How do cities solve critical issues – from security to inclusivity, from urban growth to health, from mobility to climate change? It is the ambition of mayors, influencers, public figures, forward-thinking businessmen and activists that matters. The ambition to drive change and to shape cities for the better. We need city changers on all levels and in all aspects of urban life who really dare to be inconvenient.
40 years ago, scientists started seriously warning about climate change. However, nobody listened, nobody cared and pretty much nothing was done to combat it. So, it seems quite astonishing that it was a passionate 16-year-old Swedish girl who ultimately provided the straw that broke the camel’s back to make this global challenge one of the top priorities of our times. Suddenly it seems obvious not only to millions of teenagers around the globe that we have to make changes. Cities in particular take center stage when it comes to this change: they need to massively reduce emissions, become greener, more inclusive, healthier, and more livable. The only question that remains is how on earth do we get there?
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Do we need stricter regulations, carbon taxes, car-bans, a new economic paradigm? Are we waiting for the convenient salvation through the holy grail – new technological solutions? Or will communities miraculously organize themselves in a different way and suddenly act responsibly towards our planet – just like that? I think the answer is “yes” and “no”.
Let’s face it: We fucked it up. So, it will have to be us – every single human on this planet – who fix it. That means we’ll have to do (many) things differently – and we’ll feel it, especially because we humans are not really too fond of changing our behavior. Because of this, I am convinced that what we need above all is bold and uniting leadership on all levels and in all aspects of (urban) life. We’ll need leadership from mayors as much as we need leadership from businesses, public figures, influencers and from the general public. These will be crucial in both developing a positive vision for our future as well as being role models for how to drive the change.
Dare to enter into inconvenient conversations
It is embarrassing that so many political leaders focus more on their re-election than on critical topics: many fear inconvenient conversations. But without actively starting them, how can cities and societies solve any critical issues like health care, pensions, education or climate change? Leaders must have the courage to enter into such conversations and also reframe the discussions around it. Let’s put it this way: reducing private car use in city centres is not a question for or against cars, but rather about clean air, a higher quality of life and public safety.
Ken Livingston, former Mayor of London, is a great example of a brave leader. He was the driving force behind the well-known congestion charge that affected driving in London. This was implemented mainly as a tool for controlling the growth of traffic in the city’s most congested and most substantially polluted area. Ken was a leader who believed it was the right thing to do for the long-term success of London and its citizens. That’s why he did not get tired of entering such difficult discussions: with citizens, the logistics lobby, taxi drivers, the media, etc. The results were impressive: 30 per cent less cars that entered the zone, fewer traffic jams, 15 per cent lower travelling times with only a minimal effect (-0.5 per cent) on the shops within the zone.
Don’t expect to be loved by everyone
Did you know that in Vienna it’s possible to use public transport for only 1 EUR a day with an annual ticket? Since the municipality reduced prices in 2012 – an initiative led by Maria Vassilakou; Vice Mayor of the Green party – the number of travellers with an annual ticket has almost doubled – from 350,000 to 650,000. That is the bright side of the story – an astonishing success. However, most of the Viennese people won’t remember her for this achievement, but rather for another project: “Mariahilferstrasse”, where she made Europe’s largest shopping street more or less car-free. From then on, she felt like “Vienna’s most hated woman” (quoting her at UFGC18). That must have been difficult to swallow. But Maria had a vision. And she was right in following it, proven by pictures, neighbours and now even by shop owners of Mariahilferstraße.
Start with some easy wins
Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana, knows that his city is probably not one known for the fight for greener and healthier cities. But Erion is on a mission – a mission to make his city a better place to live in. This mission includes a very unusual form of ambassadors – children! He started his revolution with a straightforward but effective method: planting trees for the children’s birthdays. This is a measure that can easily be copied elsewhere by anyone who wants to start making change happen.
Think bigger than your term of office
With his #greenlegacy campaign, Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia and recent Nobel Peace Prize winner, leads by example when it comes to implementing bold actions for climate change. He has invited the whole country to be a part of it: Planting 350 million trees in 12 hours required massive efforts. For a country that’s stricken by poverty, wars and a long list of other problems, this initiative, involving all citizen groups, public employees, politicians and the police, had a very positive effect on its communities.
Thanks to my work with Europe’s largest event for sustainable cities, I’ve met a large number of urban leaders and change makers. What has struck me the most, however, is that the secret ingredient that sets apart the most visionary, passionate and effective leaders from the rest appear to be not so secret after all, and are certainly no rocket science. That being said, I want to stress that it might seem easier than it probably is. I am extremely thankful to be able to meet all these passionate people who take responsibility for their communities, particularly those who take their people on a journey into a brighter future. Go City Changers!
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Gerald Babel-Sutter is a passionate changemaker. As the founder and CEO of the URBAN FUTURE global conference (UFGC), he brings together the world’s most passionate mayors, city planners and urban decision-makers. That is how he has gained comprehensive insights into sustainable urbanism, leadership and urban mobility issues. Babel-Sutter completed his studies at Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Montclair State University, NYU, Columbia University and Harvard Business School in the USA.
The UFGC is Europe’s largest event for sustainable cities. In 2020 it will take place in Lisbon from April 1-3. More information here.
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topos 105 contains an article about LaToya Cantrell, the first female mayor of New Orleans. She led the recovery of one of the city’s neighborhoods after Hurricane Katrina. Our author discusses the question: Can she facilitate the coordination, cooperation and funding that are critical for achieving the city’s resilience towards future disasters? Accompanying the print article, we present a five-part series on our website.
The fourth part is about the Transition Water Plan and the aim to redefine the way people in the city live with the water, and not against it.
The new Mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell, and her administration orient their policies on a plan created by actors from civil society, higher education, and business, including volunteers, experts and community members. The “Transition Plan” outlines what needs to be done in the city in the fields of infrastructure, economic development, and neighborhood stabilization.
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It also serves to create a sense of trust among the population that the city knows how to respond to future floods. The aim is to redefine the way people in the city live with the water, and not against it. Previous strategies of removing water from public life through floodwalls also deprived the citizenship of any positive environmental qualities that rivers, lakes or ponds offer. Can New Orleans reconcile the idea of “living with water” with the need for flood risk adaptation or avoidance?
As an umbrella organization for related efforts, the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans, founded in 2014, serves to facilitate the cooperation between actors of various sectors in order to promote and implement practices aimed at sustainable water management. One particular measure is included in the updated building code and requires property owners to individually manage the first 1.25 inches of stormwater they incur. This is very much in line with the notion of individual risk management responsibilities as opposed to collective risk protection, a general paradigm shift in policy that is taking place in Europe as well. Another step is to strengthen the city’s institutions in order to further a collaborative atmosphere between departments and support current resilient urban planning efforts.
“The intention is to achieve not only flood resilience, but also a broad economic and social impact”
The formulation of the Urban Water Plan and its principles and visions contributed to winning a 140 million dollar award from the National Disaster Resilience Competition for implementing projects in the city, such as the Mirabeau Water Garden. The intention is to achieve not only flood resilience, but also a broad economic and social impact – by reducing both flood insurance costs and the actual damages resulting from floods. With hundreds of millions of dollars intended for green infrastructure projects in the city during this legislative period, the aim is also to create jobs for the city’s unemployed residents and businesses, especially those with a minority or African-American background.
topos 105 contains an article about LaToya Cantrell, the first female mayor of New Orleans. She led the recovery of one of the city’s neighborhoods after Hurricane Katrina. Our author discusses the question: Can she facilitate the coordination, cooperation and funding that are critical for achieving the city’s resilience towards future disasters? Accompanying the print article, we present a five-part series on our website.
The third part is about the sense, benefits and associated problems with and through the Louisiana’s Road Home program.
A catastrophic failure of initiative took place during the response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, due to institutional fragmentation and decision-making across multiple tiers of government. The failed interplay between state and local institutions shaped the character of recovery programs and, as a direct result, hampered rebuilding efforts in hard-hit areas of the city. The limited capacity of African-American citizens to respond to disaster and rebuild their homes was even reinforced by recovery program requirements.
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Highest percentage of buyouts citywide
After Katrina, the state of Louisiana proposed an action plan to help homeowners recover from the severe storm impact and the failure of flood protection structures. Louisiana’s Road Home program was developed to provide financial support for rebuilding based on existing property values. Due to federal intervention, the program was changed to include a buyout option to compensate homeowners, particularly those who couldn’t rebuild. Renters weren’t represented in adequate ways and only with regards to private owners of rental properties. Road Home applicants struggled with difficulties related to low property values and an over-reliance on recovery grants due to lacking financial resources. Residents of poor, black neighborhoods such as the Lower Ninth Ward were clearly disadvantaged, and their problems with the Road Home program contributed to an above-average number of buyouts and the highest percentage of buyouts citywide.
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Stabilization of local rebuilding rates
Many of these buyout lots are categorized as “blighted” properties. They feature deserted or damaged buildings, are vacant or unkept – all the more problematic in a subtropical climate, where vegetation grows quickly and invites rodents. The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority is responsible for planning strategies aimed at the many properties where owners failed to recover. The Lot Next Door program was developed to enable residents to purchase neighboring, vacant properties. This allowed the stabilization of local rebuilding rates and an increase in value of consolidated properties. Many vacant lots perform badly on the real estate market, and market-based solutions seldom apply. Currently, the aim is to include alternative criteria other than price into the purchasing process to protect owners. The empty lots also find alternative uses and become water gardens or urban farming locations.
topos 105 contains an article about LaToya Cantrell, the first female mayor of New Orleans. She led the recovery of one of the city’s neighborhoods after Hurricane Katrina. Our author discusses the question: Can she facilitate the coordination, cooperation and funding that are critical for achieving the city’s resilience towards future disasters? Accompanying the print article, we present a five-part series on our website.
The second part is about what the city lost in the hurricane and why disaster recovery is a dilemma in many ways.
New Orleans was founded 300 years ago on the natural high ground along the Mississippi river. In the 1900s, the swamps between the former urban fringe and Lake Pontchartrain in the north were mechanically drained and urbanized, creating areas that subsided below sea level. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed the city’s flood protection system, deeply submerging low-lying areas. The massive scale of destruction of homes became central to the rebuilding efforts in the city after the hurricane. Initial confusion over planning recommendations in combination with the local government’s laissez-faire attitude to recovery were met with strong opposition from citizens and nonprofit organizations.
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Residents of areas such as the Lower Ninth Ward struggled to recover and rebuild. It was subject to dramatic levels of destruction due to the breach of the Industrial Canal floodwall. Most individual rebuilding activities remained ad-hoc and without broader coordination into an inclusive and sustainable process. From the Mississippi river northwards, the Lower Ninth Ward dissolved into an irregular pattern of recovery efforts amidst a green sea of vacant properties. The area’s strong local identity disintegrated into a pluralism of new normals of those who returned or those who moved to other neighborhoods or out-of-town. Residents willing to rebuild received assistance from non-profit organizations such as lowernine.org, Make It Right or the Preservation Resource Center.
Recovery after disaster poses a dilemma in many ways. Quickness is essential to facilitate return and promote inclusive and sustainable planning. However, a quick return to normal may also lead to reestablishing past vulnerabilities. The recovery of the Lower Ninth Ward was hampered by the disconnect between rebuilding plans and programs and the vulnerability of local residents. Vulnerable neighborhoods that were experiencing difficulties before disaster principally require approaches aimed at “building back better” – to become resilient by reducing vulnerability, key to rebuilding cities after disaster.
Clubbing used to be something governments tried to shut down. But even nowadays, the nightlife needs someone ensuring that inhabitants stay happy and revellers calm: a night mayor like Shamiro van der Geld. But the challenges of the acceptance of nightlife are big – hopefully not too big for one single man. Our author Charlie Clemoes accompanied Shamiro during the Amsterdam Dance Event and found out more about his tasks.
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All images by: Amie Galbraith – Styleandstill
Find the entire article on Shamiro van der Geld in topos 105.
topos 105 contains an article about LaToya Cantrell, the first female mayor of New Orleans. She led the recovery of one of the city’s neighborhoods after Hurricane Katrina. Our author discusses the question: Can she facilitate the coordination, cooperation and funding that are critical for achieving the city’s resilience towards future disasters? Accompanying the print article, we present a five-part series on our website.
The first part deals with the cityscape of New Orleans, which before and independently of Katrina was already marked by social vulnerability that can be traced within the urban fabric.
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New Orleans, the “Crescent City”, the “Sliver by the River”, currently celebrates its 300th anniversary. August 29th also marked the thirteenth year after Hurricane Katrina triggered a catastrophic disaster in the city, followed by a dysfunctional response and a flawed recovery. Before Katrina, New Orleans was already scarred by racial inequalities and social vulnerabilities that can be retraced within the urban fabric, indicating who lives in which neighborhood and why. The flood evacuation and resulting nationwide diaspora led to a dramatic decline in the number of residents. Recently the city reached 90 percent of its pre-Katrina population count, some neighborhoods even report population growth. Yet the share of African Americans is lower, and the departure of poor and black residents after Katrina has changed the face of the city.
New strategies
Some of the lessons learned after Katrina include the realization that disasters aren’t “natural”, but rather the conjunction of at-risk settlement patterns, flawed planning, and vulnerability. This recognition also contributed to developing new strategies aimed at strengthening resilience. Formerly active in supporting the recovery of Broadmoor, one of the city’s neighborhoods, the new Mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell, is experienced in such efforts.
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True to the context
The previous imperative of controlling nature is challenged by interdisciplinary and integrated planning approaches with social and environmental orientation. While flood resilience can be enhanced by taking into account the everyday life of residents, it also has an achilles’ heel: the social vulnerability of the population, related to poverty and lacking equality of opportunity. Planners and designers therefore have the responsibility to develop ethical and adequate solutions for resilient architecture, cities and landscapes – true to the context and based on collaboration and innovation.
To be continued…
