Sustainable Urban Planning: Big Lights in Little Rock

If I were to tell you that a LED lighting project in the medium sized American city of North Little Rock, Arkansas would light the way for global change in clean technology deployment in the developing world, would you believe it?

I had the unique opportunity to participate in the P80 Group Foundation-Club de Madrid conference in Little Rock, Arkansas last December and was witness to how such a lighting project was a critical influence in bringing together immense resources, innovative ideas, and essential solutions for investing nearly $3 trillion USD in clean energy technology in the developing world. But how? In this post I will discuss the urban landscape of North Little Rock, its small-scale but powerful vision for the future, the outcomes of the recent P80 Group Foundation-Club de Madrid Conference that took place there, and ultimately the ways in which cities like Little Rock are paving the way for a sustainable future.

As the European Union Regional Policy division defines, a visionary and sustainable city should be:

Although North Little Rock is only one half of the Little Rock Metropolitan area (which also includes Little Rock proper), it certainly has a vision for a sustainable city. The city, founded in 1821, ranks number 75 out of 381 US Metropolitan areas by population, ranking in at about 717,000 inhabitants. The Little Rock Metropolitan area is one of the most historic cities in America, home to some of the most impressive environmental, social, and economically liberal policies in the traditionally conservative American South. Arkansas is the birthplace of many major global corporations including Wal-Mart, Tyson Foods, J.B. Hunt, and Axiom, and is therefore an important hub for economic development in the region and the country. Little Rock also has many museums and cultural attractions, including a 33-acre public park and 14 miles of trails that support a vibrant green city. Arkansas has an impressive history of important figures in business and the arts, including Maya Angelou, Al Greene, William Fulbright, Winthrop Rockefeller, and Bill and Hillary Clinton. As such, the city features the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and the Clinton School for Public Service (the first university to offer a Master of Public Service), as well as leading global nonprofits such as Heifer International and Winrock International, both of which have particular focus on sustainable urban and rural development.

To learn more about this historic American city and how it is situating itself for the future, I encourage you to watch this fantastic video, which debuted at the opening of the Club de Madrid conference:

As the video above demonstrates, Little Rock indeed has a vision for a sustainable city. Under the impassioned, 24-year leadership of Mayor Patrick Henry Hays (who just retired in January 2013), Little Rock was witness to significant sustainable urban transformation in terms of increased green space, expanded trails systems for recreation and public health, revitalized city center, preserved historic sites, and an expansive LED lighting project across city roadways, parks, and public spaces.

Hays’ involvement in initiatives such as the LED lighting project led him to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors for ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives), which is considered one of the foremost international associations for urban engagement in environmental and sustainable planning. ICLEI has long led the movement for city leadership on the global scale in terms of social and environmental sustainability, and Mayor Pat Hays provided visionary guidance and action during his time as mayor of North Little Rock. In this sense, the city served as a key pulse-point for Mayor Hays’ global activity and advocacy, deeply connecting the local activity of North Little Rock with the global leadership of ICLEI and vice versa. In fact, the US Green Building Council (which manages the LEED certification scheme) cites North Little Rock and Patrick Hays’ work as a program model in its “12 Steps to a Greener Community” guidelines — demonstrating how this medium-sized city has proved to be a local, national, and international model for sustainable urban planning. (2)

Given the Mayor Hays’ leadership, North Little Rock’s deep connection with ICLEI, and the presence of Bill Clinton’s presidential library and university, the city was a perfect setting for the 11th annual Club de Madrid Conference, which focused on installing clean energy technology in the developing world. To do so, the Club de Madrid (an association of 90+ former Heads of State putting democracy into action for development) had invited the P80 Group Foundation (a nonprofit organization with the mission to catalyze $3 trillion USD in pension funds and sovereign wealth investments toward climate solutions), ICLEI (for its sustainable urban planning experise) and nonprofits like Peacework (for their sustainable rural planning expertise). Together, the Little Rock Accord was signed, which formalized a partnership for the financing and deployment of clean energy technology in the developing world, using urban centers as models and catalysts for change. As the photo shows below, I was lucky enough to participate in the signing of the Accord, alongside sustainability professionals and practitioners as well as 90+ former Heads of State represented by the Club de Madrid:

Although it took many actors and influences to bring together this unique group of people, this case demonstrates how cities themselves can take steps forward to achieving the sustainable solutions that we envision for a better global future. Despite the important role of international treaties and agreements (i.e. Kyoto Protocol, UN Global Compact), such soft law frameworks have critical challenges than can delay implementation and innovation.

Cities and their leadership, however, have always been innovating to face the rapidly changing demographics and needs of urban centers, thereby providing critical outlets for more immediate sustainable solutions than perhaps any other avenue can provide. The case of Little Rock demonstrates how cities — even medium or small sized cities — can pilot innovative climate solutions, scale it up through international networks, and spark widespread change. Other medium sized American cities (such as Salt Lake City, Richmond, and Tallahassee) and world cities (such as Vancouver, Canada; Kingston, Jamaica; and Lisbon, Portugal) can learn a lot from the leadership of Little Rock.

It is with this enthusiasm and experience that I look toward the “Cities of Tomorrow” as ideal sites for the innovative solutions that we desperately need to provide a prosperous future for our people and our planet.

 

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(1) Regional Policy, European Union (October 2011). Executive Summary. Cities of Tomorrow: Challenges, Visions, Ways Forward. <<http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/studies/pdf/citiesoftomorrow/citiesoftomorrow_summary_en.pdf>> Accessed 14 May 2013.

(2) US Green Building Council. 12 Steps to a Greener Community. Archived Resources. <<http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs7584.pdf>>. Accessed 14 May 2013.


Comments Off on Sustainable Urban Planning: Big Lights in Little Rock / 14 May 2013 por Kelly Elizabeth Behrend
IMSD /

Best Practices in Water Management: A look at LA

The city of Los Angeles is home to 3.8 million people living in 469 square miles. It is the second largest city in the US, behind New York City (which has a population of 8.2 million people that miraculously live in 302 square miles of land).

During the last few decades, the City of Los Angeles has been working diligently, and has seen significant results, in the area of water conservation. According to data collected in March 2012, Los Angeles uses less water today than 40 years ago, despite a population increase of over 1 million people:

Source: LADWP

That’s a rather significant achievement.

So, how has LA done it?

Water use in the City of Los Angeles peaked in 1986. The following five years saw severe drought, and therefore water shortages throughout the city. In 1990, the city passed The Emergency Water Conservation Plan Ordinance which established a list of water conservation actions that the city would enact depending on the severity of water scarcity at a given time. This ordinance was later amended in 2008 to make some of the measures mandatory at all times of the year – regardless of the current water situation – and expanded certain practices to the general public. The Emergency Water Conservation Plan Ordinance places restrictions on specific actions including using water for landscaping purposes (watering lawns, trees, flowers, etc.), cleaning sidewalks with water, and serving water to customers in restaurants unless asked. The ordinance also prohibits residents to leave water leaks unattended.

Additionally, since the mid 1980s the city has been investing a significant amount of money in rebate programs to help ease the costs related to installing water efficient appliances, such as low-flow toilets and shower heads. According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), as of March 2012 over 3.5 million indoor water efficient devices had been installed under rebate programs.

In 2008, Mayor Villaraigosa launched a long term strategy for water conservation. The strategy, titled “Securing LA’s Water Supply”, aimed to meet 100% of new water demand by 2030. The plan implemented strict enforcement of The Emergency Water Conservation Plan Ordinance, which had not been strongly enforced since 1992. This required a large awareness raising campaign in order to inform residents, restaurant owners and businesses about the conservation requirements listed within the ordinance. The Mayor’s strategy also included goals to increase the amount of recycled water “6-fold” within the city by 2019 and to implement storm water capture projects. Additionally, the San Fernando Aquifer would be cleaned up in order to better utilize the groundwater. According to the city, the “Securing LA’s Water Supply” strategy would reduce water imports by nearly 30% and would produce enough water to supply nearly half a million people by 2020.

According to a study conducted by the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Water Committee, in 2011 Los Angeles was rated one of five “model cities” within Los Angeles and Orange Counties regarding water conservation programs. These five cities, which also included Burbank, La Palma, La Verne, and Mission Viejo, were considered to have “the best number of water conservation measures” out of all the cities within the two counties.

Is this success transferable to other cities?

The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Water Committee stated within their report that the programs enacted by Los Angeles City “provide a roadmap for the remaining cities in Los Angeles County and Orange County to more effectively conserve local and imported urban water resources for the future.” Given the relative success of Los Angeles City’s water conservation efforts within the last few decades, these programs and policies could be considered a best practice for other large cities that also face water scarcity and drought.

Other “dry” cities around the world should be looking into the inititatives implemented by Los Angeles to see what “best practices” could also be used within their own cities and specific contexts.

Water Conservation in the Future?

Although Los Angeles City is considered one of the best cities in the LA and Orange County region in terms of water conservation efforts, the city still has room for improvement.

The water conservation strategy enacted by Mayor Villaraigosa was considered “reasonable and achievable” by Mark Gold, president of the non profit organization Heal the Bay. Yet, since the plan’s inauguration in March of 2008, critics have noted that only a portion of the initiatives have actually been implemented. In a 2011 article written for the Los Angeles Times, Mark Gold states:

The city has made some major strides on conservation, in large part thanks to restrictions on yard watering and economic incentives for water-efficient appliances and machinery. But we haven’t really begun to implement major components of the plan because [Los Angeles Department of Water and Power] leadership hasn’t made them a high priority.


In 2011, the LADWP had not yet invested in the installment of the reclamation plants required to increase the amount of recycled water used in LA City “six-fold”, nor had they invested in the storm water capture programs layed out in Villaraigosa’s plan. The LADWP described these programs as “extras”; they stated that since they were not essential, “the City Council should decide whether to fund them.”

This lack of political will has meant that much of the opportunity for significant reduction in water demand in Los Angeles City has not been realized. With the estimated increase in population and possible drought problems due to climate change in the future, LA needs to re-think the importance of these initiatives and explain the long term benefits of these programs to citizens. These investments will create a more reliable water supply in LA and will help stabilize pricing. The water management legislation and rebate programs implemented so far have shown great improvements in conservation; however, the city should be more proactive in implementing the remaining portions of Villaraigosa’s strategy.

Los Angeles City vs. The Greater Los Angeles Area

When we talk about Los Angeles, we tend to think about the LA Metropolitan Region as a whole. Citizens of the region often live within one city, yet work in another city within the Los Angeles Area. Therefore, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area behaves more like a de facto city, rather than a de jure city.

De Facto and De Jure Cities in Urban Planning:

According to the publication Cities of Tomorrow, the de jure city is considered the “administrative city” that is limited to the activities within the clear, historic city borders. This contrasts the de facto city, which is defined as “physical or socio-economic realities which have been approached through either a morphological or a functional definition”.

In other words, de jure refers to the actual city of Los Angeles, whereas de facto refers to the entire “functioning city” of Los Angeles – regardless of the technical city jurisdiction that the area falls under.  The de facto Los Angeles, in terms of the functioning, morphological city unit, can be defined as (what Los Angelinos know as) the “Greater Los Angeles Area”:

Click Image to Enlarge

The Greater Los Angeles Area includes parts of Ventura, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside Counties. It is home to roughly 21 million people, living in 34,135 square miles.

With this in mind, it is important to think about the issues of water conservation as a de facto, rather than a du jure, issue. Given that the groundwater and aquifer sources for the region are the same, the problem should be managed by the region as a whole rather than simply considering the de jure boundary of Los Angeles City.  According to Cities of Tomorrow, “such inter-municipal cooperation is the basis for the creation of the new, more flexible functional urban area governance entities”.

To create this inter-municipal cooperation, the Greater Los Angeles County region has begun to collaborate in order to “develop an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) that focuses on water resource management while creating a platform for future funding”.  The initiative encompasses several programs including initiatives to optimize local water resources, improve the quality of water sources, properly manage aquatic natural reserves, and reduce the region’s flood risk.

Initiatives such as the IRWMP are important in managing certain issues in the de facto Los Angeles. The IRWMP will help to ensure the water security of the entire region by guaranteeing that all municipalities are actively involved in water conservation and water quality measures. One de jure city in the Los Angeles region can not solve the problem alone.

With programs like the IRWMP, and the political will to back its initiatives, the Greater Los Angeles Area can make sure that the water resources in Southern California are properly managed and sustainable in the future.


2 comentarios / 14 May 2013 por Amy Blyth
IMSD /

#SocialTIC para la transformación social y el voluntariado

El próximo jueves 16 de mayo en el Medialab Prado Madrid tendrá lugar socialTIC, una jornada de talleres y experiencia compartida sobre la transformación de las organizaciones sociales a través del uso de las TIC (Tecnologías de la información y la Comunicación).

Participaran también Nicolás Martín y Carolina Escobar de Somos Más, organización enfocada en el trabajo en red y en el uso estratégico de las tecnologías para generar impacto social y partner de Bridge For Good.

somos-mas logoDurante la jornada se hablara de cómo usar las TIC para mejorar la colaboración entre las organizaciones, la participación y el trabajo en red.

Se hablara también de la gestión de la base social y de la personas, de TIC para la mision, de gestion de proyectos, de activismo y ciudadanía activa, de rendición de cuenta y de nuevas vias de financiación.

Programa

10:00-10:30: Inscripciones
10:30-10:45: Bienvenida e inauguración
10:45-12:15: Repensando las organizaciones sociales (ponencias)
12:15-13:30: Intercambio de experiencias
14:00-15:00: comida
15:00-16:30: Talleres. 1º sesión 
  • Participación y trabajo en red: Somos Más
16:45-18:30: Talleres. 2º sesión
 

¡NO TE LO PIERDAS! 🙂

Más información

Twitter: #SocialTIC


Comments Off on #SocialTIC para la transformación social y el voluntariado / 14 May 2013 por Veronica Recanati
IMSD /

Social Entrepreneurship: “Work on Purpose”

Social entrepreneurs are undoubtedly some of the most pioneering, innovative, and inspirational professionals in the world. However, not everyone needs to be a social entrepreneur in order to be successful and make a difference. In fact, everyone has something to learn from the social entrepreneur community and can incorporate some of their best practices into every day life. The list below, borrowed from Echoing Green’s “Guiding Principles for Work on Purpose”, reminds us of ways in which we can begin to merge our passions with our profession to create a life that matters and has meaning:

Right For You

1. Head + Heart = Hustle | Find ways to work from both your heart and your head, collapsing the divisions between these two aspects of yourself in your work as often as possible. It is the only way to achieve what we call hustle.

2. Know What You’ve Got – Know What You Need | Uncover your unique contribution(s) to the world. In the meantime, either develop the skills, strengths, contacts, experiences, insights, or education you still need, or prop yourself up by surrounding yourself with people whose gifts complement your own.

3. Mine Your Past | Reflect on your history in order to understand what motivates you, both positively and negatively. This reflection will help you create a career that is connected to your core.

Good for the World

4. ________ Is What Matters | Fill in the blank. Figure out what social problem(s) matters to you, and prioritize addressing them. (After all, saying “yes” to what really matters to you almost always means saying “no” to other things.)

5. Act on Moments of Obligation | Identify and seize the moments in which you have been, and continue to be, moved to take responsibility for helping solve one of the world’s biggest problems. Then turn that feeling into concrete action.

6. Take Perspective…Someone Else’s | Cultivate a deep curiosity about the world and actively seek to understand other populations, perspectives, models, and disciplines. Interdisciplinarianism is critical to innovative thinking, as it allows you to see connections and patterns where those who stay within a silo cannot; and understanding perspectives of those affected by social problems is essential for high-impact, culturally competent work.

Be Bold

7. Bold Immersion | Become an expert in the work you are most drawn to. Get to know all of the relevant people, organizations, research, books, and articles; surround yourself those who are as excited to understand the field as you are; study; volunteer; immerse yourself!

8. Fear Means Go | Distinguish between healthy fears and the kind of barrier fears that stem from your insecurities. Your barrier fears are signals that you need to GO…not away from that which scares you, but toward it.

9. Gall to Think Big | Give yourself permission to try out smart, untested tactics, models, and ideas, even if you aren’t 100% certain you’ll succeed. After all, failure is one of life’s greatest learning tools and can be proof that you are thinking big. (In fact, if you haven’t failed in a while, ask yourself if you need to take on bolder challenges!)

10. Think Like an Entrepreneur | Move through your life and your career with an entrepreneurial spirit, and apply the focus, energy, and positivity to founding your social impact career that you would apply to founding a new business or organization.

As this list suggests, living a full life means digging deep, making mistakes, trying new experiences, aligning your values, and striving to identify and resolve some of the world’s biggest challenges. Although everyone need not devote themselves to a life of social entrepreneurship, I can only imagine how much better the world would be if people only adopted some of these adventurous, noble, and profoundly important practices — practices that would not only better their own life, but would also better the lives of others.


Comments Off on Social Entrepreneurship: “Work on Purpose” / 13 May 2013 por Kelly Elizabeth Behrend
IMSD /

Social Entrepreneurship: Are You Awake?

As we continue to discuss the meaning of social entrepreneurship and the characteristics of social entrepreneurs, I continually turn to the themes of “motivation” , “intuition” and “connection”. To be a social entrepreneur is to be an intentional member of the human family, examine real issues around you, strive to solve them, and create public good. A social entrepreneur is motivated to address an issue because they have the intuition to solve it and a deeper connection with their human condition that inspires them to scale it up and make it matter for others.

I remember that earlier in this Master’s program, our Leadership professor posed a seemingly easy question: “What motivates you?”. A few students raised their hands and provided a series of answers — “happiness”, “money”, “security”, “success”, “productivity”, and “contribution to the world”. He incessantly asked each student “why?”, looking for deeper answers, until suddenly the students had no answer anymore. Then, the professor called on me. I knew he was looking for an even more profound answer, something so basic that it must rest at the heart of every human being. “Survival?”, I thought. I knew this couldn’t be it, so I took a moment to reflect on my own deepest motivations.

In the span of a few seconds, I thought about my experiences in community service, my passion for development and equality, my sense of what it means to be a true global citizen, the lessons learned from my undergraduate major in Peace and Conflict Studies, my present studies in Sustainable Development, my struggles and discoveries in learning new languages and interacting with different cultures, and my experiences learning from others at home and abroad. Suddenly, a quote emerged in my head — one that continues to underscore what I do, what I think, how I act, and who I want to be, each and every day. I refocused on the present moment, looked at the professor, and said:

“Thich Naht Hanh, a world-renowned Buddhist monk and author, was once asked what he considered to be the purpose of life. He answered, ‘we are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness’.”

Ultimately, I believe a life fully lived is one that recognizes our place in the human family, and one that derives its individual meaning by a deep awareness of the collective journey. It is my sense that social entrepreneurs share in this realization, asserting that their existence (both in society and in the economy) is intimately bound up with the wellbeing of others. A social entrepreneur not only chooses to be awake, but is fundamentally committed to awakening others.

Are you awake?


6 comentarios / 13 May 2013 por Kelly Elizabeth Behrend
IMSD /

Urban mobility in Mexico City’s district “La Condesa”

La Condesa

The Colonia Condesa is located in the central area of Mexico City. What people commonly known as Condesa is not one settlement itself, but the area really comprises three: Condesa, Hipódromo Condesa and Hipódromo. It is a well-known area because of the amount of coffee shops, bookstores, restaurants, art galleries and boutiques it has, and also by the culture and nightlife of the district.

Its history dates back to the years of the colony, when it stood in this space the Hacienda of Santa Maria del Arenal, which years later was acquired by the family of the Countess of Miravalle, hence the name. During the past three decades, thanks to the initially low prices, the settlement began to fill with residences and offices, turning over the years into one of the most valuable and trendy places in the city. Today more than 70,000 people live in the region (counting the districts Condesa – Roma) and around 170,000 non-residents flock to the area daily.

The increase in population, the opening of new offices and the fame of the area, attracting hundreds of visitors daily, made ​​mobility became a serious problem.

In general, this is the picture that is perceived in the rest of the city, however because of the inherent characteristics of this area, it was one of the priorities to be addressed by local governments. These features being the cultural and gastronomic offer, the urban landscape in which there are at least two large parks and a great number of planters, and streets with historic buildings from the 30s and 40s.

Highly congested streets, exaggerated time to cross a traffic light, over 30 minutes to find parking to get to work, pedestrian spaces invaded by cars, public places conquered by the franeleros (people who take care of cars in exchange for a fee), non walking sidewalks for their physical condition or because they have been occupied by restaurants or other businesses … well, a number of elements that gradually degrade the quality of life of the fixed inhabitants and passengers in the area.

According to the European Union’s document Cities of Tomorrow, “The modernization of physical space is a necessary but insufficient condition for guaranteeing quality of life and neighborhoods and cities with long-term sustainability. […] Accessibility to public transport and services and the availability and quality of public spaces and shopping areas, are other very important factors for inclusion and quality of life”.

What has been done in the area to guarantee these characteristics?

Urban mobility: a sum of alternatives

The reduction of congestion is important from a health point of view, but it is not only about reducing CO2 emissions, pollution and noise – it is also about giving the citizens the possibility of re-conquering the city. (Cities of Tomorrow)

At the present time the three major government programs coexist in Mexico City, two of which have been successfully implemented (Metrobus transit system and bike rental initiative Ecobici) and one that began a couple of months (the installation of parking meters) and which is to be proven effective.

In terms of public transport, the Metrobus currently covers 90km with four lines and 141 stations, which give service to around 800,000 people per day. La Condesa features 9 stations of two different lines that provide entry and exit routes to the area by, at least, two of the most important avenues of the city.

Metrobus © EFE

In terms of the bike rental initiative, Ecobici, operates 275 cycle stations concentrated in 22 km2 on Cuauhtémoc and Miguel Hidalgo areas and currently has more than 87,000 active users. Within Condesa, there are more than 100 stations operating, connecting with the main means of transportation such as the Metrobus, Metro and other public transport routes.

Ecobici

The parking meter program began on January 2013, with a public consultation, which showed an attitude in favor of the measurement in four of the nine zones. In most of the precincts of Condesa, the vote went against. However the devices have been installed in recent months. In accordance with the provisions of the program, 30 percent of total revenue for the operation of EcoParq (parking meter service) will go to improving public space and neighborhood committees will decide on the use of resources.

EcoParq

Governance and public participation

Given that mobility projects, not only in Condesa but throughout Mexico City have been one of the priorities from the last two governments, nowadays they are a necessity and a primarily requirement on the part of citizens towards the new local governments.

Proof of this is that in the middle of last year, during electoral campaigns, Miguel Angel Mancera, current head of government, stated as one of his main campaign promises “I will work in mobility comfort. Better public transport.”

As of today, during the first months of his administration, subway line 12 was opened, there are plans to build 10 Metrobus lines and expansion of Ecobici service to at least two other major areas of the city.

In Condesa, a major challenge will be the effective participation of citizens committees to designate budget to the most urgent projects of energy, water and security in the area, to name a few, as a result of the profits obtained by the parking meters.

What’s ahead?

According to the European Union’s document Cities of Tomorrow, “Sustainable mobility includes several dimensions and components: sustainable, energy-efficient and affordable public transport systems; a friendly environment for soft transport modes such as cycling and walking; easy access to all neighbourhoods, by foot, by bike, by public transport; local transport networks that need to be well connected to regional networks; peri-urban networks that need to be planned within the context of overall land-use and spatial development; and transport nodes that need to be well integrated with social, cultural and economic activities, including leisure.”

The success of the mobility model that has been applied in la Condesa during the last 10 years is the use a mix of various means of transport which complement each other and generate connectivity in all areas within the same district and the rest of the city. In addition it promotes lower car use and subsequent benefits in reducing emissions, less traffic, better urban view, the ability to fully exploit the cultural and leisure qualities of the area and of course a better quality of life for residents and nonresidents, giving solution to a major part of the problems detected before.

This is a model that is certainly possible and necessary, to extrapolate, first to other areas of the city that have similar characteristics; to other cities in Mexico where, although they will not have the same means of transport, it is possible to generate mixes with existing systems.

Finally, it’s certainly possible to share the experience of mixed transport models to other parts of the world. Specially in Latin American countries, since “the urban transport infrastructure in LAC faces a level of excessive demand, which in most cases exceeds their capabilities” and therefore “the rapid increase in the private fleet is a direct cause of the problems of congestion, pollution and traffic accidents which are evident in LAC cities.” (BID, Sostenibilidad Urbana en América Latina y el Caribe)

 


Comments Off on Urban mobility in Mexico City’s district “La Condesa” / 12 May 2013 por Monica Ducoing
IMSD /

Complexity of sustainable urban planning but a wide range of opportunities

Cities are becoming a complex issue due to their density resulted of demographic growth and the centralization of the economic activities. The impact of this process is contamination and that involves health issues, waste, water management, inequality, etc.

Therefore, it is important to start thinking on sustainable urban planning, not only the politics but also citizens in order to  shape cities and raise awareness. According to the EU report “Cities of Tomorrow”, which gives a diagnosis of the situation and directions,  social, economic and environmental challenges have to be addressed both at neighbourhood level and in broader territorial contexts. Moreover, the report criticizes the focus on the functional approach for many cities without the social and cultural approach. I also share the limitation that gives the report to implement changes in the direction of sustainable cities as lack of financial resources, low fiscal or regulatory power or insufficient endogenous development potential.

However, in spite of the complexity of sustainable urban planning, it also opens new challenges and opportunities of economic activities but also improving the social environment of the citizens. These challenges need a solid base of knowledge but also a big picture of the issues. It is important to take into consideration sector as engineering, environment, efficiency, architecture, social, economic, citizenship participation, public transport, schools, innovation, diversity and I am sure that I have forgotten more aspects. I think collaboration is basic in order to exchange good practices. Therefore, networks like C40cities, ICLEI, European Green Capital are important but citizen initiatives are also fundamental . Another initiative interesting is The agenda 21 because it gives a good base to help cities in implementing actions.

Another concept I find interesting is eco-neighbourhood that is growing in Europe. The dimensions of eco-neighbourhood are:

The benefits are in my opinion the involvement of neighbours; the energy efficiency; GHG emissions reduction and costs savings; intergenerational collaboration; diversity; increase of economic activities.

However, limitations exist because we are not living in a perfect world. As it is mentioned above, money and political will is one more time a big limitation. The lack of global vision could also have an impact on the design of the eco-neighbourhood: access, public transport,  high price for the rent, diversity issues or exclusion of certain social class (construction of “nice ghetto”).

Some recommendations I could make are linked to dialogue, knowledge exchange and including social aspects. Dialogue between all stakeholders who have a direct links with the cities and members of the communities who live in these cities. Secondly, sustainable urban planning is a sector that good practise exchange is fundamental. For example, in the case of the eco-neighbourhood between a Swiss city and a Mexican city, Lausanne (Switzerland) could support with its technological expertise and Coyoacan (Mexico) could bring experience in capacity building. Finally, in Europe this kind of neighbourhoods is focused on environmental aspects and perhaps not enough on social capital, on humans.

I think sustainable urban is a great and challenging world, however other issues should be fixed to allow this kind of city growing and building. If not, cases like Metro cable in Caracas o Metro bus in Bogota could fail because they have not taken into consideration other facts like criminality for Caracas or the people affluence in Bogota.

The other question I want to raise is the centralization of the economic activities in one or few cities, meanwhile rural and land are depopulated. Why don’t we rethink the decentralization, even more now we have access to technologies and innovation? And finally, acting step by step; idea by idea could give more results without to start from scratch.

 


3 comentarios / 11 May 2013 por Stephanie Barrial
IMSD /

CSR in SMEs: The Surprising Impact of SMEs on the Global Triple Bottom Line

When sustainability professionals hear the term “business as usual”, they picture scenarios such as the countless human rights offenses of multinational corporations, the shady self-serving deals on Wall Street, or the corruption of politicians in the developing world. Others may envision “business as usual” as a complex web of intangible global brands, unaccountable corporate entities, and complex economic and political systems. However one may envision it, “business as usual” is often blamed for the increasing environmental footprint of our human family, the oppressive treatment of workers around the world, and the global economic crash and recession. In response, sustainability experts and civil society activists alike tend to place immediate blame on the big, menacing, and intangible global brands that have been so famously responsible for some of the most horrendous behavior toward the health of our people, our planet, and our economy.

But is this really the whole picture? I am learning that there is an important piece of the debate that is overwhelmingly left out of solution strategies proposed by activists, policy makers, international legal institutions, and civil society alike — and the biggest offender is, in fact, right around your corner. Believe it or not, the biggest culprit for these complex global issues are the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) of the world.  Yes, I’m even talking about your favorite local coffee shop, your trusted grocery store, and even your treasured hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant. How come?

In OECD countries of high-income economies, SMEs make up over 95% of firms, 60%-70% of employment, and produce 55% of GDP — adding up to an impact that is not small or medium at all. If we look at this from the perspective of the global triple bottom line, SMEs can be accountable for more than half of our economic productivity, the income and wellbeing for nearly 70% of our population, and the production of 80% of the global greenhouse gas emissions that threaten our planet.

What surprised me most about this dynamic is that SMEs are often left out of the sustainability conversation. Professionals, analysts, consultants, practitioners, and students alike continually put large corporations in the spotlight, often pressuring them to implement integrated sustainability strategies, pay enormous fines, or reclaim their brand in the face of investigative international media campaigns. This is not to say that multinational corporations have not committed their fair share of crimes against the common economic, social, and environmental good of our human family — but it is clear that the sustainability field needs to have a strategy for identifying, engaging, and empowering SMEs to embrace sustainable and responsible practices.

The effective sustainability practitioner and policymaker must necessarily incorporate the empowerment of SMEs into their solution strategies by providing capacity building, support, compliance assistance, and empowerment to SMEs by other industry leaders in their sector. SMEs are in great need of such support, as the costs of implementing social and environmental innovations are often beyond their annual budgets and capacities. However, there have been inspiring cases of international organizations and industry leaders working together to empower the SMEs that make up such a large portion of the problem.

Put another [more inspiring] way, empowered and informed SMEs may make up the biggest part of the solution. This class has therefore confirmed that any strategy to mitigate the complex global issues we face today must include a major focus on SMEs, which can significantly affect the positive growth of our economies, the health of our planet, and the happiness of our human family.


Comments Off on CSR in SMEs: The Surprising Impact of SMEs on the Global Triple Bottom Line / 17 Apr 2013 por Kelly Elizabeth Behrend
IMSD /

Small but with a BIG corporate social responsibility strategy!

CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility, is about giving a voice to the employees, involving the customers feedbacks into the business processes and listening to the stakeholders before planning any strategy.

CSR is about investing today for a long term successful return.

CSR is about values, people and innovation and it is an important and necessary aspect that any company should consider while developing the strategy, making decisions or delivering products.

 

Is CSR only for big corporations?

Often the big corporations are the ones giving more and more visibility to the CSR policies through reporting and marketing initiatives and the ones dedicating more resources, human and financial, to the CSR related activities.

But not having a specific dedicated CSR team or a sustainability report doesn’t mean not being able to develop a long term, integrated and succesfull CSR strategy.

Being small means being flexible and having smooth business processes that can be easily assessed, evaluated, measured and improved. It means also being fast, SMEs (small and medium enterprises) can indeed make quick changes and better respond to the customer needs or demand.

Being small means also being closer to the territory, to the local communities and to the stakeholders and have a direct relationship with suppliers, consumers, employees. This translates in being more aware of the stakeholder expectations and interests, knowing how to engage with them and therefore being more sustainable.

In conclusion is not a matter of size but a matter of innovation and capacity to find new sustainable business models that better respond to what the stakeholders demand. CSR is a matter of value creation, transparency and bidirectional communication and should be an integrated part of every size company.

 

Interested in developing a CSR strategy in your SME? Here some useful tools..

In order to facilitate the CSR strategy implementation in the small and medium companies the European Commission has published a guideline aimed to maximize the creation of shared value for the SME owners, shareholders, stakeholders and society: Tip and Tricks for advisors, Corporate Social Responsibility for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.

In the guide there are useful recommendations on how to follow a CSR roadmap, how to prioritize the stakeholders requests, how to start from skretch and there are several practical tools and online resources that can help SMEs to plan and implement a strategic CSR strategy. Here some of them:

Self-assessment handbook for companies. Very often the SMEs have good business practices without being aware of it or without consciously having a specific CSR strategy, this tool help them to assess their business processes and practices.

SME Guide on human rights.

The SME blog of the Network for Business Sustainability.

The Ecotoolkit, an online platform with practical tools for SMEs consultants aimed to monitor and reduce the environmental impact.

A guide on SROI, a good resource on Social Return on the Investment.

Transparency Project, a catalan initiative in collaboration with GRI aimed to incentive the collaboration between multinational companies and SMEs for CSR reporting activities.

CSR Compass, an online tool for supply chain CSR strategy.

Ideas compass, a web platform aimed to inspire the SME toward innovation and sustainability practices.

 

 


3 comentarios / 16 Apr 2013 por Veronica Recanati
IMSD /

CSR in SMEs: opportunity to come back to a human management of business?

I don’t have any business experience, however I believe that SMEs could drive changes in how to do business in a responsible way and could set steps for a deep change in our system. Of course, it exists obstacles like financial or a lack of time but I think CSR is now an add-value because people are more and more looking for transparency. Another obstacle to look for a change is our education and our system of values in which we grow.

However, I still believe that values could be hard values and could drive a business. If the founder of a company believes strongly in its values and sees them as normal, he could manage his business as he wants and naturally apply his way of thinking. Probably, it is easier to start rather to change a model, although with integrity, imagination and creativity it is likely possible.

Why I believe that SMEs have real impact rather than multinational. I see in these small and medium companies a possibility to apply a social and environmental conscience in a daily base. “Making the promise and delivering the promise” is easier if employees are closer to the mission and vision of the company. The distance between the top and the bottom are also closer. For these reasons, the internal impact in one hand is more visible. The founder could implement social environmental policies in the company even at a small level with no or small cost; for instance flexible working hour or waste policy. In the other hand, external impacts are perhaps easier to control because the relationship will be the closest as possible to the suppliers or customers. The distance again between the top and the bottom will be reduced and the dialogue will be more consistent.

Furthermore, with all the technologies, expertise and experience we have, it should possible to progress in a sustainable way. As I wrote in another post, the will of a part of the society could be the real obstacle to integrate CSR in the business strategy with the result of putting in question our way of thinking. In our class, we saw an example of young people who have created their company, where they use hard values to drive it: Warby Parker.

To show that it is possible to do responsible business, I want to share this video we saw at our class on CSR in SMEs about of two young entrepreneurs, Warby Parker, and another example of success medium company: Switcher SA.

We need to come back to a human contact, even if the trend today and the future are technology and its robots.

 

http://m.switcher.com/pub/SWITCHER_2012_ENG_HD/HTML/#/2/zoomed

 


Comments Off on CSR in SMEs: opportunity to come back to a human management of business? / 16 Apr 2013 por Stephanie Barrial
IMSD /

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