Participants highlighted a range of challenges facing Commonwealth cities. This included the scale of urban growth: by 2050, an additional 2.5 billion people will live in the world’s urban areas, of whom almost 50% will be in the Commonwealth1. In developing countries across the world, the urbanised land area will triple by 20502.
Cities contribute to 70% of greenhouse gas emissions globally and are also responsible for 75% of energy consumption3. As such, managing urban development is vital to meeting national and international emissions reduction targets.
In many Commonwealth cities, informal, unplanned settlements account for a significant proportion of urban growth. Such areas are less able to deal with the effects of climate change, and it is more difficult and expensive for governments to provide basic services to citizens in these areas.
Many countries lack adequate long-term urban planning strategies or effective implementation mechanisms, and studies by the Commonwealth Built Environment Professions have shown that there are critical shortages of professional capacity and capability amongst architects, engineers and planners to meet the demands of rapid urbanisation4.
Much of the expected growth is happening in secondary cities, despite these places often having less capability, resources and funding. However, they also have opportunities to leapfrog the challenges faced by capital cities.
Urban populations are also getting younger, especially in developing countries, with over 60% of the Commonwealth’s population under 30 years old5. Urban development needs to take account of this demographic shift and plan for future populations, not just those already living in cities.
Politics can affect successful delivery of urban planning. Many countries lack effective coordination between national and local governments or have insufficient financing to make desired changes.
There can be tensions between climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially in developing countries. GDP growth can deliver poverty reduction and greater climate adaptation but typically leads to higher emissions through increased energy demand and industrial activity. Growing a country’s economy and adaptive capability while driving climate mitigation is a key challenge.
Finally, concerns were raised about the availability and comprehensiveness of data. Many Commonwealth countries have not conducted census surveys or other forms of national data collection in many years. Where data does exist, there are often large gaps in who is captured, especially poorer citizens, women, children, and ethnic minorities.
Footnotes
- Planning for Climate Change and Rapid Urbanisation ↩︎
- Sustainable Cities and Communities: Development news, research, data | World Bank ↩︎
- https://www.iea.org/reports/empowering-urban-energy-transitions/executive-summary ↩︎
- Survey of the Built Environment Professions in the Commonwealth ↩︎
- Youth | Commonwealth ↩︎