Analysis and Research, City of
Toronto) and Denise Campbell (manager, Community Development, City of Toronto) emphasized the overlap in their
work by stating their functions should be integrated. Toronto
is one of the world’s safest cities, but an indication that there
is still work to be done are Toronto’s mottos Making a safe
city safer and Diversity is our strength. Since 2002 there has
been an increase in gun crime and gang violence, especially in
depressed neighbourhoods with high unemployment. ‘Gangs
are experienced as a family so it’s hard to get someone out of
one,’ said Campbell. Fitchko added: ‘When you see that your
older brother can’t find a job after graduating from university,
it’s hard to stimulate yourself to study.’ According to Fitchko
and Campbell, the government has failed to create opportunities for certain residents. To win back trust, representatives
from all municipal services collaborate in Neighbourhood
Action Teams, which work with residents and in particular,
with young people. Supplementing state-provided funding
are initiatives such as the multimedia centre set up with
Microsoft to encourage young people to participate in training and education schemes, providing them with increased
opportunities. By bringing investment into local neighbourhoods and setting up action teams, community responsibility
is built up from the local level.
j Seeming to take the opposite view to Toronto’s approach,
Arjen Littooij (Director of Safety Issues in Rotterdam) gave
a brief summary of Rotterdam’s more direct approach.
Ten years ago local dissatisfaction was made clear when a
right-wing party won elections in what is traditionally a leftwing city. Although there were no gangs, there were problems
with littered streets, drugs and shoplifting. Several speakers
dwelt on the same subject. Kristian Koreman (founder, zus,
a Rotterdam-based design firm) said: ‘Security is not just
about enforcement and repression. The feeling of safety and
wellbeing is influenced by many factors. Creating an attractive public environment is a more intelligent way to make a
city safer. It also adds value to real estate.’ Dennis Kaspori
(architect and founding member, The Maze Corporation) said
that he no longer saw communal space in the Netherlands as
a given. ‘In the Netherlands,’ he said, ‘public spaces are regulated zones planned around traffic requirements. We need to
‘Creating an attractive
public environment is a
more intelligent way to
make a city safer.’
Kristian Koreman
organize things differently, encouraging citizens to be active
and not simply use a space but also participate in the creation
of it.’ Parallel to Koreman’s suggestions, Kaspori outlined a
more tolerant approach to public space, and that the key to
inclusiveness was to overlay several functions in one area.
Orsini meanwhile stated that an inclusive city meant ‘access
for all and equal opportunities for everyone’. Peter van der
Gugten (ceo, Proper-Stok Groep) suggested that to encourage
people to reach higher, a stimulus is needed. 2
19
Denise Campbell
Lydia Fitchko, Denise Campbell, Aad Meijboom, Kristian Koreman and Felix Rottenberg (From left to right)
20
urban meetings
identity matters in
cosmopolitan cities
Public space with access for all doesn’t mean that its identity
should be generic. Lerner sees the public domain as a basic
need of a city in order for it to function. During his term of
office he initiated the creation of several public parks.
By naming them Ukraine Park or German Park he created an
identity for minority groups without even using any architectural tools. Lerner explained: ‘A city is like a family portrait;
we don’t have landmarks but references.’ Nadia JellouliGuachati (director, xs2n architect.office) presented a more
concrete approach. In her housing projects Biz Botuluyuz and
Le Medi in Rotterdam, she translated the need for cultural
identification into subtle architectural motifs and adapted
floor-plan layouts. Jellouli-Guachati explained that she sometimes felt a sense of discrimination, finding it rather hard to
explain to people in Le Medi’s neighbourhood that it was not
going to be an island for Mediterranean culture, while during
the creation of a huge Spanish quarter in the Dutch city of
Eindhoven she wasn’t met with any questions concerning
identity at all.
j Han Entzinger (professor of Migration and Integration
Studies, Erasmus University) also mentioned a growing
discrimination which he discerned while researching the
extent that young Dutch and immigrant populations identify
with Rotterdam, the city in which they live. His results
suggested youngsters of Turkish and Moroccan origin
experienced a growing discrimination as a group, with
Moroccans especially seeming all too often to be made the
scapegoats. A surprising result was a shift in identification,
with both migrant groups expressing a stronger connection to
the city of Rotterdam than to the Netherlands as a country,
while Dutch young people expressed an increasingly feeling of
being an inhabitant of the Netherlands, first and foremost,
while feeling less at home in Rotterdam. Entzinger didn’t
clarify whether the conclusions he drew could be applied to
other Dutch cities or villages, but he did worryingly observe
the paradox that: ‘As integration advances, the cultural gap
widens.’ 2
Felix Rottenberg
‘As integration
advances, the cultural gap widens.’
Han Entzinger
21
urban meetings
urban agenda
for a globalized
world
Nadia Jellouli-Guachati
‘We have to invest more,
both in the countryside
and in the under-class
living in cities. We need
a major change in policymaking regarding both
city and country!’
Jan Pronk
22
Without structure and careful planning, rapid urbanization
has led, and will continue to lead, to unsustainable development and pronounced inequalities. An urban agenda is needed to ensure cities don’t slide into a negative spiral. During
the six urban meetings, the difference visionary leadership
can make was clear. To create a truly sustainable city, with
tenable living conditions, cross-city cooperation is important.
The key to successful urban design is clearly to involve the
public from the outset, from generating ideas to encouraging interventions by individuals. Small-scale, acupunctural
operations can involve citizens in the most simple and direct
manner. Small-scale operations also make it easier to involve
citizens while leaving space for informal or creative solutions,
which are the essential ingredients of a well-functioning city.
That said, a holistic vision and a master plan remain necessary to ensure functional connections between different
urban acupunctural projects. Infrastructure is essential, as is
creating opportunities, and access to basic services such as
shelter, clean water and sanitation. Security is also improved
by creating attractive and useful public spaces in congested
cities, with access for all. In addition, Pronk called for increased political activism, saying designers and managers
should debate serious questions regarding policymaking.
He added: ‘We must not hide behind our professions. Everyone is a citizen, we must take responsibility.’
j Since town and country are one inseparable system, an
integrated solution has to be found. Continued decentralization is necessary to enable cities to tailor infrastructure and
services and to allow their residents and businesses a say in
urban policy. At the same time, countries must ensure that
large metropolitan areas do not monopolize the resources
needed for infrastructure and services at the cost of smaller
towns and the countryside. As Pronk said: ‘We have to invest
more, both in the countryside and in the under-class living
in cities. We need a major change in policymaking regarding
both city and country!’ 2
urban meetings
urban management and
design in rotterdam
The pressing question is: what effect do these implications
have on Rotterdam? Case studies such as Washington,
dc, Curitiba and Medellin seem to be quite different from
Rotterdam’s urban realm. Yet, the lively discussions during
the meetings illustrated that problems, and the innovative
solutions to them that cities around the world manage to
find, can be applied to Rotterdam as well. Rotterdam can and
should adopt a soft approach to safety issues, alongside its
own hard approach. The daring combination of large-scale
infrastructure, community participation and social policy
applied in Medellin can also be adopted to solve problems in
neighbourhoods in the city of Rotterdam.
j With the privatization of housing associations, the position
of the local municipality regarding housing has been weakened,
giving private investors a greater role in the planning of social
housing. The question we must ask is the extent to which
private investors are held accountable. Their policies have been
known to change. The relocation of citizens from Rotterdam’s
Crooswijk neighbourhood, so that low-quality housing could be
demolished to create way for more exclusive accommodation
rightly caused uproar. A member of the audience commented:
‘That’s how we create urban nomads.’ That said, the government-run urban design as seen in the Netherlands since the
Second World War is no longer an option. Contrasting with
Orsini’s fight for increased structure in Medellin, Colombia, is
Kaspori’s observation that the Netherlands has, if anything,
over-developed its housing planning programme. Kaspori
believes that there is now a need for a more informal
approach in what is described as the overly-planned and
regulated suburbs in the Netherlands. But, says Van der
Gugten, there should be ‘no informality without a good
formal framework’. A balance between sufficient structure
and some degree of informality is clearly needed.
j Taking Rotterdam as a case study, Christiaanse gave a
striking example of an uncooperative aspect of European
town planning, saying: ‘It seems rather difficult for neighbouring municipalities to unite to shape a shared vision that
crosses municipal borders.’ Ideally, cities across the Randstad
Kees Christiaanse
23
conurbation ought to work together, but the differing political layers make the concept difficult to achieve.
j In the past Rotterdam has been nominated European
Cultural Capital and City of Architecture; in 2009 it holds the
position of European Youth Capital, with its large, youthful
population running counter to the trend in many cities where
the population demographic is increasingly aging. But the
most ambitious project to date is the target the Rotterdam
Climate Initiative has set itself, to drastically reduce Rotterdam’s co2 emissions to become the world capital of co2-free
energy by 2025. Part of the International Clinton Climate Initiative, it’s an opportunity to rebrand the city that’s already
considered a seat of renewal, but more than that, the move
is hoped to result in a stronger identification with something
more permanent, such as innovative, zero-emission, green
architecture with the search for solutions crossing international borders.
j In the final meeting of the series, moderator Felix Rottenberg noted that Rotterdam had maintained an international
feel, due to the comparisons and examples of case studies
brought to the discussions from around the world. The urban
meetings’ three organizers closed the series by sharing the
most revealing points heard during the series of meetings.
Welcoming the newly-forged connections between the
worlds of urban design and urban management, Jan Fransen
(ihs), Patrick van der Klooster (air) and George Brugmans
(iabr) emphasized the importance of gaining the support and
participation of local citizens. They reiterated the impact that
strong leadership can have, and that a mayor with initiative can see real changes implemented. All three expressed
a desire that points raised during the discussions would be
discussed further in a continuation series. 0
(*) To realize the series of urban
meetings, ihs teamed up with the
International Architecture Biennale
Rotterdam (iabr) and the Architecture Institute Rotterdam (air).
In 2009 the fourth edition of the
iabr will be held under the theme
Open City – designing coexistence
which Kees Christiaanse will chair.
Jan Fransen and Han Entzinger
‘The urban meetings broadened
my understanding
of how dynamic
and competitive
cities have become,
and with that, the
realization that
they are more
influential in the
growth of nations
than previously
thought.’
Shilla Chabalengula (Zambia)
master student
24
speakers urban meetings
are cities
more important
than countries?
Jan Pronk
former minister and Special Representative of the United Nations
Vedran Mimica
director Berlage Institute
sustainable cities
 
Jaime Lerner
architect and former mayor of Curitiba (Brazil)
Arjan Dikmans
director Rotterdam Climate Initiative
Floris Alkemade
architect, partner in oma
leading cities
Anthony Williams
former mayor of Washington, d.c.
Jantine Kriens
vice mayor of Rotterdam
Kees Christiaanse
curator of the 4th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam, partner in kcap
and member of the Design for London Advisory Group Meeting
safe cities
 
Lydia Fitchko
director of Social Policy, Analysis and Research in the Social
Development Division of the City of Toronto
Denise Campbell
manager, Community Development
Manuel Mulder
regionaal portefeuillehouder Jeugd, districtschef De Eilanden, Politie Rijnmond
Arjen Littooij
director of Safety Issues, Rotterdam
Kristian Koreman
architect, Zones Urbaines Sensibles
inclusive cities
 
Francesco Maria Orsini
engineer, Proyecto Urbano Integral, Medellin (Colombia)
Peter van der Gugten
general director Proper-Stok
Dennis Kaspori
architect, The Maze Corporation
my city
Han Entzinger
professor of Migration and Integration Studies
Nadia Jellouli-Guachati
architect, xs2n architect.office
25
Mr Piyush Ranjan Rout Puri, the temple town in Orissa, India
23 November 2004 5 The Grand Road, accommodates more than million devotees on a single day located at Puri, the temple
town in Orissa.
26
27
Leading academics offered their insights in the economic aspects of the world’s rapid urbanization during
an academic conference organized by ihs and the Erasmus University of Rotterdam and held on 30 and 31
October 2008. The keynote speakers were Edward
Glaeser (Harvard University, usa); Gianmarco Ottaviano
(University of Bologna, Italy); Henry Overman (London
School of Economics, uk); and Jacques Thisse (Core and
ucl, Belgium).
cities as the engine
for economic
growth
interview with Charles van Marrewijk
on the academic conference
What perspective do most of the
The papers presented focused on
papers presented have?
‘The
majority of the papers are about the
economic aspects in the links beeconomic forces effective between different
tween cities. In economic terms,
cities. Nearly all participants work in the area
of economic geography. Paul Krugman, the
cities are becoming increasingly
founder of the models used by the majority
important. The greatest share of
of speakers, was awarded the Nobel Prize
the Gross National Product is real- for Economics in 2008 for his analyses and
theories covering free trade, globalization
ized in cities. In this way cities are
the economic causes and effects of
gaining power, relatively speaking, and
urbanization. His work demonstrates that
in comparison to countries. Mayors the extent of how important or prosperous
play an evermore significant role in a region or a city is depends largely on its
in relation to other hubs and the condetermining factors that affect the location
nections between them. Vienna, for example,
establishment of business locations used to be relatively isolated as it was on the
periphery of Europe, close to the Iron Curtain.
for companies, and initiating soluThrough changing political structures, its
tions to deal with major problems
location in relation to the surrounding areas
such as congestion and pollution.
is now much more favourable. Direct links
In the interview below, Charles van have been established with, for example,
Budapest and Bratislava; Vienna as
Marrewijk, scientific director at ihs, Prague,
a city has improved enormously and has subexplains what the economic conse- sequently become a very attractive economic
location.
quences of growing cities are.
28 ihs - celebrating 50 years of making cities work
‘Other papers, for example, discussed the
consequences, on the production process, of
falls in transport and communication costs.
When this occurs, the production chains can
be separated, which enables more suitable
locations to be taken advantage of, for example, to supply ores. The effect even impacts
on cities located close together, where ties
are strengthened. Contrary to popular opinion, globalization, the growing integration
of markets as a result of falling transport
costs, has not resulted in us, as Europeans,
trading more with far-off countries. It has
led, instead, to our trading even more within
Europe. In some sectors, we compete, of
course, with China, but the slicing up of the
value chain generally occurs in areas that are
not too far apart from each other. The various parts of the production process have to
remain connected. The clustering of economic
activity can be seen in the European cluster,
the North American cluster, and the Japanese
and South Korean cluster. And obviously,
other areas of the world are left behind.
This is the heart of Paul Krugman’s work,
which describes the new economic geography
where falling transport and interaction costs
lead directly to an increasing concentration of
all kinds of economic activities. This occurs at
both city and at world level. Along with this
centring, periphery structuring occurs where
people and activities that are not so mobile
remain tied to specific locations. Being left
behind is a real danger; the resulting divisions
occur both within countries and across the
world.’ You would really think that with
advances in communication possibilities and increasing freedom
of movement, living and working
in lower densities in the countryside would be more appealing. But that is not the case as
congestion is increasing.
from the flower sector which is very much
concentrated in the Westland. Flower
growers regularly visit each other in groups,
to learn from each other, thereby strengthening productivity within a cluster as a
whole, in comparison to more isolated
areas. We call that strengthening through
externalities. Particular cities or regions
focus on a specific industry, such as, for
example, the car industry in Detroit, the
film industry in Hollywood, information
technology in Silicon Valley or the financial
market in New York. More and more
detailed research appears to demonstrate
that spill-over not only occurs within
particular sectors, but also between sectors
that are linked, for example, suppliers. This
slicing up of the value chain therefore has
positive effects on production. The various
processes are split, but even then, still
remain more or less close by. But there are
disadvantages, such as con-gestion and
land prices. Ultimately a kind of equilibrium
has to be established. It is a contest
between agglomeration forces and the
forces opposing agglomeration. The empirical evidence suggests that agglomeration forces are still winning.’
This clustering also applies to
specific segments of the population, such as senior citizens.
‘The paper Aging Nations and the Future
of Cities by Jacques Thisse and C. Gaigne is
about the aging of the Western European
population. Senior citizens are footloose
and free to choose where they want to live.
Given the need for certain services, clusters
develop yet again. In Florida, the South
of France and Spain, for example, you see
increasing clustering of pensioners. And
within this you have again certain concentrations of, for example, the English with
their own newspapers.’
Charles van Marrewijk
about Charles van Marrewijk
Charles van Marrewijk is professor in
geographical economics and was
scientific director of the ihs.
He is presently professor at Utrecht
University and director of a research
school of geographical economics.
He studied economics at the Erasmus
University Rotterdam (ba and ma)
and in the usa at Purdue University
(MSc and PhD). He worked at the
University of Groningen for three
years, before returning to Erasmus
University in 1990.
His research interests vary widely
and include international economics, economic growth, geographical
economics, development economics, and macroeconomics, leading
to publications in a wide range of
academic journals. He has published
several books, among which three
for Cambridge University Press (on
transfers, geographical economics,
and globalization) and two for Oxford
University Press (on international
trade and international economics).
Two of his books have been translated into Chinese.
Cities have the tendency to
‘In economic terms it appears that companies
benefit from externalities. These are procontinue to expand. Is there an
cesses that are not inherently linked to your
optimal size, in economic terms?
company or production process, but which are
Or are there limits to the maxiadvantageous to your company. A company
mum scale?
always benefits from such activities in the
‘Urbanization reaches its limit at 100 per
immediate vicinity, as a kind of spill-over of
cent. In developed countries, such as the
knowledge within your sector. I, myself, am
Netherlands, urbanization has reached
29
‘According to the United Nations
Population Fund: ‘In 2008, the
world reached an invisible but
momentous milestone: For the
first time in history, more than
half its human population live in
cities.’
unfpa (2008) State of world population 2008
around 80 to 90 per cent (assuming that
10,000 inhabitants per city is the lower limit
definition). As an economist I believe that
the maximum size of a city is reflected by a
number of related factors. One always speaks
of too large or too small when certain aspects
are underrepresented through the decisions
made. From an economic point of view it
depends on the balance between externalities: on the one hand negative externalities
such as congestion or land prices, and on the
other hand positive aspects such as rising
productivity. There are, therefore, arguments
for and against clustering. You can only say
that a city has become too big when the
indications of the negative externalities are
greater than the positive ones. But from the
point of view of wealth theory, this is difficult
to determine. The economic balance between
factors does not always reflect the social
optimum.
The tendency, nevertheless, is for international organizations, such as the World
Bank, to be very positive about the increasing
extent of clustering. Even when clustering
occurs in conjunction with problems, it is
imperative for many developing countries to
cluster.
‘Clustering is also unstoppable. Migration
to the city reflects the bright-lights-big-city
effect. People are tempted by their perception of things being better than they are in
reality. Incomes are probably higher but so is
the cost of living in the city, which is higher
than in rural areas. In any case, the possibility of finding a job is questionable. But
through clustering, new opportunities enable
the realization of improved infrastructure,
water supplies, education and better care
facilities. This further clarifies why the World
30
Bank, for example, is of the opinion that,
Urbanization is a vital pre-condition to allow
developing countries to progress. The paper
by Rick van der Ploeg and S. Poelhekke also
discusses this avenue. The authors argue that
cities are indeed more important in terms of
production and economic growth, but that
megacities generally bring with them huge
disadvantages. The paper suggests that
perhaps it would better to focus on mediumsized cities.’
How big does a settlement actually have to be in order to be able
to call itself a city?
‘That is not always very clear as it’s different
for different countries. In most of Western
Europe 10,000 inhabitants per city is a lower
limit, but elsewhere the figure could be different. Also, the available data is not universally reliable. The percentage of the population actually living in cities is, therefore, a
matter for debate. The trend is, nevertheless,
that the greater proportion of the world’s
population lives in cities.’
The core location of economic
activities seems to have moved
to the periphery of the city. Such
examples in the Netherlands are
Hoofddorp, and along the ZuidAs in Amsterdam.
‘Urban economics deals with this, analysing what is located exactly where in the city
and how the city is organized. The papers
from this conference do not dwell on these
issues. In (new) economic geography we are
principally interested in the city as a whole
in relation to other cities. In urban economics
the focus is, for example, about clustering
within a city end the concentration of activi-
But in Detroit things went
wrong . . .
‘Edward Glaeser writes about this in his paper
Did the Death of Distance Hurt Detroit and
Help New York? Detroit had been successful
for a long time as an industrial city, just like
New York had been. But the opportunity to
outsource, or contract outside companies to
undertake activities, turned out to be fatal
for the car industry. New York was able to
focus simultaneously on other activities and
the city was managed and organized as a centre, but Detroit was unable to establish itself
on either account to the same extent. Human
capital played an important role in New York.
A successful business person in New York can
expect an extremely high income. Again, this
attracts more service providers to the centre.
In this way a wide range of income levels
occurs within bigger agglomerations.’
In your own paper, you make a
link between density and prosperity. Economic growth almost
always occurs together with
increasing urbanization.
Is urbanization a prerequisite for
economic growth?
Economic growth and urbanization in the Netherlands
Netherlands
gdp per capita
400
60
300
200
Urbanization, %
20
100
1500
1600
1700
1800
Urbanization, %
40
gdp per capita
ties or specific trends due to infrastructure.
Neighbouring cities have the tendency to
grow towards each other, for example, as
seen across the Randstad. Through this
tendency to strengthen connections, some
cities become economically more powerful in
relation to the surrounding cities by virtue of
their location. The location of a city defines
its geographic reality, just as its history does.
In this way, New York first became prominent
while operating as a port that processed
immigrants, and Chicago when it was a major
junction within the railway network.’
1900
‘There is a risk that cities grow too
large so that congestion, pollution and overcrowding forces outweigh the positive agglomeration
forces. Primacy is usually a sign
that cities have grown too large
and have become inefficient.
Our evidence suggests that such
regions will attract relatively less
fdi.’
From: Rick van der Ploeg and S. Poelhekke,
Growth, Foreign Direct Investment, and Urbanization: Unbundling Spatial Lags
‘In my paper I demonstrate that when a country develops successfully, this generally occurs
in conjunction with reinforced urbanization,
as it did in Japan, the Netherlands and now
also in China. This does not of course mean
that urbanization automatically leads to prosperity. Urbanization has to be well-managed
by local and national governments. There is
also no causal link between economic growth
and increasing urbanization. They reinforce
each other. But there are always exceptions. 3
31
40
80
30
60
20
Urban population
gdp per capita
10
1960
40
20
1970
1980
1990
2000
gdp per capita (% world average)
Urban population (% of total)
Link between urbanization and economic growth in China
2010
‘As communication technology
improved, it enabled manufacturing firms to leave cities, causing the urban decay of Detroit
or Manhattan in 1975. However,
declining communication costs
also increased the returns from
new innovations, and since cities
specialize in idea-production, this
helped invigorate some cities.’
‘Our model suggests that future
improvements in information
technology will continue to
strengthen cities that are centres
of innovation, but continue to
hurt cities that remain oriented
towards manufacturing.’
From: Edward Glaeser, Did the Death of
Distance Hurt Detroit and Help New York?
32
‘The level of urbanization is closely related
to the incomes that are being generated, but
incomes and prosperity are not the same
everywhere. The income-percentage that is
necessary for health, education and infrastructure varies by country. So it is, therefore, not certain that a rise in income will be
translated proportionally into an increase in
happiness. This is because in different societies different choices are made. The incomes
in the usa, for example, tend to be higher,
but people have fewer days off. Does that
mean that the average American is happier
than the average European? So-called happiness studies have been carried out to assess
this. I am unimpressed with these. One can
calculate the income per head on a scale from
one to infinity while happiness is measured
on a scale of zero to ten. The two scales,
therefore, do not match with each other.
Why is there a maximum for happiness?
You cannot conclude from this that a higher
income leads to greater happiness.
‘This also comes back in the paper by Kristian
Behrens and F. Robert-Nicoud Survival of the
Fittest in an Urban Environment: Agglomeration, Selection and Polarization. They write
that cities are engines for development.
Cities can nevertheless still be very tough
environments. This is because not everyone
is able to profit from the growing prosperity.
Many people miss out.’
Are cities indeed really more important than countries?
‘Clearly cities are growing in importance as
they gain power. But it all depends upon the
kinds of problems you want to address. Cities
tend to cluster with other cities and annex
suburbs. That is more efficient. But cities do
not have the possibilities that countries have.
They do not have the same powers and tasks.
A country can transcend certain problems.
Income inequalities between the countryside and the city are something that mayors
generally do not consider. That is something
that should be dealt with at a national level.
International consultation is also easier to
coordinate at a national level. Countries are
better placed, for example, to react more
adequately to a financial crisis. You cannot
of course solve something like that through
‘In a nutshell, cities are places
that make workers and firms
more productive (agglomeration),
yet where failure is more likely
than elsewhere (selection), thereby generating large inequalities
(polarization).’
a consultation between numerous different
mayors. We have to realize that although
urbanization is increasing, at the same time
the population in the countryside is also continuing to rise in absolute terms. However,
decisions that are taken in the area where you
live are of greater importance to individual
prosperity and wellbeing. Those differences
are not so significant in the Netherlands,
but in the usa, for example, the influence
of municipal governments is much greater
than that of the central government. Even in
a country such as China it certainly matters
whether you live in Shanghai or more to the
west. The differences between the cities
there can be quite significant.’
From: Kristian Behrens and F. Robert-Nicoud,
Survival of the Fittest in an Urban Environment:
Agglomeration, Selection and Polarization
If the Randstad was governed by a
single body, a number of administrative layers could be eliminated.
Is this necessary to increase productivity and to encourage economic
growth?
‘The understanding is that the Randstad
would be more competitive at an international level if its powers were clearer.
The Randstad is the heart of our economy.
Certain problems could be dealt with more
efficiently within a more coherent structure.
We could extend the influence of councils
and leave out the provincial authorities as an
intermediate layer. But this is unlikely to happen in the near future.’ 0
100.000
High-income urban centres and less-developed areas
Urbanization and gdp per capita, 2004
Qatar
Trinidad & Tobago
GDP per capita (ppp)
10.000
Djibouti
1.000
Burundi
y = 530.01e 0.043x
R² = 0.581
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Urbanization (% of total pop)
33
34
35
36
37
During ihs’s jubilee celebrations, the World Urban Forum took
place in the Chinese city of Nanjing, under a theme that tied in
closely with the main theme of the festivities in Rotterdam:
Harmonious Urbanization; The Challenge of Balanced Territorial
Development. ihs also took part in the forum in Nanjing with
three training courses: one on alternatives to forced evictions,
the second on designing a safety index for improving urban
safety and the third on negotiation skills for urban development
strategies. Jan Fransen (deputy director) and Saskia Ruijsink
(Urban Planning and Policy) were involved in a networking event,
a double debate which Forbes Davidson (senior expert, Urban
Policy and Planning) moderated. Jan Fransen took, as his point of
departure, the position that cities are more important than
countries while Saskia Ruijsink defended the opposite view.
harmonious
urbanization
ihs at the world urban forum
38
The World Urban Forum was established by
the United Nations at the beginning of the
twenty-first century with the objective of
studying the rapidly increasing urbanization worldwide, with particular focus on its
effects on society, the economy and policy.
A networking event which takes place every
two years, the World Urban Forum’s first
event was staged in Nairobi (2002), followed
by a second meeting in Barcelona (2004) and
a third in Vancouver (2006). The fourth session of the World Urban Forum was hosted by
the Chinese government and took place from
3 to 6 November 2008 in Nanjing (literally:
southern capital). The event was attended
by around 7000 participants from various
cultural backgrounds and from different
organizations: urban professionals, representatives from educational establishments,
Jan Fransen
Saskia Ruijsink
Forbes Davidson
academics, representatives from local and
national governments, and interested parties
from the private sector. The forum offers
a common platform for all participants to
discuss the future of cities worldwide.
Fransen concluded, ‘A further concentration
of economic activities is imperative for economic growth,’ and ‘that is to be found in the
World Development Report 2009: Reshaping
Economic Geography, which was published
at the end of last year by the World Bank.’
The participants at the session led by Fransen At the same time it appears that the place
where someone lives, more often than not a
and Ruijsink represented a cross section of
attendees. Fransen’s argument was four-fold city or urban area, is of great importance to
the individual, especially in terms of social,
in claiming that ‘cities are more important
economic and cultural networks. ‘However,’
than countries’. First of all he stated the
Fransen warns, ‘urbanization does include
fact that an increasing percentage of the
risks. Many cities are unable to guarantee an
world’s population lives in cities. Secondly,
acceptable standard of living for every inhabthat cities are more important for economic
itant. Countries remain necessary to distribdevelopment, saying: ‘Economic growth
ute wealth and to ensure a good quality of life
corresponds with an increase in population
is available for everyone. If everything works
density, as long as the infrastructure works
as it should then the whole country prospers.’
and there is no question of primacy (one city
dominating another city). But it truly remains
difficult to point to a causal link.’ Thirdly,
he stressed that it is an economic fact that
concentrations of economic activity have a
strong attraction and tend to draw additional
activities into an area. The formation of a
metropolis is inevitable. Fransen argued that
the city also boosts the countryside indirectly
and informally, saying: ‘Migrants who move
from the countryside to the city generally
Jan Fransen
send a lot of money back to remaining family.’ Fransen’s fourth point was that mayors
are becoming increasingly important. ‘Mayors Saskia Ruijsink asserted that cities are not
are seen more often on television and play an necessarily more important, backing up her
important role in the creation of an attractive argument with a number of powerful points
climate for the establishment of businesses.’ saying: ‘More than 50 per cent of the world’s
‘A further concentration
of economic activities is
imperative for economic
growth.’
39
Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai On the land of Dan Phuong, Hanoi (Hatay)
25 November 2006 5 How much longer can this girl enjoy fresh air in the face of rapid industrialization?
population indeed lives in cities, but that is
only an average. In many developing countries the majority of the population lives in
the countryside, and that can be as much
as up to 80 per cent. All these people are, of
course, not less important than the city
dwellers. In developing countries rapid urbanization is taking place, with as much as 95
per cent of all urban growth occurs there.
Many cities are unable to cope with such rapid
growth. A large proportion of people who
migrate to the city end up in the slums and
for them the question is whether the move
to the city leads to any real improvement in
their living conditions.’
‘Cities are, it is true, the economic
motor, but the country provides
the fuel and physical infrastructure.’
Saskia Ruijsink
40
Stimulating urbanization, in Ruijsink’s
opinion, does not automatically result in
economic growth. She says: ‘Cities are, it is
true, the economic motor, but the country
provides the fuel and physical infrastructure.’ Rural areas play a key role in providing
fuel, as resources are located there.’ It is the
country that is responsible for administration and countries play an important role in
the economic redistribution. ‘A country has
to ensure the division of prosperity is fair,’
says Ruijsink. In many developing countries
urbanization processes are initiated and lead
to economic growth, but countries often lack
the capacity to enable the entire population
to benefit from this growth. Countries in the
eu are highly urbanized (with urbanization
at around 80 per cent) and they have strong
economies, which also allows for redistribution. The largest chunk of the eu’s budget is
spent on developing rural areas (44 per cent
of the budget) and on ‘cohesion’, which is
assistance to the less advantaged regions.
Ruijsink included references to international
politics and the financial markets operating on a national level in her arguments:
‘National governments have the power to
create new cities and only national governments are capable of implementing major
social reforms.’ A significant objection is that
the inhabitants of a country share a cultural
identity. ‘A national identity manifests itself
during sporting events. A good example is the
Olympic Games in Beijing. That was a national
event, even though the city was responsible
for most of the financing and facilities.’
Ruijsink underlines her last argument saying that people generally identify with their
country of origin. If you ask someone where
he or she comes from, the response is ‘from
India’ and not ‘from Chennai’.
A panel discussion moderated by Forbes
Davidson (ihs) followed. On the panel were
three ihs alumni: Azza Sirry (Egypt), Nic
Taralunga (Romania) and Mansee Bal (India).
The theme discussed generated highly
emotional responses among those present in
the hall; rapid urbanization proved to be a hot
topic in many countries. A heated discussion
ensued concerning the division of roles
between cities and countries, with regard to
the political implications. In general the
feeling that cities are becoming increasingly
more important dominated, but also that a
city would still continue to need its country.
This creates new challenges. Countries were
seen by many as being stable entities, in
contrast to cities, which were considered less
stable in comparison.
According to Azza Sirry, the role of cities in
the economic growth of many developing
countries is much less important than people
think. The misconception probably comes
from the degree of ‘primacy’ (where one city
dominates), as in developing countries there
are often much greater levels of inequality
between cities and infrastructure is often
inadequate. Economic growth tends to
remain, therefore, limited to only a few cities.
In Egypt, the government promotes tourism
and business activity almost exclusively in
Cairo, creating one-sided economic growth
which is hardly redistributed throughout
the rest of the country. Only Cairo sees
the benefits. Nic Taralunga indicated that
countries were important for printing money
and issuing passports. Nevertheless, in his
opinion, some cities do take the initiative to
lead, creating change and progress. Mansee Bal suggested that the city is the most
significant point of reference in everyday life,
as change in the city is immediately felt by all
its inhabitants. However, in India the national
government plays a major role in determining
critical legislation, policy and the allocation
of substantial subsidies. For her too, it is the
country that determines her national identity, because although Mansee has moved
frequently, she continues to feel, as she has
always felt: ‘Indian’.
‘The role of cities in the economic
growth of many developing countries is much less important than
people think.’
Azza Sirry
The mayor of Harare was present in the hall;
he recognized the importance of his city in
the development of Zimbabwe; many local
government managers, including the council
of the capital, come from opposition parties,
making urban management more complex.
Harare was a clean city, with many amenities, but partly because of the opposition
the council faced from national government,
things have become a mess.
Many local government managers, including the council of the
capital, come from opposition
parties, making urban management more complex.
Another member of the audience added that
while cities are particularly important for
their residents and those living in the vicinity
of a city, the further away from the city an
individual lives, the less effect the city has on
that person’s everyday life. 3
41
A question that also arose from the audience during the discussion was whether
countries were really less important for
multinationals. Do multinationals prefer to
identify with the name of a city? Ruijsink
and Fransen both agreed that in this situation, countries or ‘nation states’ become less
important. Regional clusters develop, that
operate beyond national borders, networks
that are becoming larger and more complex.
The links in these networks are, however,
found in the city where advances are being
made. A city such as Rotterdam is part of an
economic network including the Ruhr District,
in Germany. At the same time it is part of the
spatioeconomic network of the Randstad in
the Netherlands, while also being part of the
harbour network that connects it to other
harbours throughout the world. These overlapping networks are not bound by administrative limits. Ruijsink and Fransen jointly
commented that: ‘For this reason it is worth
reconsidering the reorganization of the hierarchies of government; for example, abolishing the provincial network and establishing
other arrangements for governing networks.’
The time seems right
for Dutch development
cooperation to pay
more attention to urban
issues.
It seems that the disadvantages of urban
growth are felt especially hard in the cities of
developing countries. Ruijsink noted: ‘Life in
cities carries with it greater risks, as people
can more easily miss out; that said, it does
also offer more opportunities resulting from
the greater cultural diversity which allows
more room for difference, and therefore, an
increased chance of social inclusion. Fransen
observed: ‘Research by un-habitat has
shown that although the standard of living
in slums is not better than in the countryside
where people came from, even when dwelling
in slums, people have better opportunities to
access education, health facilities and work.’
According to Ruijsink and Fransen, develop-
42
ment aid from the Netherlands mainly concentrates on the countryside and cities are
more or less ignored: ‘This is because, among
other reasons, the Dutch have a long history
in the area of development and agriculture.
Given the rapid growth of cities and the
related increase in urban poverty, the time
seems right for Dutch development cooperation to pay more attention to urban issues.’
In short, trends show the importance of cities
is increasing, but cities also require an effective hinterland and must keep connected to
it, both politically and culturally. Urbanization
can be, in particular, an important stimulus
for the economy of developing countries.
Ruijsink and Fransen conclude: ‘We should
not be trying to stop urbanization. That is
almost impossible. But we need to try and
steer it and anticipate what’s going to happen next. This requires a reorganization of
local and national governments, as successful
urbanization creates strong cities that need
strong countries.’ 0
Mr Pinggot Zulueta Taguig Metro Manila, Philippines winner special award photo contest
8 May 2008 5 Hundreds of evicted Filipino families wait for immediate relocation after their shanties were demolished by
Philippine government teams cleaning up illegal structures built near railways in the Taguig-Pasig area. The Philippine government, through its Vice-President Noli de Castro, promised to give them housing relocation.
43
the jubilee
fellowship fund
To commemorate its fiftieth anniversary, ihs offered
a number of (partial) fellowship scholarships to
organizations that enjoy a special relationship with
ihs. Financed by interest accrued by ihs, the special
scholarships were awarded a number of people, two
of whom are Abraham Tekeste Meskel from Ethiopia,
and Vita Elysia from Indonesia.
Abraham Tekeste Meskel received a
fellowship for the executive course
A Competitive Local Economy:
Institutional Strategies and
Approaches (1 - 10 December 2008)
Abraham Tekeste Meskel
‘This course focuses on how you can accelerate local economic development to raise the standard of living. In Ethiopia I
work for the central government, in the office of the Ministry
of Works and Urban Development. I design strategies and
policies for local economic development. ihs’s executive
course helped me to understand how theories can be translated into practice.
‘Ethiopia’s annual rate of urbanization, 4.3 per cent, is very
rapid. On the other hand, we face challenging problems
concerning poverty and employment, with slums growing
very quickly. But in Ethiopia we would like to use this trend
of accelerated growth as an opportunity, and promote local
economic development across our cities, for example, rather
than see the growth as a problem.
Until recently, the economy was also growing quickly, with
the annual rate during the last five years running between 7
per cent and 10 per cent. We are working on how to sustain
44
this growth. The source of growth is broad-based: agriculture is growing; meanwhile, services, industries and manufacturing in cities are growing. But cities are playing a very
important role. They deliver almost half of the Gross National
Product, although the current level of urbanization is only 16
per cent. Nevertheless, agriculture is still an important sector, because 84 per cent of the population lives in rural areas.
‘If you intervene wisely, you can turn this rapid urbanization
into an opportunity, a source of economic growth. Cities have
a major role in promoting small businesses. The best thing to
do is to improve the policy environment in cities, to stimulate
business investment; basic infrastructure should also be
provided. We nurture small businesses, like traditional manufacturing, garment-making, construction, urban agriculture
and food-processing enterprises, which provide the population with job opportunities. We also want to encourage
production for export. In Ethiopia we see the housing issue
as a motor that kick-starts and revitalizes local economic
development as building houses creates employment and
results in housing.
‘The way this executive course was designed is very good,
because it includes concepts and theories dealing with local
economic developments. I found it very useful and relevant.
It has improved my understanding and knowledge of how
local economies work, how you can intervene to make them
more competitive and how to improve the quality of life of
city-dwellers.
‘If you intervene wisely, you can
turn this rapid urbanization into
an opportunity, a source of
economic growth.’
Abraham Tekeste Meskel
It was also very good that we had the opportunity to visit
case studies to see the theories in practice. In Spain we
visited Madrid and the province of Valladolid. In Rotterdam
we visited the Creative Factory, where small businesses are
promoted in a depressed neighbourhood. In Amsterdam we
visited the Southern Axis, a commercial project. The contexts of those projects are, of course, very different when
compared to Ethiopia. But the strategies and policies used
here can be adapted to our context, making them relevant.
The influences on the market economy, for example, are very
interesting. It gives me a lot of inspiring input for policies and
strategies at home.’ 3
Mr Andrea Fitrianto Cityscape from the Wat Saket, Bangkok, Thailand
19 July 2008 5 Empty and dilapidated structures coexist with crammed slums nearby. Better coordination of urban actors is
urgently needed
45
Vita Elysia received a fellowship for
the Master’s programme Urban
Management and Development at
ihs.
Vita Elysia
‘This course is really closely linked to my background and field
of work. I work for the Centre of Urban and Regional Planning Studies (psppr ugm) at the Gadjah Mada University in
Yogyakarta, Indonesia. I also studied at this university, and
in fact just received my bachelor’s degree in May in Urban
and Regional Planning, which focused on technical aspects of
making strategic plans. At ihs I encountered something new:
the social context, and policy. Those were invisible to me
prior to the course. So that was very interesting.
‘ihs has had a long relationship with the Gadjah Mada University, in terms of research, training programmes, and the
double-degree programme. To celebrate its fiftieth anniversary ihs offered one place to our department for a Master’s
student. Before I undertook much research and I also participated in international projects. In my motivation letter I
wrote that I want to know more and improve my understanding, in terms of urban and regional planning and development
studies. Hopefully this new knowledge will take my work to
Mr Ivan Stelmak Historical Cairo, Egypt
20June 2008 5 People live and work in these houses. The condition of the houses is mostly dangerous for the inhabitants.
46
a higher level, so I can do more for society. I am the youngest
student at ihs at only 22. During the first few months I was
already given a lot of input. We learn from many case studies
taken from all over the world. We can learn from the best and
worst practices by drawing our own conclusions. The course
consists of three sections: a five-month core programme
that gives us general insight; three months of specialization
and three months for the thesis. During the initial months
I discovered what I’m really interested in, which is urban
governance, including urban policy. In my field of work in
Indonesia, we usually act as planners. We have done many of
these kinds of projects for local and national governments.
The problem is that sometimes our advice and suggestions
are not accepted, for political reasons. Because I realize that
I also work in a policy environment, during the second phase
of this Master’s course I will focus on governance and policy
(managing urban governance). When I am back in Indonesia I
can face the reality over there and try to link it to the theory.
‘In Indonesia there is a lot of disparity between cities and
rural areas. Java is very urbanized, but many other islands
are still rural. It is difficult to distribute welfare equally to all
areas. The local government receives revenues from the central government. But the distribution is not always done well.
There are many aspects which make it difficult to decrease
the disparity. Recently the central government has started
to think about how to manage and push the underdeveloped
regions.
‘ihs has had a long
relationship with the
Gadjah Mada University.’
Vita Elysia
‘A total of 33 students from Indonesia are taking part in the
Master’s course; some have scholarships from the Netherlands Education Support Office Indonesia, others from the
World Bank. Half of the Indonesian participants follow a
double-degree programme (one year at Gadjah Mada University and one year at ihs), but I am doing a one-year Master’s. After this Master’s degree I will continue my work as a
researcher at the university in Yogyakarta.’ 0
47
Mr Wong Chi Keung (Ricky) Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong overall winner photo contest
22 June 2008 5 Hong Kong has one of the highest population densities in the world; there are 361 people per hectare of land.
48
49
ihs invited its alumni to write essays expressing opinions on housing and urban development in the past, present and future.
The essays had to elaborate on one of the ten
themes related to housing and urban development. The themes are structured around
a timeline going back 50 years and looking
forward 50 years.
sharing insights
on housing and
urban development
essay competition
the past 50 years
1
2
3
4
5
1958-1968 Central government constructs society
1968-1978 Self-help housing
1978-1988 Privatization and liberalization
1988-1998 Making markets work
1998-2008 Urban governance
the coming 50 years
6 Improved quality of urban life in the face of informality
7 Local government as the strategist
8 The multicultural city
9 The environmental agenda for local governments
10 Conflict, crisis and inequality
A total of 23 professionals submitted an essay on one of
these themes. A jury, consisting of prominent ihs alumni,
reviewed the entries. After extensive deliberations the jury
selected five winners, who were each given the opportunity
to participate in an executive course at ihs, with the award
including costs for their flights, basic accommodation and
living expenses.
50
The first prize was won by Lorene Acosta Colsa from Mexico.
She wrote an essay that expresses her view on the theme
‘conflict, crisis and inequality’ and she threw a light on the
role of women in the city. The jury agreed that the essay
shows an interesting and unusual approach to urban areas
from a women’s perspective. It has strong arguments that
show a new understanding of the city; the structure of the
essay is clear and it is enjoyable and easy to read.
1st prize
winners
Lorena Acosta Colsa (Mexico)
Conflict, Crisis and Inequality / Urban Women
2nd prize
Olaseni, Abubakar Mobolaji (Nigeria)
Central Government Constructs Society
3rd prize
Judith P.B. Sitimbeko (Zambia)
Housing and Urban Development in the Past, Present or Future
4th prize
Natalia Dimitrova (Bulgaria)
Challenges for Proactive Integration of Global Environmental Issues into the
Process of Regional and Local Development in Bulgaria
5th prize
Jenny Hidalgo (Ecuador)
The Future: Local Government as ‘The Strategist’
The following entrants received an honourable mention:
Ranjan Rout (India)
Decades of Changes: Issues of Municipal Governance, an Indian
Experience Piyush
Effie Mpakati (Malawi)
The Role of the Local Government in Improving Environmental Sustainability in Building and Construction in Malawi
Jose Isaias Gonalez (Panama)
Improving Quality of Urban Life in the Face of Informality
Focused on Housing Problems in the Historic Inner City of
Panama
Oswaldo Galup (Cuba)
Urban Governance in Cuba
Mark Beyerly (South Africa)
A Descriptive Analysis of Housing in Post-Apartheid South
Africa
jury
Claudio Acioly
chief housing policy, un-habitat, Nairobi, Kenya
Nicolae Taralunga
director, ihs Romania
Azza Sirry
director, Urban Training Institute, Cairo, Egypt
Isabel Léon
expert on urban regeneration of the historic centre of
Havana, Cuba
The winning essay Conflict, Crisis and Inequality / Urban
Women is published in full below. 3
51
conflict, crisis
and inequality
urban women
Lorena Acosta-Colsa
In most cities women account for
half of the urban population. How
do they experience space that has
not been designed to meet their
needs? How can long-standing
urban structures be adapted to
respond to current urban dynamics?
52
introduction
The concept of urban is usually understood as relating to the
social practices that individuals develop in the city. It has a
double meaning: as a setting and as a collective product.
It is both the place in which urban life occurs and at the
same time it describes a collective product that results from
the interaction between individuals and urban inhabitants.
Because ‘urban’ cannot be easily prefigured (meaning having
its form imagined in advance), urban planning paradigms
have resulted in territorial alienation of certain social groups
and in a disparity between the city and society.1
j Historically, women’s activities have been associated with
the reproduction of the labour force, therefore traditional
urban planning paradigms that adhere to traditional family
and sexual divisions of labour have restricted women to the
household. However, in recent decades the increased involvement of women in income-generating activities has forced
them to learn how to operate in their own right within existing patriarchal urban structures.
j The multiplicity of women’s tasks places them in a vulnerable position as a result of the difficulties they have to
overcome with regard to mobility, safety and access to urban
services: employment, resources or representation within
local government.2
Urban spaces have generally been conceived for people with
access to private motorized transport and traditional jobs,
usually by men, who have not taken into account the special
needs of women to access such spaces. Cities have traditionally been developed and adapted according to male criteria.
As a result, urban spaces, both public and private, are mainly
used by individual inhabitants who have access to motorized transport and traditional employment. Therefore, the
needs of urban women are hardly addressed by public policy
or urban planning.3 Consequently, the multiplicity of women’s
tasks have in general been ignored both in the private and
public spheres, at both the household and street levels.
j Recent demographic trends indicate that in most cities
women currently account for half of the urban population.
In New York, Hong Kong, Distrito Federal (in México) and
Rotterdam, urban women account for 52 per cent of the total
urban population, while in Frankfurt they account for 51 per
cent, and in London, Tokyo and Singapore 50 per cent. 4
How does half of the urban population perceive and experience a space which has not been designed to meet its needs?
How can long-standing urban structures adapt to contemporary urban dynamics?
is an inconsistency between the city as a planned structure
and the people who live in that planned structure .7
j In line with this train of thought, H. Lefebvre’s conceptualization of space speaks of a disassociation between
physical structure and social life in cities, which accommodates mental space.8 From the Renaissance up to nineteenth
century, schools of thought on the design of cities evolved
that attempted to translate or transfer the needs of daily life
into infrastructures built to last. However, in modern times,
the bourgeoisie did away with such rules in favour of promoting urbanism.9
j Western cities have a historical problem in recognizing
their inhabitant’s diversity and in translating that into architecture, urban design and planning. In this context there is a
kind of sensory deprivation evident between inhabitants and
cities.10
rethinking cities
The urban planning process is a political process because it
j People’s territorial relations affect how individuals react to
reflects interests and political values. Nevertheless, it differs each other.11 New urbanization patterns based on the use of
from other political processes because of the application
motorized transport have led to the creation of fragmented
of scientific methods to determine objectives, goals and
territories which numb individual senses and, therefore,
means.5 Several schools of urban planning can be identified.6 alienate people from an area through lack of contact.12
The most popular school implemented in most cities, particu- j This numbing of individual senses in everyday life implies
larly within Latin America, is a traditional one whereby there denial, minimization, repression and conflict avoidance. 3
53
Individuals evade confrontations and are unwilling to offer
resistance.13 Today, huge concentrations of individuals occur
purely for consumption purposes rather than for community
development or political engagement: personal computers or
large urban compounds are ways to avoid the problems that
in the past were resolved on streets, in public spaces or in
churches.
territorial modelling of needs
Several difficulties manifest themselves when women seek
to define their role within the city. The lack of basic services
and infrastructure or the restricted access to them affects
women in particular as a result of the sexual division of
labour. Women are mostly responsible for water provision;
health-related activities, fuel provision and solid-waste
management. Furthermore, women are directly involved in
decision-making concerning basic services at the community
level.14
j The income-generating activities of women are closely
related to the informal sector and even though this is recognized, the significance of women’s contribution to the local
urban economy has yet to be evaluated.15 The economic/
entrepreneurial skills of women are linked to the provision of
basic services and land tenure because their economic activities are concentrated in the informal sector and/or close to
the household. Therefore, the provision of basic services in
such areas is fundamental.16
j Women depend more on public transport than men do
because of the distribution of urban services and the restricted access women have to private motorized transport.17
Most women do not have access to urban utilities, services or
infrastructure and they have different patterns of mobility
and public transport use,18 which again are influenced by the
sexual division of labour and other factors.
j Violence against women is evident both at the public and
private levels and is related to housing issues as well. Some
researchers believe that female victims of domestic violence
cannot escape from it because of the fact that their only
access to housing is through schemes focussing on couples.
At the public level, violent clashes among urban groups are
reflected in attacks against women, a fact that limits their
accessibility to public space and public life.19
urban women in mexico
At the Mexican national level it is estimated that 93.6 per
cent of urban women older than 20 undertake some type of
domestic work and 85.6 per cent are also involved in some
type of economic activity. Between 22 and 23 per cent of the
urban households are headed by women and the majority
of these live in poverty.20 In 2005 there were eight million
urban households headed by women.21
j A women’s income is 23 per cent lower than that of a
man in the same type of employment, 22 and women spend
54
an average of 6 hours and 36 minutes on domestic activities (child care, cooking, washing, ironing, and so forth) in
comparison to an average of only 1 hour and 24 minutes
spent by men on such activities.23 In addition, 51 per cent of
women are involved in some kind of income-generating activity, mainly in the informal sector.24 Women earn an average
income of twice the monthly poverty line while men earn four
times the monthly poverty line.25
j These figures basically apply to the Distrito Federal, which
in addition is an area with the highest rate of violence against
women26 – violence that takes place both in public spaces, on
transport (both public and private) and at social gatherings.
j In 2006, robberies against women in the metro system
represented 9 per cent of all robberies, while in 2007 they
represented 20 per cent. Similarly, sexual abuse and rape
increased from 10 per cent to 14 per cent during the same
period. Of these incidents, 50 per cent occurred inside train
carriages, 9 per cent on platforms, 4 per cent in lobby areas
and the rest happened in hallways and on staircases.27
Besides late at night, when the surveillance is scarce, on
certain routes the train carriages have become a meeting
place for consensual sexual encounters, adding to the risk of
women travelling at these hours.28
making the distrito federal a womenfriendly city
Various challenges at different levels can be identified.
Since the identification of every challenge or level is not the
purpose of this essay, attention is concentrated at the level
of urbanism, where generally speaking three main challenges
can be delineated. The first is to develop less traditional
urban planning processes, which permit a) the understanding urban dynamics both within and outside city regions;
b) alternatives in line with city reality to diminish the disparity between inhabitants and the city and to rethink how the
city functions; and c) a match of theoretical frameworks
with reality based on a rigorous analysis of that reality and
practical analysis to provide specific proposals and overcome
speculation.29 Reality should be seen as something dynamic,
and, therefore, not something to be manipulated or predetermined.30
j The second challenge is to understand urban dynamics
in terms of the diversity of needs and social disparity.
The city, during the planning process, ought to be conceived
as something that is organic and in constant motion. The
natural space/resources are modified for the production of
social space, therefore, it is necessary to approach the study
of space from the perspective of understanding the social
processes that generate and provide sense to space.
j Finally, it is necessary to create multidisciplinary working
groups, including social designers with a command of technical elements of planning as well as those elements that allow
them to understand urban dynamics.
enabling social capital for the
construction of a women-friendly city
To address the challenges it is important to design a strategy to develop and enhance local urban actors’ capacities.
A two-pronged strategy should be adopted. First, construct
an interlinked and homogeneous urban information system
through the collection, systematization and analysis of
information on city functioning. It is necessary to establish a
direct and solid network covering all urban actors.
j Secondly, employ social designers who, given their professional and practical experience, should be sensitive in
two ways. The first relates to an artistic area in which the
imagination and images are at the centre of creativity.
This allows the designers to transmit their ethos into every
urban intervention, which is perceived as an active process,
not as an object, and helps to capture the characteristics of
the individuals for whom the design or intervention (housing,
urban development plan, income generating projects, social
programs, and so forth) is intended.31 The image is not an
object, it has a specific reality 32 and the main goal is to create objects capable of confirming and reaffirming designers’
individuality.
j The second relates to how to interpret the diversity of
needs. It is fundamental that social designers integrate
needs into the creation process by reflecting upon the design
and the effect of interventions on individuals. This enables
social designers to act as mediators, defendants and educators and leads to the socialization of information related to
the design process between urban actors and so clarifies the
implications of a design or intervention for the community.
j Taking into consideration this strategy opens several
windows of opportunity to share and to acquire knowledge,
practice and experience with other actors, both within and
outside the city. In the case of IHS’s expertise, and based on
my experience as an alumnus, it would be helpful in several
ways, especially in those related to the implementation process, to practice.
planning cities with equality
Among other factors, the planning paradigms that have influenced the design of most cities have contributed to promote
territorial discrimination of certain social groups, as well as a
disparity between the city and the individual. 3
55
Sociodemographic trends mean that women account for
half of the urban population. However, women’s needs have
not yet been represented within the urban fabric; and as a
result they, as well as the individuals who depend on them to
survive (children, the elderly, the handicapped, and so forth),
have been placed in a vulnerable position with regard to
access to urban services.
j Hence a change in decision-making processes is necessary
in order to guarantee opportunities for every social group,
through the involvement of more urban actors in the planning
process. We have to develop mechanisms in order to reach
an equilibrium that takes into consideration the needs of all
urban social actors.33 Such mechanisms are carried by three
main pillars: a. the management, recognition and acceptance of the inhabitants; b. individuals and c. the differences
between urban actors.34 Urban planning should focus on
functional aspects with future actions aimed at the improvement of the quality of life in cities.35 0
references
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Chant, S. (1997) Women-Headed Households: Diversity and Dynamics in the
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Comisión Económica para América Latina y El Caribe (cepal), Anuario
estadístico de América Latina y el Caribe, 2006. Estadísticas Sociales.
www.eclac.org.
Review date: 16 August 2008
Consejo Nacional de Población. http://www.conapo.gob.mx/prensa/2005/
062005.pdf. Review date: 16 August 2008
Davidoff, P. (1965) Advocacy and Pluralism in Planning, Journal of AmericanInstitute of Planners, 31, 4, November 1965
Delgado, M. (2007) Sociedades movedizas. Hacia una antropología de las
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Forester, J. (1998) Rationality, Dialogue and Learning: What Community and
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Massolo, A. (2004) Una mirada de género a la Ciudad de México, Mexico: Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana / Red Nacional de Investigación Urbana
Matos, C. (1972) Estrategia y plan, Siglo XXI, Mexico
Moser, C. (1992) Adjustment from Below: Low-income Women, Time and the
Triple Role in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in: H. Afshar and C. Dennis (eds.) Women
and Adjustment Policies in the Third World, Basingstoke and London:
Macmillan
oecd (1995) Women in the City: Housing, Services and the Urban Environment,
Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Pérez, D (2000) Propuesta crítica hacia el modelo tradicional de planeación
urbana, Revista asinea, vol. 10, November 2000, Mexico
Peters, D. (1998) Breadwinners, Homemakers and Beasts of Burden. A Gender
Perspective on Transport and Mobility, Habitat Debate, vol. 4, no. 2, 12-15.
Procuraduría General de Justicia del Distrito Federal and Instituto Local de
las Mujeres, www.metropoli.org.mx/modules.php?name=News&file=print
&sid=3485. Review date: 21 August 2008
Sennett, R. (1994) Flesh and Stone. The Body and the City in Western Civilization, New York: WW Norton & Company
unchs (2000) Women in Urban Governance, Nairobi: United Nations Centre
for Human Settlements (Habitat)
Vadera, M. (1997) Violent Homes in Violent Cities: Experience from India, in:
J. Beall (ed.), A City for All: Valuing Difference and Working with Diversity,
London: Zed Books,104-109
www.cinu.org.mx/prensa/especiales/2008/mujer/documentos/Factsheet
%20genero%20y%20pobreza.pdf. Review date: 20 August 2008
footnotes
1 Delgado (2007 2 OECD (1995) 3 UNCHS (2000) 4 Ibid.
5 Fainstein and Fainstein (1996) 6 Ibid 7 Matos (1972)
8 Hiernaux (2004) 9 Ibid 10 Ibid 11 Sennett (1994) 12 Ibid
13 Baumgartner en Sennett, op.cit 14 Moser (1992) 15 OECD
(2000) 16 Ibid 17 Ibid. 18 Peters (1998) 19 Vadera (1997)
20 Chant (1997) 21 Consejo Nacional de Población (2008)
22 CEPAL (2008) 23 Grupo Intragencial de Género del Sistema
de las Naciones Unidas en México (2008) 24 Ibid 25 Ibid
26 Nacional sobre la Dinámina de las Relaciones en los Hogares (2006) 27 Procuraduría General de Justicia del Distrito
Federal and Instituto Local de las Mujeres (2008) 28 Ibid
29 Pérez (2000) 30 Matos (1972) 31 Bachelard (2006)
32 Ibid 33 Davidoff, op.cit 34 Forester (1998) 35 Davidoff
(1965)
56
Mr Wong Chi Keung (Ricky) Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
27 October 2007 5 Mong Kok is characterized by a mixture of old and new multi-story buildings, with shops and restaurants at
street level and commercial or residential units above.
57
grasping the scope o
Although ihs is based in Rotterdam, the institute has
more than 7000 international alumni, several associated institutes in different countries, and partners on
all continents. ihs’s knowledge of urban development
is disseminated across the world.
To celebrate ihs’s fiftieth anniversary, the institute
asked Dutch documentary maker Rob Schröder and
producer George Brugmans to make a film featuring
ihs, its students, staff and alumni. The film Making
Cities Work premiered at the first urban meeting on
8 October 2008. The film illustrates why urban management is important in the twenty-first century and
shows how ihs responds to the challenge. Travelling
58
of ihs
the jubilee film:
making cities work
from Rotterdam to São Paulo, Johannesburg and New
Delhi, Rob Schöder and filmmaker George Brugmans
interviewed Marijk Huijsman (ihs staff member),
Banashree Banerjee (associate ihs staff member),
Claudio Acioly (chief, Housing Policy Section, un-habitat), Julia Azevedo Moretti (Ministry of Planning, State
of São Paulo), K.L. Dhingra (chairman and managing
director, hudco) and Zakithi Mbonane, (senior advisor,
urban management). Their stories are combined with
beautiful footage shot in cities of the world.
Making Cities Work is available to prospective students, potential clients
and new partners. If you would like to receive a copy, please let us know
by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
59
60
61
ihs staff 2009
Cocky Adams
Master Course
Administrator
Dr. Alonso Ayala
Expert Housing
Carla van Beveren
Course Administrator
Aloysius Bongwa MA
Senior Expert Urban
Finance
Dr Ogenis Brilhante
Senior Expert Urban
Environment &
Infrastructure
Nigel Browne
Information Manager
Forbes Davidson Bsc,
Dip TP, MRTPI
Senior Expert Urban
Policy & Planning
Prof Dr Meine Pieter
van Dijk
Professor of Urban
Management in
Emerging Economies
Dr Maartje van Eerd
Expert Housing &
Social Development
Dr Yiping Fang
Expert Housing &
Social Development
62
Ruud Frank
Facility and Student
Support Officer
Jan Fransen ma
Deputy Director / Head
Education and Training
Ellen Geurts MSc
Expert Housing
Dr Alberto Gianoli
Senior Expert Urban
Management &
Governance
Petra Groeneweg
Management Assistant
Yicheng Guo MSc
Marketing Officer
Marijk Huijsman ma
Senior Expert Urban
Sociology
Parmelia Hussain
Student Warden
Marc Jansen Msc
Senior Expert Urban
Infrastructure
Trudi Kerkhoven
Management Assistant
Bert van Kooij
Financial Support
Officer
Marjolein Laging
Christina Liesegang
Management Assistant MSc
Alumni Project Officer
Carlos Morales
Schechinger MPhil
Senior Expert Urban
Land Management &
Policy
Dr Anirban Pal
Expert Policy &
Planning
63
Carley Pennink ma
Senior Expert Urban
Management & Capacity Building / Head
International Projects
and Advisory Services
Saskia Ruijsink MSc
Expert Urban Planning
& Policy
Sarah Steendam ma
Marketing and Alumni
Officer
Thijs van Vugt MSc
Head Marketing
Department
Sharon Welsh BSc
Information Manager
Drs Nico van der Windt Iliana Yocheva
Director
Course Administrator
Maria Zwanenburg ma
Senior Expert Social
& Local Economic
Development
Drs René van der Zwet
Head Course Bureau
64
Petra van der Stoel
Financial Support
Officer
Hans Teerlink MSc
Senior Expert Training
& Capacity Building
Gerjan van Zoest
Financial Administrator
colophon
contact
editorial board
Jan Fransen and Saskia Ruijsink / ihs
Institute for Housing and
Urban Development Studies
P.O. Box 1935
3000 bx Rotterdam
the Netherlands
coordination and editing
Rinske Brand / Brand! communicatie
text
Harry den Hartog / Urban Language
translation and editing
D’Laine Camp / InOtherWords
photography
Rein van de Zee
design
ZEE - graphic and architectural design
with specials thanks to
Inge Krijgsman, George Brugmans, Christine
de Baan, Monica van Steen, Marieke Hillen,
Saskia Derksen, Rinske Brand, Harry den
Hartog, Yicheng Guo, Rein van der Zee, Rob
Schröder, Jan van Mechelen, Andrea Ronhaar,
ihs board of governers
© ihs, Rotterdam, August 2009
visiting address
Campus Woudestein
Erasmus University
Burg. Oudlaan 50
T-building 14th Floor
3062 pa Rotterdam
the Netherlands
p+31 (0)10 408 9825
f+31 (0)10 408 9826
[email protected]
www.ihs.nl
ihs alumni, reunite!
ihs is working on the establishment of
an international ihs Alumni Network.
The ihs Alumni Relations Office also
offers local ihs Alumni Associations
support and service. Please contact the
office for more information and update
your contact details with us at:
[email protected]
ihs is the international institute of urban management
of Erasmus University Rotterdam

interview Charles van Marrewijk ihs at the world urban forum p.38

Transcription

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