Urbanization is fast progressing in the Global South, requiring new solutions for infrastructure, services, industrial development and land and energy use for these regions. In this context, fast-growing cities in Africa can take on a leadership role in driving climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development.
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Cities in Africa and elsewhere in the Global South continue to grapple with the challenge of delivering equitable services, infrastructure, housing and action to respond to climate change extremes and disasters. One well-known problem is a mismatch between the pace of urban growth and the slower development of basic services and critical infrastructure. This results in, for example, deficient sanitation, water supply systems and localized waste management for large parts of the population, which in turn contribute substantially to heightened poverty and inequality. For inclusive, equitable, prosperous and climate-resilient cities, urban management needs to integrate low-income communities into the urban economy by ensuring access to water, sanitation, energy transition, waste management, poverty reduction and by improving resilience through innovative solutions.
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Such an equitable urban transition requires changes in the urban infrastructure, and land and energy use, as well as water and ecosystem management. The key research question in this field is to find ways to ensure city-wide access to infrastructure and services, while minimizing emissions and resource use, and building resilience to climate change impacts. In this regard, cities in the Global South and Africa in particular can serve as examples for other parts of the world as they have the potential to adopt disruptive, innovative yet practical solutions to low emissions, resource minimization and resilience building.
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For example, rapid urbanization creates the opportunity to develop economic structures in African cities that strongly integrate waste by promoting recovery, recycling, re-use and repair for lengthening lifecycles. Such a circular economy can create business opportunities, while also reducing resource use, thus creating a pathway for sustainable development. Another potential solution is hybrid systems for urban water management that are off-grid and utilize multiple water sources and treatment but that can also connect to centralized water systems. Business models for micro-to-medium enterprises have the potential to integrate some of the low-income groups through these kinds of technology and building social resilience.
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These examples are part of a broader assessment of urban infrastructure innovations, their disruption of centralized systems and rethinking of urban form for more compact, walkable, co-located land use for low carbon intensity towards net-zero cities. However, to translate research on these new solutions into action, a shift is necessary in the planning, governing and managing of cities so as to allow for opportunities for leapfrogging to emerge and expand the possibilities of urban development for inclusive and resilient African cities.
Source: Ecology - nature.com
