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magazine / mj06
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May/June 2006 issue |
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FEATURE
SUSTAINABLE CITIES
Melbourne Principles
By Rathiha Egbert
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
CG
In-depth:
Exploring sustainable cities
Check out the newest ideas for integrating urban and natural environments to promote sustainability,
see how pedestrianism may win over gridlock, and find out how to save a dying community.
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The necessity of steering urban planning efforts to focus on sustainability gains prominence
as the world’s population increasingly becomes city-dwellers. The Melbourne Principles
provide cities with a tool to adopt suitable strategies for sustainable urban development.
In 2002, over 40 experts formulated the principles’ vision during an international forum
in Australia.
Principle 1: Create a long-term vision for cities based on social, economic and political equity,
reflecting the mutual aspirations of its citizens.
Glossary:
Equity: Equity is fair access to natural and
human resources while preserving its value for future generations.
Economic: Economic strategies must conserve
and renew human, financial and natural resources to guarantee that basic human needs
are met.
Ecological footprint: The ecological footprint
of a city is defined as the land area required by its population to sustain present
levels of resource consumption and waste.
Characteristics of ecosystems: Characteristics
of ecosystems include diversity, adaptiveness, interconnectedness, resilience, regenerative
capacity and symbiosis
Empower people: Involve citizens in decisions
that affect them. Empower those whose voices are not always heard, such as the poor.
Transfer of knowledge: Foster inter-city support
and establish mentoring networks to develop sustainable strategies.
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Principle 2: Achieve economic and social security through equal distribution
of resources.
Principle 3: Recognize the intrinsic value of biodiversity and natural ecosystems.
Principle 4: Enable communities to minimize their ecological footprint.
Principle 5: Build on the characteristics of ecosystems to nurture healthy
cities.
Principle 6: Build on distinctive characteristics of cities, including human and cultural values,
history and natural systems.
Principle 7: Empower people and foster participation
Principle 8: Facilitate the transfer of knowledge by expanding and enabling
cooperative networks.
Principle 9: Promote sustainable production and consumption through environmentally sound technologies
and the effective management of natural resources.
Principle 10: Manage continual improvement, based on accountability, transparency and good
governance.
Supplemented by relevant case studies, these principles have been adopted by governments worldwide.
In particular, the ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability association is currently assisting
hundreds of local governments and their elected officials by using the Melbourne Principles
as an approach to assess their urban planning initiatives. Visit www.iclei.org for
more information.
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