WHY CITIES NEED SPATIAL DEMOCRACY TO BE LIVABLE

Why cities need spatial democracy to be livable

In the recent past, there has been a marked increase in the number of people living in cities across the globe. As we speak, urban areas are a living combination of history, civilization, diversity and culture. Urbanization has been a force that has changed almost everything: ways of thinking and acting, ways of using space, lifestyle, social and economic relations, and consumption and production patterns. 

On the other hand, cities are also spaces where multidimensional poverty, environmental degradation, and vulnerability to disasters and the impact of climate change are present. Slums, uncontrolled urban sprawl and unplanned development coupled with strain on scarce water and sanitation services render majority of cities in developing nations "cities with no life".

A great deal of effort has been poured to make these cities "livable". The underlying challenge seems so big for any of these efforts to bring any meaningful change. Much work, therefore, remains to be done to achieve this goal. 

It is worth acknowledging that when equity is an integral part of development agenda, the deep structural problems and challenges of cities can be better addressed. Equity is both a moral obligation and a central element of social justice, and becomes part of transformative change. 

According to the Seventh World Urban Forum convened by UN-Habitat in Medellin City in Colombia it is high time for governments, private sector, city planners and development stakeholders to develop, adopt and implement a new urban agenda that requires new technologies, reliable urban data and integrated, participatory planning approaches to respond to both present challenges and emerging needs of cities of the future.

This new urban agenda should be founded on the principle of spatial democracy. For instance, it is "spatially democratic" to limit parking spaces for private vehicles within the city center to create space for big-capacity passenger vehicles. Another case in point is in reserving exclusive lanes for use by Public Service Vehicles (PSVs). 

It does not beat any logic for a bus ferrying sixty city residents to work to compete for space with a private car carrying three persons. 

A service-for-service deal between city authorities and residents may yet be another measure to making our cities clean and service delivery efficient. City residents must be empowered to hold authorities to account on matters city development and innovation. 

To "entice" the residents of informal settlements in the city, authorities must first, as a matter of urgency, offer the needed services and put in place the accompanying infrastructure (markets, bus-stops, clinics, water points, sewers et al) before thinking of imposing any levies on these low-earning city residents.

This way the existing "barrier" between low-earning and high-earning city dwellers ends up crumbling hence leading to cohesive cities with one true solid identity.

Twitter: @mlemukol