How participatory planning processes for transit-oriented development contribute to social sustainability

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a relatively recent neighbourhood development concept associated with the three dimensions of urban sustainability (environmental, economic and social). Traditionally, TOD has been associated with environmental and economic benefits. Recent research has shown evidence of positive social outcomes related to the spatial characteristics of TOD areas. But the social sustainability that can be drawn from TOD interventions may multiply when designed through participatory planning processes. Here I combine TOD literature with that of collaborative urban planning to highlight the potential of participatory TOD for urban social sustainability

Water security in an urbanized world : an equity perspective

Ensure access to water and sanitation for all is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recently recognized at the international community. The combination of natural constraints, population forecasts and climate change threat this and other SDGs closely related. In cities, inequalities in water security become more explicit as complexity in water management given by institutional and market barriers increases. This looks at the threats to ensuring access to water in cities for different world regions and reviews recent literature on water governance and sustainable water management to identify drivers and barriers to just burdens on urban water security. Intrinsic factors related to individual characteristics influence the distribution of water in cities to a certain extent. The relevance of extrinsic factors such as governance structures and pricing schemes will increase in parallel to the forecasted water scarcity. In the discussion we group different measures into three lines of action: efficiency improvement, water democratization and holistic approaches in water governance. We call for further interdisciplinary between the fields of urban water governance and urban hydrology to address the increasing challenges of domestic water allocation under stronger equity objectives

Participatory design in transit-oriented development uncovers social benefits

Transit-oriented development (TOD) tackles multiple challenges simultaneously and fosters sustainable urban development. Low-carbon intensity transport modes help mitigating climate change, enhance the quality of local ecosystems and offer monetary savings. While less well studied, TOD also positively affects citizen’s social interactions. The social sustainability that can be drawn from TOD interventions may multiply when designed through participatory planning processes. To investigate this hypothesis, we evaluate TOD and participatory intervention for Medellin (Colombia). We find that designing TOD together with participatory measures results not only in the decrease of motorized transport modes, but also in positive changes in socioeconomic variables, people´s perception of public interventions and in social capital especially of disadvantaged groups. Making citizens feeling part of the projects that shape their communities fosters transparency, trust, social inclusion, collective action and social networks. Participatory measures can catalyse urban sustainability

Reducing urban heat wave risk in the 21st century

Global warming increases the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves, particularly endangering urban populations. However, the health risks of heat waves are distributed unequally between people because of intrinsic person-specific characteristics and extrinsic factors. The confluence of forecasted urbanisation and projected heat wave increase necessitates the identification of strategies that both lower the overall health impact and narrow the gap in risk distribution within urban populations. Here, we review the literature on vulnerability to heat, highlighting the factors that affect such distribution. As a key lesson we find that the literature strands on public health, risk reduction and urban planning all contribute to the identification of alleviation options for urban heat wave health impacts, but that they are rarely jointly evaluated. On the basis of the literature review, we suggest a common framework. We also evaluate response measures in addressing total and distributed risks. We find that person-specific risk is effectively addressed by public health and risk reduction intervention, while intra-urban variations of extrinsic factors can be efficiently tackled with urban planning, both in scale and scope

Beyond technology : demand-side solutions for climate change mitigation

The assessment literature on climate change solutions to date has emphasized technologies and options based on cost-effectiveness analysis. However, many solutions to climate change mitigation misalign with such analytical frameworks. Here, we examine demand-side solutions, a crucial class of mitigation options that go beyond technological specification and costbenefit analysis. To do so, we synthesize demand-side mitigation options in the urban, building, transport, and agricultural sectors. We also highlight the specific nature of demand-side solutions in the context of development. We then discuss key analytical considerations to integrate demand-side options into overarching assessments on mitigation. Such a framework would include infrastructure solutions that interact with endogenous preference formation. Both hard infrastructures, such as the built environment, and soft infrastructures, such as habits and norms, shape behavior and as a consequence offer significant potential for reducing overall energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. We conclude that systemic infrastructural and behavioral change will likely be a necessary component of a transition to a low-carbon society

Climate change, equity and sustainable development goals : an urban perspective

Climate change is acknowledged as the largest threat to our societies in the coming decades, affecting large and diverse groups of residents in urban areas in this century of urbanization. The focus of climate change impact discussions conceivably shifts to who in cities will be affected how by climate change, bringing the urban equity question to the forefront and co-aligning with a set of key Sustainable Development Goals. Here we assess how climate change events may amplify urban inequity. We find that heat waves, but also flooding, landslides, and even mitigation and adaptation measures affect specific population groups more than others. As underlying sensitivity factors we consistently identify ocioeconomic status and gender. We synthesize the findings with regard to equity types, meaning outcome, procedural and context-related equity, and suggest solutions for avoiding increased equity and justice concerns as a result of climate change impacts, adaptation and itigation

Fiscal Instruments for Sustainable Development: The Case of Land Taxes

Economists argue that land rent taxation is an ideal form of taxation as it causes no deadweight losses and has therefore no adverse effects on growth. Nevertheless, pure land rent taxation is rarely applied and, if so, revenues collected remain rather small. Property taxes share some of the characteristics of land taxes and generate small revenues, inter alia also in developing countries. This report revisits the case of land taxation for developing countries that are often characterized by large informal sectors, low public spending and poor tax or land administration institutions. We first provide a comprehensive overview of direct and indirect welfare and development effects of land rent taxation, ranging from increased efficiency in the fiscal system and in financing infrastructure, over environmental effects due to changes in land use to distributional effects. Barriers and constraints of implementing land taxes are also discussed, particularly the existence of a land registry, the role of administrative costs, compliance, evasion and political economy aspects. We extend this review with an in-depth analysis of current land tax systems and reform options in six case study countries. For four countries, we provide an additional quantitative analysis based on micro-simulations with household data that allow us to quantify revenues and distributional effects of various land tax regimes. Our main finding is that land taxes provide a large and untapped potential for financing governments. Formalizing and securing land tenure by establishing a land registry is a pre-condition that further provides substantial co-benefits for various sustainable development objectives. Widespread concerns regarding the feasibility and costs of implementing land taxes are rarely valid, as land taxes are in these aspects comparable to other taxes. Political will and investment in the quality of administration are, however, decisive. Considering some key principles in designing the land tax can help reduce administrative costs, avoid adverse distributional effects and increase compliance

Fiscal Instruments for Sustainable Development: The Case of Land Taxes

Economists argue that land rent taxation is an ideal form of taxation as it causes no deadweight losses and has therefore no adverse effects on growth. Nevertheless, pure land rent taxation is rarely applied and, if so, revenues collected remain rather small. Property taxes share some of the characteristics of land taxes and generate small revenues, inter alia also in developing countries. This report revisits the case of land taxation for developing countries that are often characterized by large informal sectors, low public spending and poor tax or land administration institutions. We first provide a comprehensive overview of direct and indirect welfare and development effects of land rent taxation, ranging from increased efficiency in the fiscal system and in financing infrastructure, over environmental effects due to changes in land use to distributional effects. Barriers and constraints of implementing land taxes are also discussed, particularly the existence of a land registry, the role of administrative costs, compliance, evasion and political economy aspects. We extend this review with an in-depth analysis of current land tax systems and reform options in six case study countries. For four countries, we provide an additional quantitative analysis based on micro-simulations with household data that allow us to quantify revenues and distributional effects of various land tax regimes. Our main finding is that land taxes provide a large and untapped potential for financing governments. Formalizing and securing land tenure by establishing a land registry is a pre-condition that further provides substantial co-benefits for various sustainable development objectives. Widespread concerns regarding the feasibility and costs of implementing land taxes are rarely valid, as land taxes are in these aspects comparable to other taxes. Political will and investment in the quality of administration are, however, decisive. Considering some key principles in designing the land tax can help reduce administrative costs, avoid adverse distributional effects and increase compliance

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries