PES study tour in Lam Dong

Poster on PES at Lam Dong Forest Protection and Development Fund office

From 8th to 10th December 2011, I was joining the Soc Trang delegation in a study tour to Lam Dong province to learn about Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) as Lam Dong is one of the first two provinces (the other is Son La) chosen and successful with pilot model for PES policy.

The policy on payment for forest ecosystem service was issued according to the governmental decrees No. 99/2010/NĐ-CP on 24.09.2010 in order to mobilize social resources, especially from organizations, individuals who get benefits from forest ecosystems services. The policy is aimed to ensure sustainable finance for forest protection and development, socializing forestry, increasing income and improving livelihoods for people who directly planting and protecting forests.

Deployment of PES   Firstly, Lam Dong province planed 4 projects of: - Surveying, categorizing and making statistics about ecosystem services providers and users (payers) as well as determining of ecosystem service values in Lam Dong province - Making forest land contracts - Building financial plan for PES in Lam Dong, determining of the co-efficient k for calculate PES - Surveying on forest resources, mapping and determining catchment areas to develop PES system Then, 2 working groups were established for PES disseminating and implementing

Services of forest ecosystems are:

- Protecting soil, reducing erosion and sedimentation

- Regulating and maintaining water resources

- Absorbing and storing carbon, reducing green house effect through sustainably forest development

- Protecting natural landscapes and biodiversity of forest ecosystems

- Providing spawning habitats, food, water resource for aquaculture

Payers in general are ecosystem service users such as:

- Hydropower plants

- Water supply plants

- Factories and industrial plants using water directly from the water resources

- Tourism business getting benefits from forest ecosystem services

- Subjects to pay for forest ecosystem services such as carbon absorption and storage; spawning habitats, food and water resource for aquaculture

Service providers should be paid through PES, they are:

- Owners of forests which provide ecosystem services

- Organizations, households, individuals, communities who have contracts on forest protection with government/stat-owned organizations.

Forms of payment: There are 2 forms of payment, directly and indirectly. Currently, Lam Dong province is applying the indirect payment, which means, the ecosystem service users have to pay for the service providers through the Forest Protection and Development Fund of Lam Dong province.The Fund was established in February 2009 as a state-owned financial organization belongs to DARD Lam Dong. The director board of this Fund involves representatives from DARD, DONRE and DPI (multi-disciplinary).

Payment regulation: 

- For hydropower plants: 20 VND/kWh

- For water supply plants: 40 VND/cubic meter of water

- For tourism business getting benefits from forest ecosystem services: 1% of revenue from tourist services.

Use of PES in Lam Dong province: The money collected from PES is distributed as following

- 10% is used for management activities of the provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund

- 5% is reserved in case of natural disasters, droughts…

- The rest is used for protecting forests. Differences between Lam Dong and Soc Trang:  It should be noted that the situation of Lam Dong is quite different to Soc Trang and that implies also different approach should be taken into account. -    Lam Dong has about 60% of land covered by forest (600,000 ha) while Soc Trang has mostly farm land (nearly 83%), only around 3.5% of land covered by forest, in which the mangrove protective forest in coastal area is just around 6,000 ha. -   There is no hydropower plants and no tourist companies (payers for PES) in Soc Trang like in the case of Lam Dong. Instead, Soc Trang has the mangroves which can provide spawning habitats, food and water resource for aquaculture, the ecosystem services that are not available in Lam Dong province. Lessons learned from Lam Dong province: -    Carbon absorption service is available wherever there is forest (Lam Ha and Di Linh are two pilot sites for this service payment in Lam Dong province). -   We should be active as MARD only giving general instructions. We need to make our own decision for our province base on specific local conditions. -    It is crucial to identify clearly payers for sustainability of the Fund. We need to survey and monitor these carefully. Monitoring and evaluation at district and commune levels can be done through People's Committee and sub-department of Forest Protection. -    Education and public awareness raising on PES is essential.

08.12.2011

Working with DARD the Forest Protection and Development Fund of Lam Dong Province

Mr. Xe handover a sourvenir from Soc Trang delegation to the Deputy Director of DARD Lam Dong

Group photo at DARD Lam Dong

At the Lam Dong Forest Protection and Development Fund

More details on establishment process and financial plan were shown in this presentation below

Presentation on the establishment and operation of the Forest Protection and Development Fund

09.12.2011

Field trip to one PES payer - Đơn Dương dam (reservoir for Đa Nhim hydropower plant)

Working with the sub-department of forest protection in D'ran town, Đơn Dương, Lâm Đồng

Group photo at Đơn Dương dam

Đơn Dương dam

Đơn Dương dam

10.12.2011

Field trip to the Lake of Sigh, a tourist place managed by Thùy Dương company, another PES payer

The director of Thuy Duong company shared their experience in payment for ecosystem service as a payer.

Tuyen Lam lake

Forest around Tuyen Lam lake

Integrated Coastal Area Management - Workshop November 2011

ICAM WS 2011_final Report_EN 

National Workshop on "Integrated Coastal Area Management (ICAM)"

Ho Chi Minh City, 24th November 2011

With about 3,260 km coastline and more than 25 million people (31% population) living along the coastline, coastal zones of Vietnam closely relate and greatly affect socio-economic development, environment and national security of our country. However, coastal zones are also the most sensitive and vulnerable areas, being exposed to high pressures from human activities, domestic, agricultural and industrial wastes, pollution from shipping, as well as from natural processes such as natural disasters, erosion, storms and floods, especially in the context of sea level rise and global climate change. According to World Bank (2007), Vietnam is one of the top five countries which will be seriously affected by sea level rise, in which the Mekong Delta is one of the three deltas in the world which will be highly vulnerable by impacts of climate change. The Mekong Delta plays an important role as Vietnam’s “rice bowl” but also has to meet the challenge between economic growth and poverty reduction and rising concerns over environmental and social impacts. The situation calls for a holistic approach and a strategy for integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable development.

ICAM is an approach in coastal resource management which has been introduced and started to be efficiently applied in Vietnam. ICAM is an environmental and resource management system with an integrated approach, through collaboration and coordination of multi-disciplinary, multi-targets, with full participant of all stakeholders in order to solve complex problems of coastal zones. For example, in the case of Soc Trang, mangrove forest creates a narrow belt along most the coastline of the province. We cannot manage this forest belt separately, without taking into account local people livelihood’s activities as well as the accretion and erosion along the coast.

The fundamental goal of Integrated Coastal Area Management (ICAM) is to maintain, restore or improve the quality of coastal zone ecosystems and the societies they support. General trend in current ICAM is decentralization and the emphasis on the participation of local community in management. The conventional top-down management is showing more and more its weak points as it does not consider appropriately for local resource-users in coastal areas. The lack of support and interest of stakeholders have led to lack of efficiency in management. Therefore, empowering of management roles for decision-makers and coordination between government and local communities in resource management is an efficient approach for sustainable resource development and environmental protection in coastal areas.

National cooperation is required to achieve ecologically sustainable development through ICAM. Due to the complexity of coastal areas, their sensitivity and vulnerability, there is no single universal solution applicable to the entire coast. Local characteristics and requirements enable and lead to a holistic and adapted approach, which must include many different processes, stakeholders and interests. Decisions must be made based on an interdisciplinary and cross-border consensus.

We hope that this workshop can create a meaningful forum, where we can share together, exchange ideas and learn from international experiences so that we can helpfully contribute to integrated coastal zone management in Vietnam, particularly in Mekong Delta.

Contents

1. An International Perspective on Integrated Coastal Area Management - Prof. Tim Smith

2. Integrated Coastal Area Management – Experiences and lessons learnt from Germany - Bianca Schlegel

3. Development and Implementation of Integrated Coastal Area Management in the South-East Asian Region - Dr. Stefan Groenewold

4. Experience from Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the Philippines - Mr. Nguyen Duc Hoang

5. Strategy on Integrated Coastal Management in Vietnam - Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi

6. Concept of ICAM in Soc Trang Province - Dr. Klaus Schmitt

Expert Panel

Planetary discussion

Link to download related documents: http://czm-soctrang.org.vn/EN/ICAM/Download.aspx

UDP graduation

from Daisy with love, honour and sincere gratitude

Graduation Ceremony on 21.11.2011 at Lucky Square, Binh Duong

 

With my parents, Antje, Harry and Nigel

With Nigel, Prof. Schmidt and Harry from my old BTU Cottbus



With Prof. Karl Kluegel



With the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder



With the Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Thiện Nhân and
the Minister of Education and Training Phạm Vũ Luận




With Professors and friends of UDP class 2009-2011

Memories from the 2 year UDP course at VGU

Acknowledgement from my thesis

First of all, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the two supervisors, Prof. Kosta Mathey and Prof. Michael Schmidt for their kind guidance and for giving me a chance to join this wonderful UDP course.

I greatly appreciate the consideration of our course coordinators, Dr. Harry Storch and Prof. Karl Klügel. Thank you so much for believing in me and that is such a big encouragement!

I am especially grateful to my dear friend Nigel Downes, who introduced me to this course, for his supporting as always.

I would like to express a huge thanks to all of our Professors and Teachers for the lectures, excursions and inspiration! Many thanks to the research group of Megacity HCMC project for the knowledge I got from their workshops and discussions. Thank you all my friends and the staffs at VGU for the assistance and for our memories during these last two years together.

I also respectfully acknowledge Dr. Bui Van Nam Son for his devoted consultation.

This study cannot be done without the responses from more than two hundred people all over the world. I would like to thank you all, each and everyone! It was such an honor and pleasure for me to read your various comments. Thank you very much too, my friends, who had helped promote the survey through their blogs, websites and social networks.

My sympathy goes out to the interviewees in slum areas that I have talked to during the field study in May. It was a unique and transformative experience. I really hope that life will be better for you all.

Finally, I would like to take this chance to express the deepest gratitude and love from my heart to my parents and beloved ones for their endless support and care. I know no words would be enough...

*****

Dinner at Tib on 22.11.2011

  

 I was so much happy that Mika, my Professor from Finland had also been in HCMC that time. And thus, i had a chance to see him again after nearly 3 years!

   Thank You all!!!                                        Mom's painting 

Yen Linh's wedding

09.10.2011 Wedding of my dear friend from childhood. May you be happy always, dear!!!

Room for the River

How will the river be given more room?
(Source: www.roomfortheriver.nl)

On 29th of September, we attended the workshop on "Production Ability for Climate Change Adaptation in Coastal Areas of Mekong Delta", at Ngoc Thu hotel, Soc Trang. It was an introductory workshop to the collaborative project between Can Tho university and Wageningen university (Netherlands) on developing agriculture, aquaculture and environment - based climate change adaptation strategies for the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. 

Because of its high vulnerability to climate change and sea level rise as a coastal province, Soc Trang has been chosen for first pilot studies. As the workshop aimed to initiate preliminary discussions to collect information, opinions, ideas from local people, the afternoon session's time was used for working groups' discussions. Participants were mostly representatives of Soc Trang provincial/district institutions and authorities. Besides, there were also participants from An Giang (represented for upstream provinces), and the research groups in Can Tho university and Wageningen university (2 professors.and one master student). 

The project's key approach to climate change adaptation is the idea of "Room for the River", rebuilding extra room for water instead of putting much investment in hard infrastructure measures. Originated from a governmental programme in Netherlands (2006-2015), it is a more natural friendly flood protection strategy in contrast to past response to floods, where rivers were confined by increasing higher dykes (as more and more people live behind the dyke, the land would sink, creating more and more risk). 

"Room for the River", on the other hand, restores the river's natural flood plain (lowering and broadening it), liberating river's flow, creating river diversion and temporary water storage areas. Marshy riverine landscapes would be restored to serve again as natural water storage sponges, providing biodiversity, aesthetic and recreational values. This approach is also considered as "Living with Water", living harmoniously with nature, embracing flood, cherishing water as an asset but not something to fear and keep out of sight. Moreover, retention of water in the rural areas can help reduce urban flood. [Even in urban area, excess water can be incorporated into infrastructure, creating high quality public space (ex., water plaza design idea from Netherlands)].

River can be given more room through measures such as placing and moving dykes, lowering of river foreland, depoldering, creating/increasing the depth of flood channels, removing hydraulic obstacles, flood bypass... Applying that approach for Mekong Delta, "Room for the Mekong Floods" implies climate change adaptation services such as seasonal flood retention and dry season reserves; recession agriculture, fresh fish culture in flooding season. In addition to flooding, climate change also exacerbates salinization and freshwater scarcity. Dropping of groundwater level is currently a serious issue in coastal district areas of Soc Trang. Therefore, creative adaptation to brackish water, more open attitude toward sea water suggests some modification in farming systems into more water-saving and salt-tolerant crops. 

There was one helpful comment of Mr. Stefan from DRAGON institute that i would like to note here, which was about the no-use zone. Sometime, non-use zone is not just no-use zone because it can be preserved as buffer zone that increases resilience of the area to climate change. 

More notes on the workshop is on our group blog Soc Trang team.

Forever Young

Forever friends - by Mary Baxter St. Clair

My dear Nightingale, you are forever young, and we are forever friends...
Miss you.
Delphine

"Forever Young"

May God bless and keep you always 

May your wishes all come true

May you always do for others 

And let others do for you

May you build a ladder to the stars 

And climb on every rung

May you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young 

May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous 

May you grow up to be true

May you always know the truth 

And see the lights surrounding you

May you always be courageous 

Stand upright and be strong

May you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young 

May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy 

May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation 

When the winds of changes shift

May your heart always be joyful 

And may your song always be sung

May you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young 

May you stay forever young. 

My new life in Soc Trang

After my thesis defense in August, i went to Soc Trang, a coastal province in Mekong Delta, in the South of Vietnam to work for the project on management of natural resources. I have been so excited of the 2 years ahead.

I had to find a house to rent and settle down, beginning of a new life. My life here is somehow of a minimalist as i’ve only furnished it with some basic things enough for a single person. I visit my parents in Ho Chi Minh city once to twice per month (it takes 5 hours by bus from Soc Trang to HCMC).

I’m blessed that i have a good team at work, with nice colleagues and a great boss. Dr. Klaus, our boss (or CTA, the Chief Technical Advisor), is like our father, careful and considerate. He had been working for 10 years in Africa, 5 years in Cambodia and so far nearly 5 years in Vietnam. I’ve learnt much from him, both in life and work. He always encourages me to become more confident.

Our technical team includes 3 Germans, Dr. Klaus, Bianca (the Technical Advisor), Max (the intern) and 2 Vietnamese, AD (Dung) and me. We also have Mrs. Kieu (the accountant), Nhung (the translator), Mrs. Thuy (the general administrative) and Mr. Binh (the driver), all are Vietnamese. So we are 9 in total.

The advantage of such a small city like Soc Trang is that everything is in a “walkable” distance. Everyday i ride bicycle from home to our office, which takes only 5 minutes. At lunch time, Bianca, Max, AD and me, 4 of us often go to eat in vegetarian restaurants. Sometimes, Nhung joins us, too. Outside of work, we also have some activities together such as playing shuttlecock, singing karaoke, celebrating birthdays of each member in the staff, going out to cafe and watching movies in our own-created “cinema” with office projector and speakers... I hope that after Max coming back from Germany, we can restart again our Vietnamese lessons.

More on our project's activities you can see on our official website and our group blog. I enjoy my work and life here in Soc Trang very much as it is quite diverse and interesting, though there are still many challenges. The most important thing, as i’ve said, which makes me like to live here is the nice team we have...

Moon river

Moon river, wider than a mile...
I'm crossing you in style someday
Oh, dream maker, you heartbreaker
Wherever you're going, i'm going your way
Two drifters, off to see the world
There's such a lot of world to see
We're after the same rainbow's end, waiting round the bend
My huckleberry friend... moon river, and me

Delphine: I was so happy to see you again. It was like a dream...
Nightingale: It was no dream, Delphine.



"My goal was not to have huge luxuries. As a child, I wanted a house with a garden, which I have today. This is what I dreamed of. I’d never worry about age if I knew I could go on being loved and having the possibility to love… So it isn’t age or even death that one fears, as much as loneliness and the lack of affection."

– Audrey Hepburn 

Audrey's favorite poem - 'Time Tested Beauty Tips' by Sam Levenson 

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived,  reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.
Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the  figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!" 

8. Urban Sustainability - Conclusions

From the principles of Earth Charter or One Planet Living to models created by think tank of Philips Center or Ecocity Builders, sustainability has been envisioned in an integrated framework of interrelated dimensions. Cities and human systems are considered as parts of larger natural ecosystems and socio-economic communities, in which all things are linked to each other in the web of life. Thus, urban sustainability can only be achieved with a systems approach which recognizes this profound interconnectedness. Urban sustainability visions are not fixed images but rather flexible and evolutionary perspectives.

The core philosophy of sustainability lies in the appreciation of nature as the symbol of integrity, stability and beauty. Thus, a sustainable city would be a green city, in which nature is well protected and integrated harmoniously in urban design and planning. Moreover, there is no concept of waste in nature, energy and materials flow and regenerate through ongoing cycles. Thus, a sustainable city would be a regenerative city, which applies nature’s wisdom in its waste recycling and using local, renewable material and energy. Respecting nature, living more simply within the Earth’s limits and reducing our impact on the Earth’s resources, this implies the moderation in population reproduction, economic production and consumption. These are crucial steps towards a low-carbon economy, particularly in the context of Peak Oil, climate change and resource depletion.

Written beautifully in the Earth Charter, the key principle of sustainability is “care for the community of life, with understanding, compassion and love”. Sustainability cherishes sense of community, social capital, solidarity and a culture of peace with mutual respect, sharing and caring. Cooperation rather than competition with nature and with each other is advocated. Above all, happiness, which is the real meaning of life, does not lie on materials terms alone but rather on our spiritual and social relationship in community.

A sustainable city would be a human friendly city. This human friendliness does not come only from its open-minded, helpful and friendly people but also this attribute can be manifested and fostered by thoughtful urban design and planning, which encourage social interaction and cultural exchange through public spaces, walkable neighborhoods…

Any imbalance or injustice implies unstability and high potential risk of collapse, thus it can not sustain in the long run. Beside ecological balance, a sustainable city would be a city of social and economic justice because equity is another primary principle of sustainability. A sustainable city would not only be human friendly but also humane; an inclusive city which embraces all its people, regardless of their race, gender, age, social or economic status. On the other hand, culture of sustainability appreciates tolerance of differences, and diversity is seen as source of richness rather than conflicts.

Ideals of democracy, accountability, transparency and inclusive decision making are essential attributes of good governance, which in turn plays a vital role as guiding forces for cities on the journey toward sustainability. Since actors of governance comprise not only the government but also the private sector and civil society, active citizen participation is vital to the success of urban sustainability. Nowaday, with the development of web 2.0, e-governance and other ICT applications in urban management and operation promise huge potential in improving public services as well as enhancing citizen participation and interaction in decision making.

Recommendations for HCMC

A sustainable city is also a desirable and loveable city. This is confirmed through the global online survey and the questionnaire for HCMC’s residents in which sustainability models are welcomed by most of respondents. On the other hand, reflection on reality of HCMC’s urban performance presents quite a pessimistic picture. HCMC in perceptions of respondents is still far away from urban sustainability visions. Many problems of traffic, pollution, flooding, overload infrastructure, noise, lack of green and public spaces, corruption and bad planning pose great challenges to sustainable development of this soon-to-be megacity. This implies that, although compact development is a good and efficient model, it would functions positively only when there is reasonable size of population within its carrying and management capacity, plus good governance and urban planning that harmonious with local nature.

In addition, observation from the field study at some slum areas in HCMC also shows that there are many people still live in very bad conditions and everyday still have to struggle to survive. Sustainability would be a very far away dream if the basic subsistence needs have not been met. Therefore, the city should assist the poor through social housing, health care policies, job opportunities, especially in terms of accessibility to education and training. Because in the long run, public empowerment is crucial to win over poverty and to go further on the way toward future urban sustainability.

Better public transportation system, well-organized, diverse and efficient is needed for crowded HCMC. Public transportation should be more comfortable as the quality of service should be improved so that it can be more attractive and become priority in people’s choice, beside affordability.

Walkability and cyclability should be integrated into public transportation system. Pedestrians and cyclists should be encouraged through incentive policies and programmes. On the other hand, limitation of cars and motorbikes, particularly in central downtown can help saving energy, improving environment and community sense with safer traffic, better public interaction and less pollution.

Urbanization should be approached with precaution. Systems thinking and long term perspectives should be applied in strategic urban planning. Scenarios of climate change, risk of salination, flooding and their impacts should be taken into account to prepare for adaptation and mitigation. Some current new urban projects expanding into low lying land and highly sensitive areas such as Thu Thiem, new harbour in Nha Be, tourist city in Can Gio (the UNESCO biosphere reserve) should be re-examined very carefully.

Farm lands and green spaces should be preserved for microclimate regulation, water retention, urban biodiversity as well as food security and other beneficial ecosystem services. Greening the city activities should be encouraged such as planting street trees, building community gardens, parks, covering city with flowers, plants wherever possible (abandoned lots, balconies, roofs…) to make city more beautiful and refreshing.

Urban designs such as green pavement, waterparks can facilitate rainwater infiltration to replenish groundwater and mitigate urban flood. Cisterns can be used at household level to catch and channel rainwater for non-drinking purposes.

It is necessary for HCMC to start as soon as possible integrated waste management instead of current landfilling method otherwise later HCMC will inevitably face the waste crisis. It should be noted that, reducing waste, separating waste at source and recycling can only be promoted efficiently with enhanced public awareness.

Cleaner, renewable energies and their supporting infrastructure should be taken into consideration in the long term development of the city. Some examples can be the model of solar street lighting, solar-panel on roof of big buildings, cleaner fuels for public transportation…

Capacity building, public awareness raising and education for sustainability

Good leadership with urban sustainability vision is required for future success of a city. Moreover, active citizen participation is also vital. Thus, capacity building for local managers, officers, as well as education and public awareness raising can be powerful tools for positive social change and for nurturing a culture of sustainability.

In general education for sustainability should be integrated creatively[1] at all level of education system and even should start at family education. Holistic perception is necessary for humanity to live sustainably by understanding our co-existence on this planet, how we are interconnected and mutually interdependent. This leads us to cooperate with all other humans and other living beings, and encourages a meaningful lifestyle in which we live more close to nature, more simply but healthily and richly. Therefore, education should place a high focus on living values, building inner strength and interpersonal skills, fostering compassion, respect and understanding, celebrating diversity, multicultures, equality and social responsibility. A holistic education aims for future citizens who live with love and care, who find joy in services and who appreciate the Good, the True and the Beautiful in life.

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[*] Beside conventional teaching, we can apply various creative ways of education such as teaching by being examples (green teachers); team work to teach cooperative spirit;  experience-based learning, through school gardens, working in the field, helping other people in need, voluntary services in local community; visual learning with the help of movies, audio, documentaries, internet; project-based learning, problem-based learning; excursions to natural sites, forests, national parks; learning through arts; teaching meditation for children to help them improving concentration, having inner peace and developing spirituality…

7. Good governance

“Good governance must be built from the ground up. It cannot be imposed, either by national authorities, or by international agencies. Good governance is the fruit of true dedication, selfless leadership, and a politics of integrity.” (Annan 1997)

Good governance plays a decisive role in urban management, planning and operating towards sustainability. While government is an entity (an official governing organization), governance refers to the process of decision making and the process by which decisions are implemented (UNESCAP). These governing processes involve not only the state (government), but also the private sector and the whole civil society.

Three interrelated actors of governance

All three interconnected actors are critical for urban sustainability. Government creates a conducive political and legal environment; the private sector generates jobs and income; and civil society facilitates political and social interaction - mobilizing groups to participate in economic, social and political activities (UNDP 1997). Since each part has weaknesses and strengths, it is important for good governance to promote constructive interaction, partnership, cooperation and coherence among all three.

The box below describes an ideal image of good governance, adapted from UNESCAP and UNDP. Main attributes of good governance are long term vision, openness - transparency, responsibility - accountability, equity - inclusiveness, democratic participation - citizen involvement, effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness to the needs of the people.

Key attributes of good governance (UNESCAP[1] & UNDP[2])

Participation

All men and women should have a voice in decision-making, either directly or through legitimate intermediate institutions that represent their interests. Such broad participation is built on freedom of association and speech, as well as capacities to participate constructively.

Rule of law

Legal frameworks should be fair and enforced impartially.

Transparency

Transparency is built on the free flow of information. Processes, institutions and information are directly accessible to those concerned with them, and enough information is provided to understand and monitor them.

Responsiveness

Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.

Consensus oriented

Good governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved.

Equity and inclusiveness

A society’s well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. This requires all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being.

Effectiveness and efficiency

Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources.

Accountability

Decision-makers in government, the private sector and civil society organisations are accountable to the public, as well as to institutional stakeholders.

Strategic vision

Leaders and the public have a broad and long-term perspective on good governance and sustainable development. There is also an understanding of the historical, cultural and social complexities in which that perspective is grounded.

These features assure that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities and the needs of future generations are taken into account, and the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. Good governance also contributes to peace and security because it gives societies sound structures for inclusive, equitable economic and social development. “In post-conflict settings, good governance can promote reconciliation and offer a path for consolidating peace” (Annan 1997).

Good governance demands the consent and the participation of the governed and the full and lasting involvement of all citizens (Annan 1997). Key strategies for cultivating good governance include developing more decentralized state, active civic organizations, and responsible private sectors (Wheeler et al. 2005).

Decentralization is an important strategy to attain citizen involvement and government responsiveness. Since power and decisions are closer to local people, decentralized government is more knowledgeable and accessible. It can respond faster, more effectively to people’s needs, with more accountability and transparency. Resource use would be more equitable and the gap between the rich and the poor would be narrowed (Wheeler et al. 2005).

As Kofi Annan once said (1997), good governance has to begin with the will of the people. The will of the people must be the basis of governmental authority. That is the foundation of democracy. Democratization is definitely vital in building good governance, but it requires mature civic awareness, ongoing education, the development of government structures, institutions, and time. “Once established, democracies need to be tended carefully in order to stay healthy and provide good governance for the people” (Wheeler et al. 2005).

Nowadays, the development of ICTs promises a huge potential of facilitating governance processes. Core components of e-governance include e-participation, e-administration and e-service delivery[3]. E-governance can enhance government and public institution efficiency, transparency and accountability by providing better public service and information delivery to citizens and others. Moreover, e-governance fosters greater interaction between authorities and citizens, thus encouraging more public participation and involvement. Various online tools can be used, such as RSS feeds, tag clouds, interactive map, webcasts for information; blogs, online polls for consultation; e-petitions, wikis, forum and virtual worlds for participation (WEF 2011). Social networks also support e-governance with more equity, decentralization and democratization.

On the other hand, e-governance can make a significant positive impact on reducing carbon dioxide emissions through the dematerialization of public service delivery. Many paper-based services can be digitalized and situations where face-to-face interaction has been previously required (to prove identity) can be done virtually (GeSI 2008).

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[1] UNESCAP, Good governance: http://www.unescap.org/pdd/prs/ProjectActivities/Ongoing/gg/governance.asp

[2] Governance for sustainable human development (UNDP 1997):  http://mirror.undp.org/magnet/policy

[3] Governance assessment portal: http://www.gaportal.org/areas-of-governance/e-governance

6. Social connectedness and cultural vitality

“When you are connected to yourself, you live with integrity – you act on your values and you are committed to truth and honesty. When you are connected to others, you commit to living in community, to caring for the common good, and to working for equality, justice and democracy. You commit to living joyfully with family, friends and the wider community. When you are connected to the planet, you try to live more sustainably, not using up or destroying nature.” (Andrews 2006)

“If the definition of a sustainable society involves meeting human needs, it is worth asking what human needs are, and whether or not the system we are designing meets real human needs in a synergistic and positively reinforcing way” (Holocene 2004). According to Manfred Max-Neef[1], most of our needs are related to the social (protection, affection, understanding, participation) and cultural (recreation, creation, identity) aspects of life. Once the basic need for subsistence has been met, the fundamental human needs are understood as an interrelated and interactive system, not as a hierarchy as postulated by Maslow[2] (Hallsmith 2003). It was also reflected in the core principle of the Earth Charter “Respect and Care for the community of life: to care for the community of life with understanding, compassion and love; to build democratic societies that are just, sustainable, participatory and peaceful”.

Social and cultural intertwined dimensions of urban sustainability

Social sustainability

According to the WACOSS’s model, socially sustainable communities are equitable, diverse, connected, democratic and provide a good quality of life (Hodgson 2008). So, a sustainable city is a just and inclusive city, where benefits of development would be distributed fairly across society. It is a city for all, regardless of their status, gender, race, ethnicity or religion. “An inclusive city provides the opportunities and support that enables all residents to develop fully and allow them access to decent housing, transport, education, recreation, communication, employment and the judiciary, as well as cultural and religious expression. In an inclusive city, residents take part in decision-making that ranges from the political to issues of daily life. Such participation injects a sense of belonging, identity, place into residents, and guarantees them a stake in the benefits of urban development” (UN-HABITAT 2010).

In an inclusive city, diversity is respected; people are tolerant of differences, and are open-minded. This creates condition for true communication can develop. Communication leads to trust, trust to sharing, sharing to co-operation and thus community solidarity is strengthened.

As human beings, we all need meaningful relationships with others, the sense of community, the sense of connectedness, knowing that another person cares, supports and looks out for us. This corresponds with Maslow’s need for love/belonging and Max-Neef’s need for affection and participation. People with a strong sense of community are more likely to report being in good health and less likely to feel isolated than those that have a weak sense of community (Jochmann 2010).

Research has shown that communities where there are high levels of volunteerism and many opportunities for people to have contact with others outside of work or school have more consensus and are more resilient (Hallsmith 2003). Thus, public spaces in city are very important for communication, interaction and exchange to build sense of community. Jan Gehl[5] once said, “a sustainable city would be a very people-friendly city. It would be a city with good public spaces and a city that is rather compact. It would be a city that really invites people to walk and bicycle as much as possible.” Research also confirmed that individuals in more walkable neighborhoods tended to have higher levels of trust and community involvement, and also reported being in good health and happy more often than those in the less walkable neighborhoods (Williams 2011).

Cultural sustainability

UNESCO (1995) defined the cultural dimension of community development[6] as being “the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social group. It includes not only the arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and beliefs.” The basic role of art, culture, and heritage has long been to bring beauty, depth and meaning into our daily lives, they also nurture individual and community identity, promote social cohesion, and contribute to the creation of social capital (Kingston 2010). More and more, culture has been recognized as an essential dimension with the potential to transform communities and individuals in positive and meaningful ways over the long term.

Jon Hawkes (2001) wrote “The Fourth Pillar of Sustainability: Culture’s Essential Role in Public Planning", recognizing that a community’s vitality and quality of life is closely related to the vitality and quality of its cultural engagement, expression, dialogue, and celebration[7]. Current main themes of cultural sustainability are summarized below.

10 Key themes of cultural sustainability [8]

(Creative City Network, Canada 2007)

1. The culture of sustainability

Changing people’s behavior and consumption patterns, and adapting to a more sustainability-conscious lifestyle.

2. Globalization & cultural identity

Protecting local culture from globalization and market forces.

3. Heritage conservation

Recognize the history of a place and its tangible and intangible attributes. Revitalizing and re-using heritage buildings for cultural facilities.

4. Sense of place

Building sense of place through intimate connection with our natural environment and history. The importance of heritage and symbols, and the role of the arts in raising community awareness and interest in sustainability are recognized.

5. Indigenous knowledge & traditional practices

Recovery and protection of cultural health, history, and the culture of indigenous knowledge in society. Storytelling is a tool to keep memories alive and celebrate history.

6. Community cultural development

Using arts and culture as community-building tools to promote sense of place, empowerment, and public participation. Creative collaboration fosters social development and change.

7. Arts, education & youth

The arts are seen as both development and communicative tools in communities and schools, as they increase the effectiveness of teaching, research, policy, and actions toward cultural sustainability and development.

8. Sustainable design

Sustainable design is seen as a component of cultural sustainability. Supporting cultural identity can ensure the past is part of the present and will benefit the future.

9. Planning

A cultural lens is needed in city planning and design. This requires community culture-based planning strategies that address civic identity, youth, multiculturalism, and other aspects of communities.

10. Cultural policy & local government

The multidisciplinary nature of sustainable development requires that policies for sustainability transcend boundaries and integrate cultural aspects.

Hawkes’ model demonstrates that the contribution of culture to building lively cities and communities plays a major role in supporting social and economic health (Duxbury and Gillette 2007). According to him, the key to cultural sustainability is fostering partnerships, exchange, and respect between different streams of government, business, and arts organizations.

Spiritual values

“We need a spiritual compass to find our direction in life. A spiritual compass can help us to navigate our path through confusion and crises, through the suffocating allure of materialism, and through delusion and despair” (Kumar 2007).

Spiritual values are essential as an inner guiding light which helps us to develop our worldview, to seek wisdom of truth and wholeness, to find meaning of our existence and to connect with a greater transcendent reality. “Justice and compassion spring from the hearts of people who recognize our profound interdependence and interrelatedness with one another and the Earth” (Lamborn 2010). Spiritual connection is the basis for love, compassion and community. Our desire to deeply connect can be the most powerful force for good (Jones et al. 2007). People with compassion have deep concern for social equality and justice; they want to see that all people and other existences are treated with dignity and love; they become more tolerant, more embracing, always ready to reach out to help, to support, and glorify others (Lin 2006).

The virtues of justice, humility, service and compassion can motivate us to address our social and environmental challenges and to build a world of peace and harmony (Jones et al. 2007). Therefore, creating a culture of sustainability which cherishes those values of tolerance, love, care, respect… is essential in empowering and transforming community towards a sustainable future.

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[1] Manfred Max-Neef: a German-Chilean economist and environmentalist, mainly known for his human development model

[2] Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow

[3] 10 ways our wolrd is becoming more shareable (Gorenflo & Smith 2010) http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/10-ways-our-world-is-becoming-more-shareable

[4] Earth 2.0 – Sharing as one of the four chief operating principles of the Earth 2.0 upgrade http://earth2channel.com/blog/post/28

[5] Jan Gelh Interview (2008): Making healthy cities
http://sustainablecities.dk/en/actions/interviews/jan-gehl-making-healthy-cities

[6] Sustainable Future - Culture and Knowledge Workshop http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/topics/significant_projects/planning_studies/sustainable_future/workshop_two/issues_brief

[7] Models of sustainability incorporating culture:
http://www.creativecity.ca/se-newsletters/special-edition-4/models-sustainability.html

[8] Creative City Network, Canada 2007: Ten key themes of cultural sustainability

http://www.creativecity.ca/se-newsletters/special-edition-4/ten-key-themes-of-cultural-sustainability.html

5. Towards a low-carbon economy

“To break dependence on oil, stop contributing to global warming, and build resilient cities that can thrive in the new urban age of energy and climate uncertainty, the bottom line for local governments is this: Reduce consumption, and produce locally.” (Lerch 2009)

We are in the time of Peak Oil, and the time of cheap oil will end soon (Kuhlman 2007). Many experts have been warning about the end of our civilization as we know it is today[1], the end of oil age with its catastrophic consequences[2]. The world economy heavily depended on high-carbon fossil fuel is eventually coming into crisis as these fuels go exhausted. Moreover, the problem is not only the depletion of oil, but also many environmental, political and socio-economic issues related, especially the green house effect that leads to global climate change. Thus, we need a thoughtful vision, a shift to new models of development that are more sustainable, a green economy based on climate friendly low-carbon energy.

The concept of “Zero carbon”, one of the One Planet Living’s ten principles which aims at making building more energy efficient and delivering all energy with renewable technologies, is being developed at the Masdar initiative[3]. The European Union[4] is making real efforts to reduce green gas emissions with their “Roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050.” More and more, there is a growing trend of transition to low-carbon city or post carbon city – “city on a path of resilience for a world of energy and climate uncertainty” (Lerch 2009).

The Japanese Ministry of Environment has pointed out three principles for a low-carbon society: (1) Carbon minimization in all sectors, (2) Shifting from mass consumption society toward simpler lifestyles that realize richer quality of life, (3) Coexistence with Nature - maintaining and restoring natural environment that essential for low-carbon society (Ministry of Environment - Japan 2007). Thus, building a low-carbon city requires the efforts and active involvement of whole social system.

Benefits of a low-carbon transport system

(based on the CATCH[5] factsheet series)

*ITS: Intelligent Transport System, applied ITC in smart logistics

Though Peak Oil can conceive quite catastrophic potential, it also opens some hopeful possibilities, a chance to address many underlying social problems, and the opportunity to return to simpler, healthier and more community oriented lifestyle (Kuhlman 2007). The example of Cuba can serve as a positive and instructive model for a world facing Peak Oil[6]. Cuba is the only country that has faced such a crisis – the massive reduction of fossil fuels, after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990. Cuba's transition to a low-energy society has taken place by creating cycling culture, sharing public transportation and turning from a mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. Lesson from Cuba’s survival gives us hope in the power of community, and the effectiveness of their strategies, which can be summarize in three words: curtailment, conservation and cooperation[7] .

The guidance for low-carbon city development focuses on three key sectors of transportation & urban structure, energy and greenery (Kamata 2011). As discussed in the previous part, conservation of green spaces, farmland and urban greenery is essential as carbon sinks for the city. Besides, shifting from urban sprawl and diffusive urban structure to compact urban development is encouraged. Compact city in harmony with nature is an urban model that consists of station-centered communities with a mix of houses, stores, offices, and convenient facilities accessible mainly by public transportation, on foot, or by bicycle (City of Nagoya 2009). Many benefits of a low-carbon transport system are illustrated in figure above.

Public transportation is key for low-carbon city; together with policies to support local consumption of goods produced locally (Ecologist 2008). Many policies available to alleviate energy insecurity can also help to mitigate local pollution and climate change, as a “triple-win” outcome (IEA 2007). For examples, development in public transportation does not only conserve energy, but also relieve congestion, improve air quality, provide access for all (APTA 2008).

Energy conservation and renewable energy

In dealing with the energy issue, the first and foremost available strategy is energy conservation, through reducing energy waste and increasing energy efficiency. We should recognize the fact that in the mean time alternative energies can not replace fossil fuels at the scale, rate and manner at which the world currently consumes them. Moreover, the deepest roots of our current energy crisis lie on the patterns of wasteful production and consumption (Capra 1988). Therefore, what truly matters is profound change in our values, attitudes and lifestyle. Energy conservation is our short-term key energy source and will always be a good solution in the long run too.

Energy conservation brings many benefits. It is low cost and available at all levels. Using less energy resource also means reducing pollution and environmental degradation, while prolong fossil fuel supplies and buying time to phase in renewable energy. Saving energy can start just right at each individual’s lifestyle. For examples: buy and use energy-efficient devices, look for electronics that are rechargeable, walk or cycle for short trips, consider car-pooling or take public transport for longer ones, eat lower on the food chains, buy regionally and seasonally produced organic food whenever possible[8]… The list goes on, and every bit can help.

Many measures can also be done on the technical sphere, where there is a lot of space for creative innovations. In housing, remarkable energy-saving can be achieved by improved heat insulation or green building design which takes advantages of natural elements like sun, wind, plants, trees, green-roofs… instead of using air conditioning. Many intelligent lighting systems with energy-saving sensors have become widely used for hotels, official buildings. In transportation, energy-saving techniques can be attained through increasing fuel efficiency. In industry, the idea of co-generation, producing both heat and electricity from one energy source can be well applied.

Eventually, we will use up non-renewable energy resources. From a long-term point of view, renewable ones are what we should rely on. The Sun shines for all of us, and the wind blows, free of charge. Although the equipments to collect solar and wind energy, such as solar panels and wind turbines cost money, when considering that the resource is taking for free, the overall cost of using solar and wind energy can make them smart choices. Renewable technology cost trends typically show a steep decline during last decades (NREL 2002), and that trends will continue to reach reasonable levels in the future as their market’s expansion. Moreover, renewable energy are often clean, such as wind and sunshine, they do not emit smoke or create pollution. Others, such as biomass, almost always cause less pollution than fossil or nuclear alternatives.

Renewable energies would bring a number of benefits to the economy. First, they help increase the diversity of energy supplies, and thus lower the dependency on imported fossil fuels and improve the security of energy supplies. Second, they help make use of local resources to provide a cost-effective energy supply while reducing regional and global greenhouse gas emissions. Since they are often flexible, small-scale designs, which take the advantages of local conditions, they can be located close to the demand. Then, transmission and distribution costs are reduced, as well as losses. Finally, from the social point of view, renewable energies can create more domestic employment. Such benefits have created a strong motivation for pursuing renewable energies. The investment costs of renewable technologies have been reduced remarkably today and this makes renewable energies more attractive, quickly developed and expanded (Nguyen 2005).

Future will belong to the age of Renewable Sources. It is also the scenario described in the Energy [R]evolution report, by the European Renewable Energy Council and Greenpeace (2007). The vision would be made by optimized integration of renewable energy, developing smart consumption, generation and distribution systems and maximizing the efficiency of building through better insulation. Solar façade would be a decorative element on office and apartment buildings. Rooftop wind and solar would be placed so that energy is generated close to the consumer. Clean electricity would also come from offshore wind parks or solar power station in deserts. Electricity would be much more prominent and become the principal source of energy for transportation, replacing gasoline and diesel fuels. Hydrogen can become a way of back-up to store solar, wind energy to use at night or during cloudy days (EREC & Green Peace 2007).

Shifting to low-carbon economy means shifting to more diversified systems which maximize the use of locally available, environmental friendly resources. “It is encouraging to know that we now have the technologies to build a new energy economy, one that is not climate-disruptive, that does not pollute air and that can last as long as the sun itself” (Brown 2008).

ICT for low-carbon urban development

From mobile phone, computer, software to internet, information and communications technology (ICT) has become integrated in our everyday life and remarkably influenced our society in many levels. Recently, ICT’s enormous potential in contributing towards a low-carbon society has been recognized and getting more and more attention. Using high technology, optical fiber, ultra-high speed, ultra-low power consumption network, nearly the most energy-efficient infrastructure, ICT can lead to smarter ways of doing and significantly reduce carbon footprint in cities (Yamakawa 2008). Efficiency of production and consumption can be improved. Movement of people and things can be reduced through online shopping, e-service, online media, teleworking, virtual meeting. ICT can also support smart and integrated city planning, environmental management, urban monitoring.

ICT applications for a low-carbon city

ICT can play crucial role in helping to improve energy efficiency in power transmission and distribution (smart grids), in smart buildings and factories, and in the use of transportation to deliver goods (smart logistics). They can also help in dematerialization[9] and shifting to a circular economy, where resources are efficiently used (WWF & Ericsson 2009). 

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[1] Life after the oil crash: http://www.famguardian.org/Subjects/Politics/Articles/LifeAfterOilCrash.htm

[2] The Olduvai theory and catastrophic consequences: http://www.energybulletin.net/node/45518

[3] Zero carbon city – Masdar initiative: http://www.masdar.ae/en/home/index.aspx

[4] EU, March 2011: “Roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050” http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/roadmap/index_en.htm

[5] CATCH (Carbon Aware Travel Choice) is an EU project with the ultimate aim to reduce CO2 emissions of the urban transport sector by encouraging carbon-friendly travel choices. http://www.carbonaware.eu

[6] See more: The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (Documentary), Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions (2006): http://www.communitysolution.org

[7] See more: Peak Moment TV program (2006) Learning from Cuba response to Peak Oil, interviewing Megan Quinn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7i6roVB5MI

[8] See more in the article on The Ecologist Magazine: 30 steps to an oil free world

http://www.theecologist.org/how_to_make_a_difference/climate_change_and_energy/360427/30_steps_to_an_oilfree_world.html

[9] Dematerialisation can be applied to a range of current everyday practices and ultimately reduce the number of material objects that need to be produced. For example, online billing, online media replace paper and CDs, thus reduce the emissions associated with their manufacture and distribution (GeSI 2008).