Livabel cities is one of the important stategies in the Ninth Plan. This Development News Bulletin presents main factors and development trend of livable cities to our reasers.
Concept of livable cities
In 1986 The World Health Organization (WTO) has implemented the livable cities concept under the name Healthy cities in 11 cities in Europe. The concep focuses on community and people participation in order to achieve a better standard of quality of life and environment. Since then the concept has been adopted in about 2,000 cities all over the world.
The following are characteristics of healthy cities:
1. A clean and safe shelter and physical environment for the people.
2. A sustainabel ecoosystem.
3. A strong mutually supportive and nonexploitative community.
4. A high degree of participation and control by the civic sector over the decisions affecting their lives, health and well-being.
5. A capacity to meet demands for basic needs in food, water, shelter, safety, income and employment for all.
6. A The people have the righ and opportunity to reveive information, to interact and work together in their community.
7. A diverse, vital and innovative economy.
8. A Linkages of cultural heritage, ways of life and identities among groups of people in the community.
9. A Development approaches that synchronize and enhance good preceding characteristics.
10. A system of public health and health care services that is extensive in coverage and appropriate for all.
11. The people are in good health with low level of sickness.
In 1992, the United Nations (UN) hosted a conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. All participanting nations were concerned about the deterioration of the world environment and agreed to sign the Local Agenda21 (LA21) in order to protect and conserve the world environment. This agreement emphasized on sustainable and balanced development in social, economic and environmental issues. One of the key aspects of LA21 is to make cities and communities livable.
Main features of livable cities
The concept of livable cities and communities is widely accepted as being able to lead to sustainable development. The concept encompasses the development in 3 aspects.
1. Good quality of life in terms of physical , environmental and social infrastructure quality of life and happiness.
- Physical infrastructure shch as open space water suppy transportation etc. should be adequate, efficient safe and in good condition.
- Environmental infrastructure in order to conserve and protect the environment and reduce water, air, soil and noise pollution.
- Social infrastructure such as education and public health services inculding security services and promotion of social discipling so that the people know their right and responsibility.
2. Economic viability the urban and comunity's economy should have positive influences on the nation and the rural economy. Economic status should be stabel and balanced, with good atmosphere for economic activity, with moderate cost of living and with employment opportunities.
3. Good governance-this is very important because it is the key aspect that will drive all other factors to fulfill developmental goals. This includes responsibility, morality and transpaarency.
The development of livable cities and livable communities
Professor Lieutenant Dr.Chaiyant Kampanartsanyakorn M.D. has introduced the WHO conceptin Thailand in 1994 Healthy cities project has selected 5 cities whith different sizes as pilot projects, namely Phayao, Nakorn Ratchasima, Panat Nikom (Chonburi) and Bangkok Metropolitan Area. This project operates as a network of local people initatives rather than outside organizations. Therefore, the implementation in each city and each community in different localitees have dissimilar model depending on potential needs culture and taste of people in that area. As a result, the study of opeartional progress showed that each city had different progress. However, there has been no measurement for level of success of healthy cities yet.
Many agencies in Thailand have adopted the livable cities concept to accomplish their missions, for example, the pilot project of the National Housing Authority and LDI in Nakorn Sawan, Uttaraditand Ayutthaya and the Project to Strengthen Local Capacity in formulataing and implement the LA21 action plan conducted by the Department of Environment and Quatliy Promotion utilizing the UN concept in 2 Provinces, namely Trangand Nakorn Ratchasima
The importae of livable cities and communites
Thailand is rapidly transforming form rural society to urban society as it is estimaated that the percentage of Thai peple who reside in urban areas will increase from 37% to 50% in the next 10 years.
In order to utilize the opportunity and to tackle foreseeable problems NESDB have set up the Sub-committee on Sustainable City Development to coordinate livable city and community development policy. Moreover, the government under Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has set up the Nation Committee on Urban Development, and also propose livable city as one of the national agenda to improve quality of life of the Thai people.
Apart from that, during the nation wide brainstorming forum to formulate the Ninth Naional Plan, the civil society was interested in the concept and proposed many suggestions, especially regarding local and community participation thus the Ninth National Plan has adopted the concept of livable cities as one of national strategy. The livable city concept plays an important role within the Strategy of Sustainable Rural-Urban Development. Development News Bulletin will represent livable cities and communities in the next issue.
Development News Bulletin, National Economic and Social Development Board, Volume 16, No. 03 : March 2001 End.
-SS-