James Orengo
16 November 2009
opinion
Nairobi — Kenya contributes two percent of global carbon emissions but has suffered devastating impacts of climate change due to activities in the developed world.
In such circumstances, our planning system must take on board specific interventions as well as provide innovative planning policies to safeguard our urban environments.
Between October 18 and 22, this year, I led Kenya's delegation to the 45th Isocarp Conference in Porto, Portugal. Isocarp is a global association of urban and regional planners, and since its inception in 1965, the conference has been an annual event. This year, it brought together members from 70 countries.
Kenya was officially given the honour of hosting the 46th Isocarp conference in Nairobi next year, the first ever in Africa, south of the Sahara.
The theme of the conference was "Low Carbon Cities", and it emphasised the importance of our cities as key producers of carbon dioxide. This is critical given that the rate of urbanisation in the developing world is rising at a rate of up to four per cent.
With current efforts at global economic recovery, debate is focused on climate change, in which low-carbon cities play a vital role. This year's theme was thus considered appropriate and is a prelude to the Copenhagen Summit next month.
Low carbon emissions and climate change revolve around land use, planning and development management, environmental pollution, nature and resource conservation, energy production and consumption.
The highlights of the conference were mitigation and adaptation. It is recognised that climate change is one of the defining challenges of the 21st Century. Its negative impact will be felt mainly in cities with high populations of poor people. Spatial planning and development of our cities must, therefore, be pro-poor and focus on strategies of adaptation.
Another focus of debate was diversification from non-renewable (fossil fuels) to renewable energy sources. Some cities in the developed world are already powered by renewable energy technology. A breakthrough in this area has been supported by careful urban planning that ensures sustainability and efficiency.
Yet another important area was sustainable transport. Movement of people is now viewed as sustainable, yet in developing countries, 80 per cent of the urban road space is used by private vehicles, while mass transport takes 80 per cent of the time in movement.
With regard to street planning, the current emphasis is on one people movement rather than car movement, with a focus on amenities and pedestrian safety. This requires city planners to integrate transport facilities and public space.
Urban renewal is currently one of the most important goals of planning in developed countries. The aim is to achieve modernisation without destroying the cities' heritage and unique culture, and with no slums. Urbanisation and national development are virtually inseparable. Activities in urban areas must therefore be planned as part of national development.
The increase in urban population, most of whom are poor, requires strategic planning to address issues of service demands in terms of social and physical infrastructure to avoid degradation. Cities and local authorities have the potential to influence both the causes and consequences of climate change.
They can contribute to national and international strategies to prevent unacceptable impacts of climate change. To attract investment in our cities, planning must ensure safety, security and disaster management. This calls for integrated land use planning.
Singapore has demonstrated what can be achieved through adopting new approaches to land use planning, urban growth and building up synergy between various sectoral disciplines that impact on urban development. At the conference, governments and urban stakeholders jointly agreed on long-term strategies for achieving socio-spatial equity, environmental sustainability and economic productivity.
If planning is to play this role, then Kenya's current approaches have to change. In this regard, the Ministry of Lands is preparing a concept paper and Cabinet memo to transform the Department of Physical Planning into a Planning Authority which will be in charge of the country's planning policy and system.
Mr Orengo is the minister for Lands.
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