ISDCS_Section A_Group 9- Sustainable Cities and Communities

Submitted by: Anjali Singh BJ20008, Avantika Singh BJ20012, Manoj Kumar Munagala BJ20028, Navaneeth R BJ20038, Saumya Bhatia BJ20046, Tanya Kapoor BJ20056

Introduction

Cities are a form of civil society with defined boundaries where humans live, earn a livelihood, exchange ideas, promote trade and commerce, etc. It has a system for efficient markets, transportation, sanitation, communication, law and order. But cities have become overcrowded due to increasing population and migration, leading to a population boom in urban cities. The global population is expected to rise to 9.7 billion by 2050. [1] More land is required to accommodate the growing population. Cities are being expanded beyond their administrative boundaries in a scattered manner to provide space for humans, which is unsustainable. Humans have been exploiting the limited resources that cities have to offer, which is causing floods and other natural disasters. It also contributes to economic disparities in the form of a poor standard of living for the disadvantaged people of society.

Cities just form 3% of the total land available on Earth but are responsible for three-fourths of the carbon emissions. [2] They can take up a major role in tackling the challenges posed by climate change by incorporating measures that promote low carbon activities and sustainable energy. Hence among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations, the 11th SDG is "Sustainable Cities and communities". It has the goal of "making cities and human settlement inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable." [3] Sustainable cities are supposed to take into consideration the social, economic, and environmental impact of human settlement so that the ability of future generations is not compromised. It involves building sustainable solutions by improving urban planning, integrating public transport, building safe homes, managing waste to improve the quality of life in cities.

Relevance to India

Although the government is working towards smart and planned cities in India, the increase in urban population from its previous large rural population is steep. The shift is so sudden and uneven that the government cannot accommodate them efficiently, which has led to an increase in slums. [4] No major city has been immune to this haphazard change, as is evident from the air quality of Delhi, the unseasonal flooding of Chennai, and the development of the largest slum in Mumbai. These cause more diseases, informal economy growth, and crimes paid for by the most impoverished.

The Indian government has set up 4 targets for 2030 against which it measures our performance. These targets are 100% door-to-door waste collection and processing, 100% of the house demand completed and 0% of the urban population living in slums. So far, only 6 states have scored more than 50 on the SDG 11 index. [5] The government has set up AMRUT, PMAY and the Smart cities mission to achieve these targets.

India is working on the Smart Cities Mission. Its objective is to “promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment”. [6] More than 5000 projects worth over Rs 2 lakh crore are being implemented in 100 cities. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna-Urban (PMAY-U) program was launched in 2015. It is one of the largest housing schemes globally and more than 1 crore homes have been registered under this. [7]

Business Implications

On a macro level, what these above businesses are doing goes hand in hand with the government's SDG 11 goals. The companies identify the need for the SDG and try to fulfill it in a financially feasible way. These also have significant strategic reasons in terms of better-operating costs, profits, and opportunities.

According to a report by the Business & Sustainable Development Commission [8], "sustainable business models related to the SDGs could open economic opportunities worth up to US$12 trillion and increase employment by up to 380 million jobs by 2030." Sustainable cities improve the time efficiency and the health of the workforce, which would lead to better outputs benefitting the businesses.

In research conducted by World Economic Forum, they found that a substantial increase in the percentage of wastewater treated in a city like Beijing may turn into higher foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows of up to $750 million per year. [9] Looking at the impact made by Auric, the first industrial smart city planned over six states between Mumbai and Delhi is eyeing investment over 70000 crores in 12 years. This also invites more FDI into India as companies working towards sustainable communities attract better talent and increase brand reputation among consumers. It is predicted to create over 1.5 -3 lakh jobs. [10]

In the specific case of SDG 11 of building Sustainable Cities and communities, the business aspects are yet to be explored thoroughly.

The few businesses that can be expected to see a boost and take the lead on this SDG are:

· City planners

· Architects

· Builders

· Interior designers

· Renewable energy players

And many more...

Technology is an integral part of this journey. Especially the Internet of things would provide potential opportunities for technology firms.

Additionally, since this is not a small task at any cost, any smart city building requires a lot of capital. At the initial stages, the most fruitful way to go forward with this can be public-private partnerships (PPP). This PPP is a great option for new businesses to increase as the government would set the right goals while companies provide services and products fora a steady income stream. [11]

On the other hand, existing businesses/companies have been proactive and deploying resources with sustainable goal orientation. Bain and Company are delving deeper into research and study to develop practical ideas in sustainability. Reliance Industries Limited has shown its commitment to becoming a leader in the circular economy through plastic recycling. Such practices will directly or indirectly contribute to sustainable cities and lifestyles in the Indian ecosystem.

Other bold initiatives that are taken by the corporate houses:

1. The real estate segment of Mahindra, Mahindra Life space Developers ltd has focused on projects that constitute smart cities' features. Their task in Jaipur got the recognition of the coveted Stage 2 Climate Positive Development certification from the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. It's implemented energy solutions, and water management solutions that could be used and scaled to develop sustainable cities. [12]

2. Reckitt Benckiser has tried to analyse its value chain for industries like palm oil and diary to optimize its raw materials procurement process through their initiative "Sustainable Sourcing." It focuses on improving the supply chain. It has also focused on reducing water consumption in its manufacturing process by setting a five-part goal.

3. The adoption of circular energy principles by the Tata Groups led to a decrease in the proportion of waste sent to landfill. As a part of their climate change mitigation mission, they have kept an active tab on their carbon footprint and tried to optimize its emissions.

Analysis and suggested path

More than 3.5 billion people or more than half of humanity, live in urban areas. This will increase to two-thirds of the global population by 2030. Megacities increased from 10 with 10 million inhabitants in 1990 to 28 megacities with 453 million people in 2015 [13]. Particularly in the south Asian geographies, it has necessitated vertical growth on limited urban spaces and depleted resources from the surrounding areas due to population density. This has resulted in 3% of urban land accounting for 60-80% of energy consumption and 75% of these geographies' carbon emissions. This is widened the gap in the prosperity of urban and rural areas and has brought parity in per capita income, quality of employment, and access to basic amenities.

The strategy proposed to meet the SDG 11 and make the cities more resilient and inclusive are:

Sustainable Production:

This concerns the supply side, focuses on the economic, social, and environmental impacts of production. The key focus here is on achieving more recourse and cleaner production processes to reduce risks to the environment and humans. This means the optimal use of resources or inputs such as raw material, energy, and water at each stage of the production process, reducing the ecological footprint. Also, more resource-efficient production also allows for the consumers to meet more of their needs by using lesser natural resources. This concept's core is the life cycle approach, which requires that alternative consideration, improving the system, is given to each product life cycle stage.

Sustainable Consumption:

Sustainable consumption focuses on the demand side, focussing on consumers' choices of goods and services such as food, shelter, clothing, mobility and leisure, to fulfil basic needs and improve the quality of life. It means buying goods and services that do not harm the environment, society, and the economy. However, the Government must propel this consumption pattern by reduced taxes on goods and services that have been sourced or produced sustainably.

Decentralization:

With the communities growing at a rapid pace leading to increased urbanization, the local bodies have an important role to play as community issues are more effectively handled at the local level. This requires that local bodies participate actively in decision making processes in maintaining cities more sustainable.

Urban resilience:

Developing sustainable cities and communities includes an important aspect of building up resilience, which can help the communities stand together in times of adversities like natural calamities and disasters. To achieve this objective, cities should be planned to keep the worst-case scenario in mind, which would help minimize loss of life and property.

Inclusive societies:

Ensuring that every member of society has an equal say in matters concerning them is integral of sustainable cities and communities. This implies building up societies that are comfortable for people of all genders, including transgender people. This ensures everybody can practice their beliefs without any external or internal fears, and everybody is treated with respect and dignity irrespective of their social status and class.

Leveraging technology:

The advancement in technology has empowered almost all of us, be it GPS to IOT based devices, to ensure the safety of all, especially women and children. Thus, it is imperative to have efficient internet networks and infrastructure integrated into the cities, thus helping them safe places for people.

Apart from the points mentioned above, India should continue its focus on implementing Smart Cities Mission. The Government needs to make a significant investment in terms of time and resources. Mobilization of people is required to participate in the reforms to achieve the Smart Cities Mission's objectives. [14]

Citations

[1]https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/reducing_footprint/cce/our_work/low_carbon_development_framework/sustainable_cities/

[2] https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-11-sustainable-cities-and-communities.html#targets

[3] https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal11

[4] https://www.in.undp.org/content/india/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-11-sustainable-cities-and-communities.html

[5] https://medium.com/@samyuktaa.95/sdg-11-sustainable-cities-and-communities-in-the-indian-context-fb3dde0d91fe

[6] https://www.india.gov.in/spotlight/smart-cities-mission-step-towards-smart-india

[7] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/infrastructure/smart-city-mission-5151-projects-at-various-stages-of-implementation-says-survey/articleshow/73802323.cms?from=mdr

[8] http://businesscommission.org/

[9] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/03/does-it-pay-for-cities-to-be-green/

[10] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/Over-3-lakh-people-will-get-employment-at-AURIC-CM-Fadnavis/articleshow/55343241.cms

[11] https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/nl/Documents/risk/deloitte-nl-risk-sdgs-from-a-business-perspective.pdf