Key aspects of the urban socio-economic system
Our socio-economic system needs constant care and nurturing
How cities and towns function is all about how people interact with each other and how we develop and run our urban economies in a socio-economic system. This is the lifeblood of our urban environments.
An integrated, whole-of-society approach to socio-economics includes ways to ensure citizens and businesses are properly engaged and involved in shaping the areas where they live and work. They know the nuances of their local areas, and they know where inequalities exist that need to be addressed. Citizens and businesses have a huge amount of value to add and to input into urban decision-making. It is only right to take this approach (with due consideration to laws and societal norms) - after all, they are the ones who pay taxes to fund how their local areas are run.
One of the most important challenges we face is how to manage climate adaptation whilst accommodating human growth in most urban environments, all the while ensuring that disadvantaged people are not left behind and are not marginalised.
Sherry Arnstein published an article in 1969, “A Ladder of Citizen Participation”, which describes the levels (described as a ladder) of citizen involvement in planning processes in the United States, ranging from high to low. Arnstein’s commentary that participation covers a range of interactions and sources of power, is still often quoted as a defining text in participation literature.
Citizen-based planning
What do we need to focus on for citizen-based planning?
Citizen-based planning is focused on the rights of citizens of cities and towns around the world to be involved in decision-making about the way their city / town progresses.
There are two core principles to this:
- Engaging fully and in an inspiring way with citizens to ensure rounded and well-considered planning and development of the urban environment takes place
- Ensuring the micro-level actions and activities of citizens and communities are properly understood for urban planning, which includes allowing citizens to experiment, and take part in experiments, for change.
The information below is a brief summary.
Are citizens and businesses getting more involved in the development of their cities and towns?
We have seen examples over the past few years of how citizens and businesses can engage with government. and municipal authorities to shape changes to where they live, work and play. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic citizens of many cities and towns around the world found themselves involved in, and influencing, a range of unplanned tactical urban experiments in their local areas. Some kick-started initiatives, others got involved in keeping them going or discussing next steps in their wake.
Prior to the pandemic, many of these types of involvement would either probably not have happened, or they would have only been done in small pockets of cities, by a few citizens prepared to push hard enough to make them happen. Amidst all of the many challenges and difficulties that the COVID-19 pandemic forced upon us, one of the bright spots that emerged was the choice of citizens of urban environments to become actively involved in quick, “tactical” changes that municipal authorities made to streets and local areas, in an effort to help society cope during rules for social distancing and lockdowns.
What may evolve for citizen engagement in their urban areas in the coming decade up to 2030 and through to 2040, 2050 and beyond? Are authorities of our urban environments being proactive enough to inspire their citizens to play a role towards improving how we live? Do they make enough resources available to make change happen, rather than just talk about it?
Is there an opportunity to envisage and implement ways to gain much greater input from citizens into urban strategies than is the case today? Can municipal authorities showcase different examples from around the world, and how ideas may inspire us to try new approaches? For example, by setting up regular stalls in market town squares, or perhaps having a shop in a city / town centre that is dedicated to discussing urban change with citizens?
Many people have been active in their community for years. The everyday activities of millions of social-change leaders who work with purpose to improve their communities and environment in small but profound ways (from involvement in community centres, to charitable causes and community events) is vital to our societal fabric. Much of what these people do does not make news headlines but it is a strong underlying foundation for the “systems approach” to urban environments. Process change in many small and often imperceptible is key to thriving communities. When we make small, incremental changes to processes in a cooperative way using a process that is sustained over time we make a long-term difference, and over time we make great strides. From UpTogether in the US, to mothers2mothers in Africa and Nidan in India and many other examples of good charity work, positive societal changes are happening through small yet vital steps. Citizen action works, and citizens need to be part of the urban planning process. Can we learn from the societal actions people take the initiative on, and apply this learning to act in many other small ways to manage matters ranging from climate adaptation to equality and inclusiveness?
We need to consider as citizens what constitutes a contribution to the common good, and how these contributions should be rewarded. What kind of economy do we want moving forwards? This question shapes how we plan for and adapt our urban environments. Markets and businesses will not provide the answers to these questions by themselves. It needs cooperation and participation by everyone. Perhaps tools such as "urban apps" can help us to introduce and manage appropriate rewards for active contributions towards improving the urban systems where we live, work and play.
Inspiring citizen action to improve urban environments
In society, nothing is permanent. At the heart of a well-functioning city or town are the dynamic social interactions that take place in all their forms. Whilst global events of the magnitude and scale of the COVID-19 pandemic put many of these interactions under strain, or on hold, history shows that we return to our social interactions, because humans are social creatures, and we need cities and towns as our environments to make much of this interaction happen.
For decades, and as has been deftly articulated through works such as The Death and Life of Great American Cities, the importance of social dynamics has been emphasised by social and city observers, yet it has not always been listened to by those responsible for designing and planning city and town layouts. As highlighted in the governance section of this book, good urban policies must consider the social dynamics of urban life. This means integrating our communities and activities with good governance and integrating our physical system, rather than separating areas into commercial, residential, industrial, and cultural zones. When our environment is integrated and most of our core needs are within walkable distances (per the “15-minute” theory discussed in another section), a mix of new and old generates urban vitality. Listening to citizens is key, for they are the people who can provide direct and real-life feedback. How to engage them in the best way is a vital matter for today’s times. Perhaps they can be involved in setting the long-term vision for their city / town. As just one example, Kaspersky Labs operates the Earth:2050 website as a collaborative and collective view of the future. The spinning globe highlights different cities, which contain thoughts from connected members of the platform.
Given this, how can we mobilise and inspire citizen action to help achieve cities and towns that are thriving, greener, more communal, cheaper, happier, healthier, more equal and productive, and less polluted, with greater green and blue infrastructure, more active mobility and less cars? Is there a “city-scale version” of the “Maslow hierarchy of needs” (which is well known as an individual model), as a model of how to connect people at a societal level?
How can city and town authorities (all departments / teams) therefore connect with their citizens with inspiring long-term ideas and options for them to be properly involved in shaping through community channels that work and with well-designed and engaging apps that connect people together and inspire and motivate them to be involved (all the while maintaining their data privacy and protection)?
Citizen engagement prior to new built environment (physical system) projects commencing
Prior to any new building work commencing which will adapt the urban physical system, are citizens properly engaged by municipal authorities (and relevant businesses too) for feedback and opinions to help shape the design and ethos of the project? Is the concept of urban value defined and agreed (and not purely about doing everything to derive maximum financial profit of participating businesses)? Public consultations are held for large developments, but what about smaller ones? Who better than the citizens of specific local areas to provide feedback on what works and what doesn’t, and knowledge about everyday life?
Whether it is a plan to change streets, widen pavements or add new benches, to “greening” neighbourhoods by introducing more planted areas, active citizen engagement is key. How will such plans link up with refuse collection pick-up points, dog walking and other matters? If new bicycle paths are planned, what are the ongoing maintenance requirements, and are aligned with the needs of local cyclists? Are the needs of people with disabilities appropriately considered?
The matter is as important for cities and towns in the Global South, where development is often haphazard and unplanned, as it is for the Global North.
Technology solutions can help with engagement, as described below.
Various groups exist to help bring about change across cities and towns. reStreets, for example, is an organisation in the US that is a driving a rethink of America's streets. They are working on ways to create streets that work for everyone, to accommodate people of all ages and abilities, promote healthy urban living, social interaction and business, and the movement of people and goods that works with the natural environment.
Keeping SDG 16 in mind
There is an important link between inspiring strong citizen involvement in urban planning and SDG 16, which focuses on peace, justice and strong institutions (which is one of the SDGs noted for urban indicators for this book section). The Transparency, Accountability, and Participation (TAP) Network is an international coalition of civil society organisations working to achieve SDG 16 and the 2030 Agenda. Their work and outputs include an SDG 16+ Civil Society Toolkit, which offers guidance on various aspects of good engagement. TAP has created a “2021 Rome Civil Society Declaration on SDG16+”. This declaration focuses on ensuring that peaceful, just and inclusive societies are at the core of sustainable development, and a sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspiring citizen involvement with “participatory budgeting”
Society has for hundreds of years accepted that taxes need to be paid to fund public services and “the greater good”. How much involvement do citizens of cities and towns feel they have in the allocation of the taxes they pay, and are they prepared to put the effort in to have a greater say about tax distribution? Participatory budgeting can play a valuable role, when it is set up properly.
In the majority of city and metropolitan budgets, the accountability and ownership for them is held completely by municipal authorities, with news about its distribution or decision-making rights with citizens sparsely and occasionally shared. If citizens are lucky, they may receive a few hard-copy letters informing them about proposed new building development (e.g. a café or a new extension) or road changes close to where they live. Some authorities provide an annual breakdown of what their hard-earned taxes are spent on once a year (from a Tax Office).
Some cities are taking a more cooperative approach with citizens to their budget allocation, to allow their citizens a direct say in a percentage of budget spending in what is called “participatory budgeting”. This process is being used by many cities around the world – there may be as many as 13,000 participatory budgets around the world today. Can this approach to direct citizen involvement in city budgets and priorities be made to work to a greater extent around the world, or does it have flaws that make it detrimental to the allocation of valuable resources?
Citizen action to address climate change
Social aspects of climate change in urban areas
The IPCC AR6 reports on climate change focus in a large part on urban environments, and the third report, which focuses on climate mitigation, discusses the importance of involving individuals in the collective effort.
The New Urban Agenda released by UN-Habitat in 2016 describes how cities at the time occupied just 2 per cent of the total land in the world, yet they account for the majority of the world’s economic output, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and also waste
For several years, surveys of citizens indicate that there is great concern about climate change. For example, in January 2021 a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) survey of 1.2 million people around the world which asked them about climate change showed that two-thirds said that it is a global emergency, and that they supported “broad climate policies” over and above the current situation. What can citizens who live and work in urban areas around the world, inhabiting urban areas from large cities through to small and fledgling towns, follow through with actions – aided by governments – do to play their part in long-term climate adaptation to limit climate change?
Ensuring equity and equitable solutions for citizens are at the heart of climate change solutions. The communities that are affected and people who are closest to the problem, experiencing it for real, can – and should – provide critical insights into solutions that urban planners and businesses in the energy sector may miss or fail to consider. Communities with diverse views need to be inspired to get involved in the change process, and to co-develop solutions with municipal authorities and other stakeholders. This includes community-based groups and organisations that are involved in the many socio-economic aspects of society.
Consider as one example the need for the world to change the energy mix, and energy solutions.
Noting from the New Urban Agenda by UN-Habitat that some 60 per cent of energy use is consumed by cities, in order to change urban societies all around the world from fossil fuels to sustainable and clean energy we need to explore, discuss and agree solutions that can work for everyone and all parts of society, regardless of income or access to resources. It requires us to all be responsible in our energy consumption (for which many examples have been provided in this book, including the forms of transport we use and how we heat and cool our buildings).
How can citizens engage in the socio-economics of climate change?
Understanding migration changes and climate change
It is important to appreciate that migration of people can have positive benefits in many ways (helping people around the world to improve their lives).
An important long-term issue for citizens of urban environments around the world to be aware of, and to be involved in a debate with policy makers, is how climate change may affect the migration of people from areas that become uninhabitable over time, and what that could mean for urban environments that become the recipients of migratory people (including appreciating the positive impacts that it can have).
Linking disaster risk to climate change
The rising threats of heatwaves, flooding, and other forms of natural disasters. What can citizens do to ensure that no one is left behind in the actions to overcome these threats?
Maps resonate with many people because they are visual. There are many opportunities collaborate and cooperate to provide the best maps about climate change, with local data being applied to local situations to help spur informed discussions.
For example, Felt is a US-based startup that has a mission to make maps more mainstream, by making it easier for people to build maps on the internet. They believe that climate change could be a catalyst to engage more people in the collaborative mapping space. Already, there are examples of how people have helped with crisis response to deal with wildfires.
Individuals can use basic map data, but collectively the result could be much more powerful. Individuals can also potentially provide data about buildings.
Valuing our public spaces
Citizens can be engaged about the value of communal areas in climate change-induced situations. For example, communal facilities such as sports halls and libraries can be vital hubs when a disaster strikes, to be centres for “safe harbours” (e.g. in times of heat stress, extreme weather). The discussion about the role that such centres can play may also help to discuss future urban planning needs – both for the communal benefits of such places in regular times, and their role when a disaster occurs.
Improving our collective understanding about climate impacts
It is not always easy to understand our greenhouse gas and carbon (CO2) emissions. Recycling our household waste (from yoghurt pots and plastic milk bottles to cardboard boxes) is a worthy practice, but it's not where the biggest impacts can be found. An international survey conducted in 2021 of more than 21,000 people across some 30 countries by the polling firm Ipsos Mori for the Financial Times showed that most of those surveyed were unable to identify which lifestyle decisions have the most impact on reducing and minimising their carbon footprint [1]. Most people thought they knew which personal actions help tackle climate change the most, but this was not the case.
So, it starts with having a clear understanding of the biggest contributions to emissions and what we can all do to reduce them. To really “shift the dial” larger changes are required to our lifestyles, and how we relate to the industries and commerce that powers our consumption of goods and services, and the global economy. Making changes to large-scale matters is not easy, but if we all do our bit we can change the carbon and greenhouse gas footprint of cities and towns globally, and this could in turn have a measurable impact on global emissions.
A general review of trusted statistical data about carbon (CO2) emissions can help us all to make a link to the lifestyles that we lead. Can we make a connection to such global-level statistics and the way that we live our lives? The team at Our World in Data, which is about Research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems, makes available reliable data about carbon and greenhouse gas emissions on a global and national level which we can interpret and understand in our own situations and how we live.
Thousands of initiatives to tackle climate change are in progress by cities around the world. What percentage of these initiatives are actively engaging citizens for views, participation in debates, involvement in projects and gaining commitment for the long-term?
Can we use technology to engage people in the climate change debate (and other urban issues)?
Can online engagement tools help to reach citizens to discuss climate resilience?
Virtual Reality
In New York, an immersive open house consultation was held in early 2020 about a major climate resilience project. It used virtual reality to help residents visualise the threat posed by climate change to their neighbourhood.
Various studies and research has been undertaken into the use and effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) and also immersive virtual reality (IVR) in community participation. These solutions are not replacements for traditional engagement, but they can be valuable in certain circumstances (if a team has the budget and capacity to create such solutions). Good quality online walk-throughs on apps and websites may also be effective ways of engaging people.
Gaming solutions
In November 2021 the team at Bloomberg CityLab published a browser-based feature called "Can you fix smogtown?" This game allows people to think through and select options to fix the pollution and greenhouse gases emitted by cities and towns. As you are taken through the series of questions, you are given feedback on which policies work best, and ideas on how to implement them. Through this game, we gain an appreciation of the complexities and trade-offs to tackle climate change, and which actions and steps genuinely “change the dial”, together with how much it all costs.
In November 2022 a new city-building strategy game called Floodland was launched by the Poland-based games studio Vile Monarch. It's about a post-apocalyptic situation where climate change has caused mass flooding. Climate change wasn’t originally central to the game’s main focus but with publisher Ravenscourt they saw the importance of focusing on a climate change angle.
Perhaps more gaming solutions like this could show people how to make change happen in a complex world? Could this type of idea be embedded into an urban app, or be a standalone app, through which citizens could be engaged and inspired to take action (perhaps with links to actual matters that could be enacted in local areas)?
Image credit: Games Radar