Module 1: Definitions and Delineations MPP 655: Policy Making for Sustainable Urban Communities MPP 655 - Module 1

Learning Objectives By the end of this module, you will be able to: Develop and express a sound operational understanding of the meaning of sustainable development in the context of urban communities MPP 655 - Module 1

Module Overview First, we will explore the genesis of the sustainable development discourse Then, we will explore contemporary definitions of sustainable development And finally, we will explore the implications of these definitions for urban settlements MPP 655 - Module 1

Origins of the Sustainable Development Discourse MPP 655 - Module 1

Origins of the Sustainable Development Discourse Deeply historical ideas about “harmony with nature” The “modernization” metaphor and its implications for conventional development The Brundtland Commission’s rejection of conventional modes of development The Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, Agenda 21 and a global recognition of the need for an alternative “sustainable” development MPP 655 - Module 1

Harmony with Nature All pre-modern vernacular settlements were forced to abide with nature Nature was the supra-system within which humans were constrained to act Nature was seen as controlling the everyday lives and the fate of humans Nature was seen as the source of all that is good and all that is disastrous MPP 655 - Module 1

The Industrial Revolution and the Emergence of Modernity As we learned to control the forces of Nature through the application of scientific knowledge, we sought increasingly to bend Nature to our own inclinations, to mold her closer to “our heart’s desire” Technology emerges as the means by which Nature can be bent to the Human Will And Capitalism emerges as the mechanism that allows Technology to advance MPP 655 - Module 1

The Brundtland Commission Rejects the model of conventional development as “taking” from Nature to meet any and every Human need Proposes that development can only be sustainable if it is constrained in such a way that it allows us to meet the needs of the present generation without curtailing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs MPP 655 - Module 1

Agenda 21: The Rio Declaration On Environment and Development The 1992 “Earth Summit” called for a sustainable urban development, particularly in the developing world It put humans at the center of our concern with sustainable development, and asserted that all people “are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature” It calls for the development of “sustainable human settlements” MPP 655 - Module 1

Contemporary Definitions of Sustainable Development MPP 655 - Module 1

Contemporary Definitions of Sustainable Development Intergenerational equity Re-evaluation of the almost single-minded emphasis on economic development, to the exclusion of social and ecological concerns A call to seek a balance between singular concerns for economy (Wealth), ecology (Nature), and equity (Society) Some times referred to as People, Planet, and Prosperity MPP 655 - Module 1

Sustainable Decision Making MPP 655 - Module 1

MPP 655 - Module 1

Factors of Production Capitalism Sustainability Ecological Economics Land Ecology Natural Capital Labor Equity Social Capital Capital Economy Monetary Capital MPP 655 - Module 1

Factors of Production Capitalism Sustainability Ecological Economics Land Ecology Natural Capital Labor Equity Social Capital Capital Economy Monetary Capital MPP 655 - Module 1

Factors of Production Capitalism Sustainability Ecological Economics Land Ecology Natural Capital Labor Equity Social Capital Capital Economy Man-made Capital MPP 655 - Module 1

Implications of Sustainable Development for Urban Settlements MPP 655 - Module 1

Sustainable Urban Development Smart Growth and New Urbanism Green Building Transportation Energy Food Planning and Urban Agriculture Low Impact Development Heat Island Mitigation Green Infrastructure MPP 655 - Module 1

Summary The idea of sustainability, taken as harmony with nature, is as old as time More recently, sustainable development has been defined as a sort of development that allows present generations to meet our own needs without curtailing the ability of future generations to meet their needs MPP 655 - Module 1

Summary (contd.) Today, a decision is considered sustainable when it takes some balanced account of economic, ecological and equity concerns in a manner that makes room for intergenerational equity This is sometimes also referred to as People, Planet and Prosperity And also as Man-made Capital, Social Capital and Natural Capital MPP 655 - Module 1

Summary (contd.) From an Ecological Economics perspective, the move to sustainability is taken to be a move from a world in which Man-made Capital was the limiting factor in production, to a world in which Natural Capital is now the limiting factor in production. Thus, rather than optimizing for Man-made Capital, we now need to optimize for Natural Capital MPP 655 - Module 1

Summary (contd.) A sustainable urban development is a development that takes account of natural processes and functions, in a manner that allows Nature to do much of our work for us. It takes an ecological approach to development, minimizing the use of Man-made Capital and maximizing the extent to which Natural Capital is conserved and enhanced MPP 655 - Module 1

Questions? MPP 655 - Module 1