involving the application of technological innovation: for example, the increase in
the use of electric cars or the increase in hydroponically produced food production.
The second is behavioral adjustment: for example, a shift of consumer preference in
transportation from private automobiles to public transport. Finally, there is the
creation of coalitions made up of representatives of government, the private sector,
and civil society that can work together to implement these policies of adaptation.
The scale of their operation affects all these adaptation policies as do the relationships between these various scales whether they are global, national, regional, or
local. At the local scale, urban places and the urban regions of which they are part
should become a focus of sustainability policy. This is because they provide a
socioeconomic environment that has the potential to develop ways of thinking in
which sustainability becomes a new form of growth, particularly if the emphasis on
making cities more livable can become a new economic stimulus. In many ways, the
Death and Life of Great American Cities published by Jane Jacobs in 1961 is the
most influential study to recognize this fact, although it was focused more on making
cities livable than on issues of sustainability.
With respect to structural change, urban places can also be receptive to new
technologies that are developed locally or imported from outside, especially if they
can be shown to contribute to the livability of the urban place. Thus, new technologies designed to mitigate or adapt to climate change are more easily introduced if
city populations perceive them as enhancing their quality of life. Examples include
the greening of cities, the reduction of automobile-dependent systems through
increased public transport, the development of more compact cities, alternative
transport systems, the encouragement of urban agriculture, and the “greening” of
buildings. There are also a growing number of attempts to make cities as ecosystems
less wasteful by introducing measures such as the recycling of waste, water, and the
development of locally produced food. A typical example of this approach is the
recently announced green strategy for Vancouver City in Canada that has a 10-point
plan to reduce the reliance on cars and imported resources, to encourage green
industry and create jobs, to reduce GHGs and the consumption of water and fossil
fuels, and to increase recycling. Finally, efforts are being made to increase the use of
alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind power (Vancouver City 2010).
On a wider scale, efforts are being made to introduce a new more sustainable urban
region (Kellas 2010). This is now part of a developing global trend as in the new
development region of Iskander in South Johor, Malaysia (Ho and Fong 2007).
There are also efforts to develop innovative clusters for research and development in
sustainable technologies for urban areas particularly in the solar energy projects in
China today.
It is very important that these policies should be developed in a participatory
manner by consulting with the various “stakeholders” in these urban areas.
Top-down delivery of these technologies without consultation often leads to failure.
At present, most of these technological innovations are being deployed in developed
countries; many developing countries argue that they cannot afford to sacrifice
“development” to pay for the transfer of technology to their countries. Their
2 The Management of Urbanization, Development, and Environmental Change in. . .
25
the use of electric cars or the increase in hydroponically produced food production.
The second is behavioral adjustment: for example, a shift of consumer preference in
transportation from private automobiles to public transport. Finally, there is the
creation of coalitions made up of representatives of government, the private sector,
and civil society that can work together to implement these policies of adaptation.
The scale of their operation affects all these adaptation policies as do the relationships between these various scales whether they are global, national, regional, or
local. At the local scale, urban places and the urban regions of which they are part
should become a focus of sustainability policy. This is because they provide a
socioeconomic environment that has the potential to develop ways of thinking in
which sustainability becomes a new form of growth, particularly if the emphasis on
making cities more livable can become a new economic stimulus. In many ways, the
Death and Life of Great American Cities published by Jane Jacobs in 1961 is the
most influential study to recognize this fact, although it was focused more on making
cities livable than on issues of sustainability.
With respect to structural change, urban places can also be receptive to new
technologies that are developed locally or imported from outside, especially if they
can be shown to contribute to the livability of the urban place. Thus, new technologies designed to mitigate or adapt to climate change are more easily introduced if
city populations perceive them as enhancing their quality of life. Examples include
the greening of cities, the reduction of automobile-dependent systems through
increased public transport, the development of more compact cities, alternative
transport systems, the encouragement of urban agriculture, and the “greening” of
buildings. There are also a growing number of attempts to make cities as ecosystems
less wasteful by introducing measures such as the recycling of waste, water, and the
development of locally produced food. A typical example of this approach is the
recently announced green strategy for Vancouver City in Canada that has a 10-point
plan to reduce the reliance on cars and imported resources, to encourage green
industry and create jobs, to reduce GHGs and the consumption of water and fossil
fuels, and to increase recycling. Finally, efforts are being made to increase the use of
alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind power (Vancouver City 2010).
On a wider scale, efforts are being made to introduce a new more sustainable urban
region (Kellas 2010). This is now part of a developing global trend as in the new
development region of Iskander in South Johor, Malaysia (Ho and Fong 2007).
There are also efforts to develop innovative clusters for research and development in
sustainable technologies for urban areas particularly in the solar energy projects in
China today.
It is very important that these policies should be developed in a participatory
manner by consulting with the various “stakeholders” in these urban areas.
Top-down delivery of these technologies without consultation often leads to failure.
At present, most of these technological innovations are being deployed in developed
countries; many developing countries argue that they cannot afford to sacrifice
“development” to pay for the transfer of technology to their countries. Their
2 The Management of Urbanization, Development, and Environmental Change in. . .
25