[Urbanstudy] Delhi Declaration: India's Urban Future

[srinivas kodali]

Several society groups from India have submitted the following declaration
to Government of India during the recent Habitat 3 conference at Quito,
Ecuador. The India Habitat 3 National report is available here
http://mhupa.gov.in/writereaddata/1560.pdf


*INDIA'S URBAN FUTURE: CHOICE NOT CHANCE*

*DELHI DECLARATION: A CIVIL SOCIETY CONTRIBUTION TO*

*HABITAT III: UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development*

*17-20 October 2016, Quito, Ecuador*



*INTRODUCTION*

1.       As representatives of the civil society in India, we appreciate
the efforts of the UN-HABITAT, other international agencies, governments of
member countries, various government and non-government partner agencies,
stakeholders and civil society groups who have contributed in drafting the
New Urban Agenda, which will be adopted at the HABITAT III.

2.       We recognize that The Quito Declaration (QD) on Sustainable Cities
and Human Settlements for All being presented at the HABITAT III touches
upon many of the vital development challenges of today and of the future
world; e.g.:  Equal rights and opportunities for all (QD paras 12, 14a);
Addressing unique and country specific urban development challenges (QD
para 19);Commitment to urban and rural development (QD para 26); Commitment
to sustainably leverage natural and cultural heritage in cities and human
settlements (QD para 38); Commitment to support territorial system for
rural-urban integration (QD paras 49, 93); Commitment to promote full and
productive employment, and decent work for all (QD para 57); Commitment to
recognize the contribution of the working poor in the informal economy (QD
para 59); and Commitment to promote conservation and sustainable use of
water resources (QD para 73).

3.       We acknowledge the India Habitat III National Report 2016,
prepared by the Government of India. This report presents an assessment of
the country’s urban sector and its contemporary and emerging challenges and
opportunities, and gives a brief account of urban initiatives and a vision
for the future.

4.       While these important documents include many of the concerns of
the civil society, we feel that it is absolutely essential that
urbanisation in India, and elsewhere, happen by choice and not by chance.
Further the development choices we make be underpinned by principles of
sustainability, inclusion, respect for people’s rights, prosperity and
opportunity for all.

5.       The Delhi Declaration presents the civil society’s concerns on key
themes relating to urban policies and action plans, which will shape
India's urban future by choice.  Many of these concerns also apply to other
Asian countries. It also takes forward the civil society discourse on the
New Urban Agenda and aims to go beyond HABITAT III in seeking innovative
ideas and mechanisms for our urban future.

6.       We acknowledge all civil society efforts made toward preparation
for the Habitat III conference. The major Indian initiatives include, but
are not limited to: (a) ActionAid meetings in Delhi and Mumbai, especially
the presentation in Surabaya; (b) Yuva’s report; and (c) Habitat for
Humanity meeting last year in Delhi, wherein there was participation from
academics, professionals, trade unions and political activists engaging
with the issues and problems arising out of the pathways under perusal for
urbanization. We also appreciate the contribution of numerous civil society
organizations and individual professionals who participated in the
Consultation in Delhi for drafting the Delhi Declaration.

*RECOGNIZE RURAL REALITY IN AN URBANIZING WORLD*

7.       Asia in general and South Asia in particular are different from
other parts of the globe, in that a large proportion of the population
still lives in the countryside. Indeed, 68% or 850 million of India’s 1.2
billion people still live in 6,20,000 villages, their habitat is as
important as that of 350 million city dwellers who live in about 7,900
cities and towns. Any urban agenda must therefore take account of the
rural-urban inter-connections, inter-dependence and continuity. In short,
what we want is support for simultaneous and complementary urban AND rural
development, using indigenous and localized responses.

8.       Cities as “engines of economic growth” must drive overall national
development for promoting inclusive and sustainable development for all
human habitats.

9.       The Quito Declaration being presented at HABITAT III is largely
focused on adopting the New Urban Agenda, which does not even touch upon
the formidable challenges of developing rural settlements.

10.   Since the Habitat conference is held only once every 20 years, it is
imperative that it develop a Rural Development Agenda to complement the New
Urban Agenda within 2 to 3 years. Simultaneous implementation of both
agendas will help to achieve the globally ratified Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).

*CREATE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITES AND TRANSFORM THE URBAN INFORMAL SECTOR*

11.   Job creation is an integral part of the economic growth strategy and
plans. India can ill afford jobless growth. It is estimated that the
country needs to create one million new jobs every month and 220 million
new jobs by 2030, with over 800 million people below the age of 35 entering
the job market. Job creation is a major challenge. Especially with over 90
percent of the existing jobs in the country working in the unorganised
sector the challenge is daunting.

12.   Therefore, more concerted efforts must be made to reduce the
prevalent social and political hostility towards the unorganized sector and
informal settlements to sincerely move forward the pro-poor development
agenda.

13.   Effective transformation of the urban informal sector requires
recognition of their contribution to the economy and enhanced support for:
their organizations; access to space and infrastructure; access to finance;
licensing of the informal enterprises; social security; minimum wages,
labour standards and legislations to be adhered to.

14.   Different strategies for agriculture, industrialization and service
sector are needed to help urban areas contribute to employment generation,
both in for urban and rural settings.

15.   The current and emerging urban governance, management and development
obligations must take into consideration the challenge of maximum
productive opportunities and job creation in urban and rural areas in a
symbiotic way.



*PROMOTE INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT*

16.   “The city is seen as the home of opportunity and prosperity”, but in
reality the prosperity is restricted to specific groups, pursued for
limited gains for a few and to the majorities’ disadvantage. Urban
development needs to urgently engage with the challenge of making cities
more inclusive and equitable and better places to live, work and grow for
all.

17.   We strongly denounce tokenism and half-hearted approaches, often
practiced in international and national programs, with respect to realizing
the inclusive development goal. We demand sincere commitment to include and
support inclusive development agenda in the policy and operational
frameworks of the concerned international agencies as well as national,
regional and local governments. Such programmes and policies also need to
be responsive to ethnic and cultural diversity, gender specific needs, and
vulnerabilities of the marginalized and differently abled persons.

18.   The concept of `right to the city’ provides a valuable framework to
ensure social justice, voice, participation, equity in access, poverty
reduction and inclusion in urban areas irrespective of the legal status of
the citizens. This needs more forceful endorsement than mere mention of it
in the HABITAT III report (QD para 11).

19.   Urbanization and city development strategies and regulatory
frameworks need to be sensitive to the inherent informal character of the
Indian cities. This requires a bottom up planning approach and going beyond
sporadic and disjointed efforts at legitimization of informal housing and
moving towards housing for all, equitable access to basic services and
public spaces, and secure livelihood.

20.   We recommend a national resolve to realize cities without slums in a
time bound manner. That will constitute:(a) a program of city wide in-situ
upgrading;(b) state intervention for secure land tenures and access to land
for new housing;(c) augmentation of the overall housing stock through
social housing programmes and prevention of deteriorating habitats; (d)
harnessing unused resources in urban areas, such as large numbers of vacant
house; and (e) recognizing and supporting self-built incremental housing
and rental housing for the poor.

21.   Despite increased awareness and policy commitment in recent years,
Gender discrimination continues unabated in many social and employment
related spheres. It requires further attitudinal, institutional and
procedural changes, which must be supported to ensure gender equality.

*22. *Suitable changes must be made in the concerned legislations and in
the built urban environment to better respond to the needs of differently
abled persons, such as to facilitate their mobility, and also to end
discrimination toward them in access to education, employment, etc.

*FOSTER URBAN SUSTAINABILITY*

23.   Sustainable cities for sustainable overall development should not be
based on technological response alone. It should bring in the community
norms, customs, traditions, culture, and religion and ecologically sound
responses. It should also be at a much lower cost without undue compromise
on quality. De-commercialisation of basic urban services is an essential
condition for the realization of urban sustainability.



24.   Given the Nature-based agrarian character of the country,
urbanization in India should be in consonance, not in conflict with
agriculture. Integrating farming into urban design is an urgent imperative
so that the predatory practice of destroying farms and forests to build
cement and concrete structures is put an end to the extent possible. Reuse
and recycle of waste water should also support urban agriculture to enhance
food security in urban areas.

25.   An alternative approach to environmental, economic and social
sustainability is to conceive, design and promote natural cities to counter
“invasive urbanisation” that destroys nature and its right of way and
storage – rivers, floodplains, waterways, lakes, reservoirs, wetlands and
marshes etc.

26.   The poor are most adversely affected by climate change and disasters.
Therefore, there should be explicit proposals to deal with the
vulnerability of the poor in India’s Intended Nationally Determined
Contribution (INDC), Climate Change Action Plan and disaster management
strategies.

*REVISIT URBAN PALNNING AND GOVERNANCE*

27.   Urban areas are in need of a major transformative change.  Systems of
food, water, energy and waste need to evolve new approaches to city and
regional planning. Inevitability of urbanization cannot be the assumption
of policy and planning of future development.

28.   We need to assess which of the current urban programs will lead to
transformative change to achieve sustainable and inclusive development
goals.

29.   Democratic urban governance requires autonomous urban governments,
not urban local bodies that mostly function under powers delegated by the
state governments.

30.   Foster involvement of community groups in planning, design and
performance monitoring of urban infrastructure and services.

31.   Improving housing and employment linkages through mixed settlements
and public transport systems.

*32. *Bring changes in the urban planning frameworks to facilitate
inclusive and participatory planning, along with necessary organizational
changes and funding.

*WE COMMIT TO MOVE FORWARD*

33.   We the Indian civil society representatives stand fully committed to
supporting inclusive and sustainable development, in partnership with the
international agencies and national, regional and local governments.

34.   We will continue to work on issues affecting the most vulnerable
people, engage in democratic processes of policy and decision making,
undertake action oriented interventions across the length and breadth of
the country and voice our concerns and propose viable alternatives for
inclusive and sustainable habitat.

35.   This will be done through a process of ideas sharing, studies and
dialogues among the subject specialists and experts perceiving the matter
from different vantage points and also through interaction with different
stakeholders and communities.

36.   We call for, and will endeavour to, setting up a civil society think
tank, which will work on an ongoing basis with a budget and a staff beyond
Habitat III, to support sustainable and inclusive urban and national
development.



(This Delhi  Declaration is an outcome of a process that started with a
presentation to the Government of India by some members of the civil
society on how best to use the Habitat  3 event for the country in August
2015 and culminated in the National Consultation in Delhi on October 10,
2016 held Jointly by the following 21 organizations :   South Asia
Sustainability Hub & Knowledge Network (SASH&KN) at Transdisciplinary
Research Cluster on Sustainability Studies (TRCSS), Centre for Studies in
Science Policy (CSSP, JNU) , New  Delhi; ActionAid, Nsw Delhi ; Habitat
Forum (INHAF) , Pune. Indo-Global Social Service Society ( IGSSS
<https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj2_9yH-6zPAhUBqI8KHTL0DPYQFggdMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Figsss.org%2F&usg=AFQjCNFaSfgGn1FJzZ8WxOG1QKN-6vwTyg&bvm=bv.133700528,d.c2I>
),
New Delhi ;Indian Housing Federation (IHF), Bangalore;Yuva,Mumbai ;
Samarthan , Bhopal, ;Biodiversity Conservation India Ltd. (BCIL), Bangalore
; Edifice Consultants Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai; National Institute of Urban Affairs
(NIUA) , New Delhi ; School of Ecology and Human Settlement, IIEST,
Shibpur,  West Bengal; School of Habitat Studies-Tata Institute of Social
Sciences (TISS), Mumbai; Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi ;UN
Habitat (India ) ; World Resource Institute (India); Urban Design Research
Institute (UDRI), Mumbai   and CAG, Chennai


Regards,
Srinivas Kodali
www.lostprogrammer.com
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