Tomorrow’s Resilient Kathmandu: Report on Imagining Futures Workshop

The niche of the Tomorrow's Cities project lies in the fact that 60 percent of the area that is expected to be urban by 2030 is yet to be built. Kathmandu is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the South Asia region and the most critical place within Nepal that is facing unprecedented challenges –ramifications of unplanned development and urban sprawl. Kathmandu's core city can no longer accommodate population or infrastructural expansion and therefore, the urban settlements have slowly begun to spread on the last remaining agricultural lands on the peripheral areas of the core city. With the new publicly elected representatives at the local level, after more than two decades, the development planning has been handed down to these local units. However, there also exist overlapping structures in the federal government that employ federal mandates of city planning. Within the Kathmandu context, the development plans of both the municipal government and the federal government play out in these last remaining green spaces of the valley. Hence, the different city actors need to agree on a vision of what a resilient Kathmandu would look like. Workshop methods with participatory adult learning tools were employed to bring together key city policy actors and understand (differing) visions of resilient Kathmandu. Through a series of sessions, the participants agreed on a vision where a capacitated municipal government was the precondition for a resilient city. Better technical knowledge of the municipal staff, participatory and inclusive planning, community cohesion, and strong social networks were the characteristics of the high capacity of municipal government that enhanced city resilience. Whereas, redundant policies and institutional structure at different tiers of government, low capacity of human resources at the municipal offices impeded the desired vision of the resilient city. The participants agreed on the positive role science can play in capacitating the municipal government on participatory and evidence-based decision making. While the municipal government is one of the key actors, there are other structures within different tiers of government that can enhance/undermine the city resilience. Taking the municipal authority as a departure point, the Tomorrow's Cities project can inquire on the roles and relationship of the municipal government with the community it governs, the federal policies/institutions that it is regulated by and its relationship with other potential external influencers like the private sector and donor agencies. And hence understand how the urbanization process will unfold (converge or depart from the old ways) in the new federal system of governance

Strengthening community-based disaster managementinstitutions to tackle COVID–19 and local disasters

The effects of the Coronavirus or COVID-19 have been very apparent as people, politics, and economics of the world have been brought down to a grinding halt. Almost all of the governments around the globe are grappling to contain the spread of the virus, and the government of Nepal is not an exception. A glimmer of hope in this lockdown is on the skills of global medical science. We all believe that sooner or later medical science will guide us back to a post-pandemic society. However, while dealing with it at present, it has laid bare the capacity of our government and other institutions which are involved in risk management

Normative future visioning for city resilience and development

This paper argues for normative visioning as an underdeveloped component of adaptation planning. Multi-stakeholder and normative approaches to future visioning offer generative moments when creativity can meet the power to act required for critical, including transformative, adaptation. Including normative methods with community and city actors in adaptation planning allows for alternative narratives of development to arise as a basis for deeper conversation and potential action on the root causes of vulnerability and risk. A specific visioning approach is tested for four megacities – Istanbul, Kathmandu, Nairobi and Quito. Relations between current and future states of development and resilience are found to be both aligned (congruent or contingent) and in opposition (countervailing or constrained) shaping strategy for policy setting. These data are combined with additional work from London, Kolkata, New York and Lagos to pilot a City Resilience Challenge Index (CRCI), indicating to policy-makers whether and how cities are currently moving away from, rather than towards, envisioned trajectories of vulnerability reduction and adaptation. In the future, the CRCI might provide a global tool to track the progress of cities towards climate resilient development and, by doing so, to increase ambition and galvanize action

Understanding Vulnerabilities through an intersectional lens in Khokana, Kathmandu, Nepal

This working paper analyses and presents preliminary conclusions of TC's researchers study of Khokana, Nepal, a traditional and small Newari village about 8 kilometers south of Kathmandu. Its objective was to better understand the cultural, social, and political rootedness of vulnerability that differs among individuals and different social groups. The analysis highlights the need for broadening the understanding of vulnerability in policy and practise through an intersectional lens not only in Khokana but in all disaster risk reduction initiatives. Researchers also present policy recommendations towards introducing an intersectional analysis of vulnerabilities when considering the reduction and management of disaster risk policies and project interventions

Reducing gender inequality in urban water management in Nepal

Studies indicate that traditional gender roles are perpetuated in urban transition through patriarchal structures and institutions. Pre-existing gender norms reinforce hurdles for inclusive and equitable participation in water management in the urban context in Nepal. This brief is based on the analysis of water policies, as well as the narratives of men and women involved in drinking water management practices. Findings from the research shows gender inequality is worsening. Although women’s increased representation in local government has led to positive outcomes in voicing women’s concerns in water governance, gender equality interventions are treated as one time and ad-hoc without any clear theory of change.Climate & Development Knowledge NetworkLocal Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI

Attempting affirmative political ecologies: Collective transformative learning for social justice in Nepal's community forestry

Whilst political ecology scholarship has contributed much to articulating social injustices associated with Nepal's community forestry, here we took a different approach, by attempting an 'affirmative political ecology.' We drew on feminist and activist scholarship to inspire collective action that engaged directly with challenges of social justice and those charged with delivering it through their work. Guided by theories and practices of 'transformative learning' and a range of associated reflective practices, our participatory action research involved 4 facilitators and (up to) 25 participants who work across Nepal's forest bureaucracy (and for some, the wider community-based natural resource management sector). Together physically, remotely and through our writing, we reflect upon the operation of power in our professional – and personal – lives, exploring how that may enable a more informed and meaningful engagement with social justice within the workplace, and beyond. This article presents the process of our collective reflection and learning, and shares some of its initial outcomes based on the experiences of the 15 co-authors. Whilst 'simply' having the time and space to come together was hugely important, it was the form and feel of that space that was particularly significant, as we focused on co-creating a safe space which was non-judgmental and based on mutual respect, enabling comfortable and open discussion of often unspoken and uncomfortable issues. Ultimately, this article argues that collective practices of reflection and transformative learning can create shared learning, understanding, empathy and solidarity, and thus that it offers hope in the face of on-going social injustices. It therefore urges political ecologists to work towards such caring and affirmative collective engagements with practitioners as one way in which to affect change

Trend of urban growth in Nepal with a focus in Kathmandu Valley: A review of processes and drivers of change

This report documents and discusses the urbanization trend, spatial transition, major drivers of urban change, and existing institutional mechanisms of urban development in Nepal , one of the top ten fastest urbanizing countries in the world. Particularly, it reflects on the gaps and challenges for urban governance in Nepal and focuses on Kathmandu Valley, the “hub” of urbanization in Nepal. The urban population growth rate in Nepal almost doubled from 3.6% in 1991 to 6.5% in 2001, and the number of urban centers increased from 58 in 2013 to 293 in 2017. The review shows the transition of Nepal from predominantly rural to an emerging urban economy is primarily the result of the governmental decisions that merged rural administrative units and designated them as municipalities, administratively the urban units of Nepal. Rural to urban migration is another important factor driving urban growth in Nepal. Unplanned land use, shrinking open spaces, haphazard construction, and poor services have become major urban features of Nepal, which resemble the growth of Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu Valley, with an estimated population of 2.54 million, is growing at 6.5% per year, indicating one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in South Asia. Haphazard and unplanned urbanization of the valley have degraded the urban environment, increased urban poverty, and exposed the growing urban population to multi-hazard risk. Aiming to balance urban development, develop disaster-resilient cities and enhance urban resilience, the government has formulated the urban development strategy and declared new programs for the development of emerging urban centers and “smart” cities in the valley. However, such centrallyplanned infrastructure development activities lack coordination and contradict the formal policy intentions, and are facing resistances in some places, rendering their implementation uncertain. The majority of the urban population lacks resiliency and the government lacks institutional and financial capacities and coordination crucial for undertaking inclusive, equitable, and resilient urban development. The current constitutional provision that restrains the government from imposing any kind of restriction on the use of private property has come up as an additional impediment to urban governance in Nepal and thus making urban areas increasingly disasterprone and the urban population, primarily the urban poor, vulnerable to multiple hazards. Kathmandu Valley has become an evidence of these processes and their ramifications. The report has concluded by providing key insights that can be useful in making tomorrow’s cities inclusive, equitable, and resilient

Factors Affecting Fuelwood Consumption and CO2 Emissions: An Example from a Community-Managed Forest of Nepal

Fuelwood is the primary source of energy in Nepal, where 87.1% of the total energy is derived from wood, making it the major source for carbon emissions. This study explores the factors affecting the fuelwood consumption, the amount of carbon emissions including the potential for carbon sequestration in community forests, taking a case study of Kankali Community Forest Users Group (CFUG) of Chitwan district of Nepal. Interviews with 217 households revealed that 60% of the households still depend on fuelwood for cooking, which apparently emits approximately 13.68 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The emission, however, varies with the economic status of the households; poor households rely exclusively on fuelwood for cooking and therefore emit greater amount of carbon. Similarly, the carbon emission was also found to be directly proportional to the family size and livestock holding, and inversely proportional to landholding and per capita income. A more conservation-oriented forest management along with activities to support livelihood has contributed to lower carbon emissions. Interestingly, the poverty-energy trap seemed to have a distinct gender dimension. We argue that CFUGs need to invest in income-generating activities for local users, and especially for women of low-income households, in order to reduce current carbon emission