"Green sustainability" aimed at urban consumers (and their city design)
entirely misses the point. We need to engage with economic sustainability, for
wider social cohesion, in the regional and international heartlands, at the
point of production, in order to achieve complete environmental sustainability
as an outcome (from ardent social justice). This is mostly about the class
share of benefits from production, that currently rewards waste. "Urban
sustainability" on its own is simply myth and pretence. ... "
I'm with you there Rik. As you go on to say: "Resilience requires much more
than leafy window-dressing."
If we are going to take sustainability seriously, there is much we need to do.
Firstly we need to catch up with people overseas who have been trying to do
this for 20 years already. I've mostly been aware of work in Germany, the
Netherlands, and Denmark. Of course in China there is massive effort, mostly
failing so far to be a good use of resources and energy, but as they learn,
that will change.
Today I was partly informed about ongoing work in France.
Following "Agenda 21" the Environment conference in Rio in 1992, there was the
"Aalborg Charter of European Cities and Towns Towards Sustainability" in 1994.
There is also the "Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities" in 2007.
As a result in France there are 520 Agendas 21, launched by local authorities
in France. (430 approved plans.) Lyon for instance had a first plan 2005 -
2007, and a second plan 2007 - 2009. Their plan has five main proposals.
Bordeaux's plan was approved in 2008. They have chosen 7 main proposals, and
set 21 targets, with 57 action plans.
As we've heard before, apparently the success of these plans is dependent on
getting strong public participation, and buy-in for the process.
In a city like Christchurch, where so much needs to be rebuilt, not just the
commercial area but also the relocation of several suburbs over the next 20
years, there is opportunity to leapfrog into the lead, in the sustainability
stakes. Since we are actually almost 20 years behind here, that seems a big
task, but it's possible. (Remember the German and Japanese economies after the
second world war. Rebuilding allowed them to start afresh and to be very
successful.)
I agree with Rik, that we can't do this alone. We need strong government
support, and the National Party, is still busy trying to rebuild the 1960's
with old irrelevant ideas. Is Gerry Brownlee, capable of turning? Maybe; we've
all been changed by the experience of these earthquakes. My own ideas on lots
of things have clarified. I see now that there is more urgency to do things
that really make a difference NOW. If we let the chance slip by, it will never
come again.