176
with other developmental priorities and aims to achieve the desired level of outcome
by 2030, through a set of attainable targets and indicators designed to guide policy
actions at local levels.
The concept of ‘sustainable development’ rests on achieving balance between
economic, social and environmental objectives. Rather than maximizing gain
through one specific system, trade-offs between multiple systems and objectives are
encouraged. As Babier and Burges (2017) put it, the theory of sustainable development is fundamentally different from capital approach which guides much of the
developmental policies in practice. Urban developmental policies, in particular, are
frequently designed to improve functional efficiency of civic infrastructure and
attract new investments. Such policies may at times meet the economic objectives
of reducing poverty and generate jobs but also end up widening social polarization
and increasing pollution. On the other hand, a sustainable economic development
approach would not only strive for efficiency, equity and poverty reduction but at
the same time take ecological footprints and social impacts into consideration. Such
comprehensive processes inter alia would involve trade-offs.
However, it has to be kept in mind that sustainability as a conceptual model faces
practical limitations in terms of applicability in policy design. The point of trade-off
between conflicting goals and priorities is negotiated at various levels of governance
hierarchy and power equations between the stakeholders involved. Therefore, priorities assigned to economic environmental and equity concerns vary according to
local context. It is the place-specific political-economic scenario which dictates the
urban form through land use regulations and the planning norms. It is the land supply mechanism, which shapes urban growth pattern, whether a city would expand
outwards through monetization of peri-urban agricultural land to accommodate new
economic opportunities; or the building bye-laws could be tweaked to accommodate high-rise, high density to encourage transit-oriented development and compact
urban form. It is a difficult choice to make at a city level, as urban local governments
are often ill equipped to make informed decisions due to technical and financial
capacity constraints. Moreover, social (i.e. livelihood securities, polarization, gentrification, gender) and environmental (i.e. loss of green cover, filling up of wetlands
and water bodies, deforestation, air pollution, waste dumping) impacts of development are seldom considered in depth. Needless to say, the problems are most acute
in rapidly urbanizing cities of the Global South.
The adaption of the Sustainable Development Goals including the stand-alone
urban goal of making cities safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable (SDG11) firmly
places urbanization at the forefront of international development policy. This recognition goes beyond viewing urbanization simply as a demographic phenomenon but
rather as a transformative process capable of galvanizing momentum for many
aspects of global development. However, these goals are interconnected – often the
key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with
another.
Thus Goal 11 is most relevant and seeks to make cities and human settlements
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable through eliminating slumlike conditions,
providing accessible and affordable transport systems, reducing urban sprawl,
H. Vaidya and T. Chatterji
with other developmental priorities and aims to achieve the desired level of outcome
by 2030, through a set of attainable targets and indicators designed to guide policy
actions at local levels.
The concept of ‘sustainable development’ rests on achieving balance between
economic, social and environmental objectives. Rather than maximizing gain
through one specific system, trade-offs between multiple systems and objectives are
encouraged. As Babier and Burges (2017) put it, the theory of sustainable development is fundamentally different from capital approach which guides much of the
developmental policies in practice. Urban developmental policies, in particular, are
frequently designed to improve functional efficiency of civic infrastructure and
attract new investments. Such policies may at times meet the economic objectives
of reducing poverty and generate jobs but also end up widening social polarization
and increasing pollution. On the other hand, a sustainable economic development
approach would not only strive for efficiency, equity and poverty reduction but at
the same time take ecological footprints and social impacts into consideration. Such
comprehensive processes inter alia would involve trade-offs.
However, it has to be kept in mind that sustainability as a conceptual model faces
practical limitations in terms of applicability in policy design. The point of trade-off
between conflicting goals and priorities is negotiated at various levels of governance
hierarchy and power equations between the stakeholders involved. Therefore, priorities assigned to economic environmental and equity concerns vary according to
local context. It is the place-specific political-economic scenario which dictates the
urban form through land use regulations and the planning norms. It is the land supply mechanism, which shapes urban growth pattern, whether a city would expand
outwards through monetization of peri-urban agricultural land to accommodate new
economic opportunities; or the building bye-laws could be tweaked to accommodate high-rise, high density to encourage transit-oriented development and compact
urban form. It is a difficult choice to make at a city level, as urban local governments
are often ill equipped to make informed decisions due to technical and financial
capacity constraints. Moreover, social (i.e. livelihood securities, polarization, gentrification, gender) and environmental (i.e. loss of green cover, filling up of wetlands
and water bodies, deforestation, air pollution, waste dumping) impacts of development are seldom considered in depth. Needless to say, the problems are most acute
in rapidly urbanizing cities of the Global South.
The adaption of the Sustainable Development Goals including the stand-alone
urban goal of making cities safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable (SDG11) firmly
places urbanization at the forefront of international development policy. This recognition goes beyond viewing urbanization simply as a demographic phenomenon but
rather as a transformative process capable of galvanizing momentum for many
aspects of global development. However, these goals are interconnected – often the
key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with
another.
Thus Goal 11 is most relevant and seeks to make cities and human settlements
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable through eliminating slumlike conditions,
providing accessible and affordable transport systems, reducing urban sprawl,
H. Vaidya and T. Chatterji