United Nations Population Fund

Urbanization

Making Life Work in the City — THE TARKANI FAMILY

(The Tarkani Family are fictional characters)

The Tarkanis are a South Asian family who move from their rural village to their countrys capital city to improve their quality of life and well-being. The internal migration process forces them to come face to face with the challenges and opportunities of urban life. Despite various struggles, they ultimately triumph as empowered agents of change within their community.

ICDP Review Report The 5 Pillars
Dignity & Human Rights
Governance & Accountability
Health
Place & Mobility
Sustainability

Urbanization

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A New Life

Moving and starting over has dramatically transformed life for the Tarkani family. Packing up their old life and relocating to the big city, the capital of their South Asian country, hasn’t been easy. Economic and social opportunities abound, yet fear, risk and uncertainty have come from creating a whole new life from nothing. Before making the move, Hussein and Malika Tarkani spent many long nights discussing their future and the well-being of their family. Ultimately, like several other families in their community, they made the difficult decision to venture from their quiet, rural village with their children, Imran, Ghazala, and Yalda.

“As of 2008 more than half of the world’s population lived in the urban areas. Currently cities and towns around the world are growing by more than 1.3 million each week.”

The move is exciting and represents a positive hope for a better life, but the drastic changes they are immediately confronted with are shocking. The Tarkanis don’t know the first thing about what it is like to live in the city. Their families have remained in their village for many generations. While leaving the only life they have ever known is bittersweet, Hussein, as the leader of the family, ultimately determined that this big change was best economically. For him to be able to give his wife and children a higher quality of life, they had to emotionally, physically and mentally invest in the idea and expectation of what life in the city can mean for them and their children. They know there will be struggle and compromise, and they are willing to tackle these so their dreams are realized.

“Megacities, which have over 10 million people, are now home to 400 million people worldwide.”

Urban Population Distribution

Today’s 3.6 billion urban dwellers are distributed unevenly among urban settlements of varying size: 51% still live in cities or towns with fewer than half a million inhabitants. The absolute growth of these smaller cities has been considerably greater than that of larger cities.

In 2011, 23 urban agglomerations qualified as megacities, being home to at least 10 million inhabitants. Despite their visibility and dynamism, megacities account for a small, though increasing, proportion of the world urban population: 9.9% in 2011, expected to rise to 13.6% by 2025. Megacities are experiencing varying rates of growth, expanding at higher rates in Africa and South Asia (e.g., Lagos, Dhaka and Karachi) and more slowly in Latin America.

Economy and the Environment

Towns and cities are responsible for over 80% of gross national product worldwide, due to advantages of proximity, concentration, economies of scale, and increased access to services and information technology. These advantages create opportunities for work and entrepreneurship. They also provide the essential transport, trade and information links among rural, regional and global markets. Demographic concentration helps reduce energy demand per capita, and makes it easier and cheaper for governments to provide basic health, welfare and education.

Cities and Social Empowerment

Cities also offer increased autonomy, with greater opportunities for social and political participation, and new paths to empowerment. Evidence of social empowerment is reflected in the rise of women’s movements, youth groups, political and community associations, and organizations of the urban poor in developing world cities.

Conditions in urban areas—including greater access to education, higher aspirations for children, reduced living space and other factors favouring smaller families—contribute to lower desired fertility. With greater access to sexual and reproductive health services comes significantly reduced fertility, which has changed the trajectory of overall population growth in all countries experiencing the urban transition.

What Your Government Can Do

States should support people’s right to move internally as a means of improving their lives, adapting to changing social, economic, political and environmental conditions, and avoiding forced displacement. States should promote, protect and provide all internal migrants with equal opportunities and access to social protection.

Settling In

Unfortunately, the Tarkanis are confronted with a number of new and foreign challenges they had no way to anticipate. Finding a suitable, safe home was a tremendous challenge. For now, they settle in a crowded slum-like suburban development. Located outside of the city centre, it is the most affordable option. It’s where fellow internal migrants seeking similar opportunities and from comparable backgrounds are settling. The Tarkanis find this comforting and integral to their social circle, despite the overcrowding and poor quality sanitation facilities. There is little to no privacy, and the noise levels are invasive. The corrugated roofs, for example, are much louder in the rain than the mud roofs in their village. Most challenging, however, is that they aren’t located close enough to their work and other daily needs.

“As more people come to urban areas, space constraints and inequality in the distribution of land tend to produce rapidly increasing costs of living, with the elite capturing the most accessible and desirable land.”

The Tarkanis’ housing situation isn’t ideal, but it is what they can afford. Even though life is challenging, they have no intention of going back to their rural home. They are determined to take advantage of their right to move in search of better opportunities in their country. In fact, they encourage other family members and neighbours to migrate to the city as well—just as they too were encouraged by neighbours. For the Tarkani family, the city is where dreams come true. They aren’t the first to make a bold life change, and they certainly won’t be the last.

“Small cities, built for half a million inhabitants, have become the homes of almost 2 billion people.”

Their greatest challenge is getting the city to work better for them as shifts in population dynamics continue. Fortunately, the area where they moved is transitioning, and becoming a more sustainable and flourishing extension of the city. Unfortunately, this transition is still in process, and their new community hasn’t quite reached its potential.

Slum Dwelling Trends

The total estimated number of global slum dwellers has risen from over 650 million in 1990 to about 820 million in 2010. Almost 62% of the urban population in sub-Saharan Africa lived in housing designated as slums in 2010, the highest of any region in the world by a large margin.

Residential Land Access

Case study—sustainable urbanization — Ecuador
Preparing for urban expansion: access to residential land for the urban poor

Ecuadorian cities currently have undeveloped land available for residential development, but there are serious shortages of urban land formally designated for low-income housing. This has led to a great deal of informal land subdivision and sale, such as through land invasions, or land subdivisions that do not conform to zoning and subdivision regulations. Compared with other countries, a very high percentage of urban households in Ecuador live in unauthorized housing communities without legal title documents.

In order to guarantee that residential land for the urban poor will remain affordable, municipalities must ensure that accessible urban land remains in ample supply in the coming years, so that land prices will not be subject to speculative increases.

To this end, seven intermediate-sized municipalities in Ecuador that are currently experiencing rapid urban growth have started delimiting new expansion areas based on preliminary population and built-up area projections, planning arterial road networks in these areas, refining legal tools for acquiring the rights of way for road networks, and estimating budgets for implementation. If carried out early enough, this strategy will involve a relatively low amount of investment and has a potentially high rate of return in economic, social, demographic and environmental terms.

Urban Growth Solutions

Case study—sustainable urbanization — Egypt
Solutions for the poor amid urban growth

Large parts of greater Cairo have developed as informal settlements in response to the housing needs of low-income households. Illegal construction has hampered implementation of land use plans and policies, and illegal occupation has jeopardized property rights, leaving people exposed to unhealthy living conditions. A lack of proper sanitation raises serious safety concerns.

Under the New Urban Communities and Settlements Programme, new communities are planned and implemented on government-owned desert land in the outskirts of the city. Investments have been made in infrastructure, including roads, electricity, water, sewers, public spaces and street furniture. Several participatory consultations have sought communities’ views on the future of Cairo and such extensions.

Aspects critical to the initiatives success have included the selection of land a short distance from the city centre adequacy of and access to infrastructure development, including public transportation affordability of housing through mixed housing programmes and government subsidies for land for lower income groups, as the supply of affordable land connected to services rarely matches demand. The results have been better living environments for the poor than in the city centre, while they are still sufficiently close to economic opportunities (particularly via public transportation). In contrast to informal settlements, their efficient infrastructure systems are officially registered, smoothing trade and taxation.

What Your Government Can Do

States, including through local municipalities, should fulfil the need for public housing provide for affordable housing and the development of infrastructure that prioritizes the upgrading of slums and the regeneration of urban areas.

Providing for the Family

Hussein’s job is as a janitor in a government building in the heart of the city’s financial centre. He is very lucky, he says, because, well, that is what everyone tells him. Many people move to the city and never find work, a devastating shock for many families who expect to find a job right away. Often, these families fall on such hard times that they can’t afford to stay, but worse, they can’t afford to return to where they came from. Such stresses and realities cause many families to break apart.

“The vulnerability of people, especially women, in many urban areas today reflects the absence of proactive, innovative planning for the provision of safe housing, adequate health services, reliable transport to the economic center and protection from violence, as well as community systems of social protection.”

So it is good that Hussein is “lucky” with his job. The family members remind each other of this when things feel extra difficult. For example, getting to work takes Hussein 2.5 hours each way, every day. There is no public transportation nearby. First, Hussein walks a mile to a designated, unofficial location where a commuter van picks him and a dozen other men up. Together, they all pile in to be dropped off at a bus stop that is the farthest from the city, and closest to the Tarkanis. Hussein takes that bus to another bus. His commute costs him two hours of his daily wage. The wasted time means less time to spend with his family. Also, the slum can become quite dangerous at night. Currently, there is a lack of public security, so violence is becoming a daily occurrence. The family is left vulnerable without Hussein’s presence.

“There are 3.6 billion people who live in the world’s cities and towns.”

Hussein’s absence from his family’s daily life in order to be at work and provide for them is threatening the family’s stability. Decisions are made without him. Malika is tasked with carrying the burden of two parents—attempting to keep their children safe, healthy and focused on school while maintaining the tasks and responsibilities of a household. The situation is frustrating for everyone. Back home, this would have been easier within their community. In the city, everyone is overtaxed and tired. It is clear the government needs to ensure safety and better services.

Fortunately, there is universal public education, and the school commute, which often involves walking, is not too difficult for the children. The challenge lies more in ensuring the Tarkani children are adequately supplied with their school materials and have enough time to study rather than work.

What Your Government Can Do

States should commit to improving the quality of human settlements so that all people have access to basic services, housing, water and sanitation, and transportation, with particular attention to security and safety, especially to prevent gender-based violence.

Adequate Health Services

Accessing any health-care services, let alone quality health care, has been challenging for the Tarkanis. The health concerns they dealt with back in their rural community havent proven to be any better in the city. In fact, in many ways, the situation is worse due to the high volume of other people also seeking care.

“The vulnerability of people, especially women, in many urban areas today reflects the absence of proactive, innovative planning for the provision of safe housing, adequate health services, reliable transport to the economic centre and protection from violence, as well as community systems of social protection.”

When the Tarkanis require health assistance, they face long waits in overcrowded clinics for services they can barely afford. Yalda was born with several health challenges requiring ongoing treatment. Because of the lack of proper transportation connecting directly to their community, getting to the appropriate clinics means committing to a long journey first by foot followed by several buses. This is taxing physically and mentally for everyone, not only when there is an emergency, but also for ongoing treatments and follow-up.

The state does provide some universal health-care assistance, and Hussein’s income is critical to further protecting the family. Without this, they would be at a loss with the costs needed for Yalda’s care. This reality highlights the tremendous challenges that exist for those living in slums.

Urban Health-Care Divide

With the rise of unregulated private providers in urban areas, poor urban residents may have to pay for services that are delivered free of charge at public health posts in rural areas. For those living in slums, health care can require long travel to facilities located on the outskirts of slums, and transport and cost can both act as barriers. The urban poor often receive lower quality services in both public and private facilities compared to wealthier urban residents. The urban poor also face unhealthy and often risky living conditions that can contribute to poor health outcomes. Ultimately, the “urban health advantage” masks disparities between poorer and wealthier urban areas.

What Your Government Can Do

States should promote development that will foster and facilitate linkages between urban and rural areas, in recognition of their economic, social and environmental interdependence, including the development and equitable distribution of satellite and nodal centres of excellence in health, education, business, transportation and communications, to promote mobility, opportunity and economic growth for those residing in urban centres, small and medium towns and rural areas alike.

Advocating for Change

Hussein is active in community organizing via a partnership he formed with a few fellow commuters. Meanwhile, Malika has partnered with a group of women in the slum to collectively develop a system of support and a list of needs to present to local political leaders involved with the eventual elevation of the slum. They are actively creating alternative ways for the slum to evolve. When they can make the time, they attend local government meetings, and voice their needs and demands for specific and targeted universal public services.

“Widespread participation in urban governance can help ensure that urban policies address the needs of the most vulnerable. Such participation needs to be institutionalized, for instance via dedicated budgets and the formal inclusion of civil society organizations and marginalized communities, which can help to prevent capture of governance systems by the elite and deliver governance by all and for all.”

Timing and availability are a big problem for both groups. They often prepare for these meetings together on the bus, and in the commuter vans both Hussein and Malika, along with all the other community members, rely on to get around.

As they become more and more engaged and productive, they have targeted goals that clearly list how they want their slum life upgraded via government infrastructure that delivers impact. Their requests involve improvements in health care, clean and safe water, stable energy, proper housing and reliable transportation. The government has responded decently to their proposals however, it is in their best interest to make sure they continue making their voices heard in order to hold the government accountable for concrete outcomes.

Malika in particular, sometimes with the help of their children, is fighting hard to ensure that territorial and developmental planning go hand in hand. Basic services must be available to everyone, and the use of space must be sustainable for everyone.

It is hard to be heard by a government that doesn’t listen to the underserved, but in this case, with a newly elected administration, their needs are being heard. Their requests are many, and while it seems the government often prefers to dedicate resources to nearby wealthier communities that are trying to slow urbanization to prevent the slum from inching closer to them, there are government advocates actively engaging with them. Malika and other strong women in the community refuse to be ignored. They will not relent until their families and all residents are granted the full benefits of urban life.

All of this ideology is great and inspiring, but the immediacy of survival is at stake, and this is what consumes Hussein. The way he and Malika see it, their best bet is to endure sanitation and safety concerns, and wait for the fulfilment of promises to improve their suburban housing.

Urban Planning Leadership

Given the urban growth expected in the coming decades, coupled with the enormous reliance on urban areas for poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability, urban planning leadership that cuts across diverse sectors is a growing need, nationally and globally.

The most significant policy challenge in the context of urbanization is not to change its trajectory, but to identify ways to extend the full set of potential benefits of urban life to all current and future urban residents, and to do so in ways that can also link urban and rural development.

Urban Transformation Via Participation

Case study—urban transformation via participation — Brazil

The ICPD Programme of Action recognized the importance of increasing participation in governance. Since then, decentralization and the emergence of powerful mechanisms of direct participation in local governance have wrought significant advancements in Brazil. One of the most prominent global examples is participatory budgeting in municipalities, which has also been applied to slum upgrading in Brazil’s favelas.

In 2001, Brazil adopted the Statute of the City (Estatuto da Cidade), a major step forward in the democratization of urban planning and governance. It has two key components: prioritizing social versus commercial functions of urban land and buildings, and institutionalizing participatory and democratic city management. This statute extends participatory budgeting, which emerged from the grass roots in Porto Alegre in the late 1980s, and has since expanded to more than 200 cities in Brazil (as well as to cities around the world). Key elements include diverse community participation, institutionalization through scheduled meetings between local governments and community groups, and effective assignment of a portion of the city’s budget to the outcome of the process. Recent research comparing matched pairs of municipalities in Brazil—those that did and did not institute participatory budgeting—suggests that it has had appreciable impact on enhancing equality.

These approaches have been extended to slum-upgrading efforts. Favelas-Bairro is an upgrading programme started in 1994 to reunite Brazil’s divided cities. The objective is social and physical integration of all low-income neighborhoods into the formal urban fabric of Rio de Janeiro by 2020. The key difference in this effort relative to conventional poverty reduction policies is the use of legislative reforms. These made it possible for local authorities, through existing community programmes, to support the “right to use but not own” land. The use of design as a core project strategy for social and physical integration was a success on the whole, but the project has also shown that structural upgrades cannot reduce crime on their own improving facilities leads to the threat of gentrification and governance is critical, or corrupt representation can erode the participatory process.

Urbanization and Government Priorities

Estimates of global domestic expenditures for the four components of the ICPD Programme of Action, 2011 (thousands of US dollars)

What Your Government Can Do

States should capitalize on the opportunities that urbanization provides for sustainable development and undertake proactive participatory planning to harness the benefits of higher population density in urban areas, recognizing the significant impact that greater internal migratory flows have on the distribution and concentration of populations in cities, notably higher energy efficiency in transport and housing, as well as cheaper provision of health, communications and other basic services per capita.

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