Cities and the Environment - New Approaches for Eco-Societies

THE FIRST PART of this volume deals with frameworks for eco-partnerships. It analyzes the dynamics, processes and difficulties of urban eco-partnerships at a number of levels. The institutional, social, technological and political contexts of urban environmental problems and solutions are examined, highlighting the bases for partnerships and the rising momentum behind the environmental agenda. Chapter 1 argues that “social rules of conduct”, which embrace social actors and corporate actors, are fundamental to the creation of an eco-society and that an eco-society rests upon a fundamental shift in social tenets. Chapter 2 puts urban environmental management into a “partnership continuum”, a framework which
embraces a comprehensive range of actors and forces and which identifies resources and linkages behind partnerships. Chapter 3 illustrates the development of innovations for urban environmental governance in the European context, and the foundations of social partnerships in the creation and coordination of eco-projects. Chapter 4 identifies and explores the political dynamics which lie behind urban environmental issues, with an emphasis on Japan. Together, these chapters highlight the evolution of partnership upon the basis of increasingly solid foundations. These are conditioned and mediated by market pressures and political debates centred around issues such as state intervention, burden-sharing and individual freedom.
The second part of the book deals with partnerships in action, analyzing a number of issues and specific examples of environmental action in a variety of contexts. Chapter 6 demonstrates how the global “associational revolution” of NGOs has been playing a role in urban growth and environmental management, particularly in Asia, where the role of the state has been dominant in development. In a different context, but in a region which shares similar challenges, Chapter 7 examines the growing importance attached to social, environmental and housing issues in urban planning in the context of development pressures and priorities. Chapter 8 examines the growing need for collaborative arrangements among
citizens, NGOs, businesses and local authorities to secure water supplies for urban areas on the basis of “self-organization” and “social capital”. Chapter 9 examines how natural disasters affect social groups differently and in complex ways: age, gender, class, ethnicity and disability all have an impact on people’s chances of recovery after a disaster. This chapter describes new approaches to disaster mitigation and planning through the use of unconventional methods for reducing vulnerability. Chapter 10 demonstrates genuine progress in “greening the market” through the use of ecological accreditation. Chapter 11 concludes Part 2 with a “new model” of environmental management. It argues that coastal cities could play a pivotal role in financing water infrastructure and in regulating water pollution by industry.
Part 3 embraces the international dimensions of urban eco-societies, exploring the widening international networks and joint initiatives between cities, citizens and other actors within and across national borders. It also examines the social patterns and trends which must be addressed if the world is to move effectively towards sustainable eco-societies. A central theme running through this section is the mobilization of resources through institutional coalition formation.