Summary Van der Heijden Cities, Water and Climate Change
Contents
Lecture 1: Van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 1. Where we are today.....................................................2
Lecture 2: Van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 2. Direct regulatory interventions..................................11
Lecture 4: Van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 4. Voluntary programmes and market-drive governance.
.............................................................................................................................................................22
Lecture 6: van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 5. Trends in and design principles for governance for
urban sustainability and resilience......................................................................................................29
Lecture 6: van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 6. Conclusion: in search of an answer to the key question.
.............................................................................................................................................................33
Lecture 8: van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 3. Collaborative governance...........................................39
1
,Lecture 1: Van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 1. Where
we are today.
Abstract
In our urbanized world, cities and other urban environments create problems as well as provide
solutions. Cities are an unsustainable source of resource depletion and pollution.
Globally, governments, non-governmental increasingly recognize that cities need to become more
sustainable by reducing their impact on the natural environment, while becoming more resilient to
natural.
Some will argue that we can make significant improvements through technological innovations.
Others will say that we can do so by rethinking our behaviour and changing the way we use cities
and other urban environments.
Cities hold significant potential for increased sustainability and resilience.
It considers that technology and social know-how are necessary but not sufficient to achieve
meaningful sustainable and resilient cities and other urban environments. This book argues that the
governance of urban sustainability and resilience is another necessary part of the puzzle.
Key terms
- Governance, technology and social know-how to achieve sustainable and resilient cities in
urban environments. Governance can be understood as an intended activity undertaken by
one or more actors seeking to shape, regulate or attempt to control human behaviour in
order to achieve a desired collective end
- Sustainable city Urban sustainability often build on aspects such as the protection of the
natural environment and ensuring social equity, while allowing the economy to flourish
within the boundaries of these.
- Resilient city urban resilience relates to how well cities are able to ‘rebuild [their] physical
fabric’ after a disaster … and how well cities are able to ‘maintain function when shocked’
- Urban environment
- Grandfathering Existing buildings and infrastructures are normally exempted from new
regulation
Conclusion
Three main governance problems that hamper meaningful urban sustainability and resilience
- Governments are slow to react to existing problems of urban sustainability and resilience. It
often takes a long time to develop and implement legislation and regulation, and even
longer for these to cause their effects.
- Introducing new legislation and regulation is often inconsequential. In developed economies
cities develop too slowly for new legislation and regulation to be meaningful. In developing
economies cities develop too rapidly for new legislation and regulation to be meaningful.
- A number of market barriers stand in the way to capitalize the economic benefits that more
sustainable and resilient cities can bring.
Aim of the book
2
,More specifically, in this book I seek to answer the question: What governance approaches and tools
may help to improve the resource sustainability of our buildings and cities, may help to reduce their
negative impacts on the natural environment and may make them more resilient to man-made and
natural hazards?
Sustainability and governance, some terms explained technological fixes, a partial solution
To summarize, there is an abundance of traditional and innovative technology that may help to
reduce resource consumption in cities, reduce their negative impact on the natural environment and
may help to make cities more resilient. However, while this technology has been moving forward for
decades its implementation lacks in both speed and scale to be meaningful in addressing the
problems of urban unsustainability and non-resilience. Technology is necessary but not sufficient to
address these problems.
Sustainability and governance, some terms explained behavioral change, another partial solution
To summarize, over the last decades great advantages have been made in our understanding of how
people use buildings and cities. Resource use can be reduced significantly simply by rethinking how
we use our buildings and cities. However, acting to these insights about behavioural change falls
short in both speed and scale to be meaningful. Like technology, behavioural change is a necessary
but not sufficient condition to address the problems of urban unsustainability and urban non
resilience.
The governance puzzle for urban sustainability and resilience: overcoming three major governance
problems
- Problem of Grandfathering
- Problem of Regulating a Building Boom in Developing Economies
- Problem of a Wicked Set of Market Barriers
Summary
Three main governance problems that hamper meaningful urban sustainability and resilience
A well-known approach for seeking to achieve urban sustainability and resilience is the introduction
of regulation by governments. The introduction of new regulation has significant drawbacks for
improving the sustainability and resilience.
First, city governments in rapidly developing economies cannot respond fast enough to address
current development rates. Lack regulatory frameworks capable of planning and delivering urban
sustainability and resilience, they also lack robust data-based analyses of what is likely to work.
Second, city governments in developed economies face a different lag. Their cities develop and
transform too slowly for new regulation to be meaningful. Existing buildings and infrastructures are
normally exempted from new regulation, a process known as ‘grandfathering’. Grandfathering in
effect allows for the maintenance of weak links in the chain of sustainability and resilience in these
cities.
Third, it becomes increasingly clear that an increase of urban sustainability and resilience provides
for significant economic opportunities. Consumers are willing to pay higher prices for sustainable
buildings while more resilient buildings may result in less financial harm when a natural or man-
made hazard strikes. Unfortunately, a wicked set of market barriers the passing on of responsibilities
3
, for taking action, conflicting interests between various parties in the building industry and split
incentives between those who pay for the costs of making the transition and those who gain from it.
To summarize, the three governance problems faced are:
- Governments are slow to react to existing problems of urban sustainability and resilience. It
often takes a long time to develop and implement legislation and regulation, and even
longer for these to cause their effects.
- Introducing new legislation and regulation is often inconsequential. In developed economies
cities develop too slowly for new legislation and regulation to be meaningful. In developing
economies cities develop too rapidly for new legislation and regulation to be meaningful.
- A number of market barriers stand in the way to capitalize the economic benefits that more
sustainable and resilient cities can bring.
Aim of the book
These three governance problems have focal attention throughout the book. This book seeks to
understand what governance approaches and tools may help to overcome these problems.
Civil society groups have become actively involved in governing urban sustainability and resilience.
More specifically, in this book I seek to answer the question: What governance approaches and tools
may help to improve the resource sustainability of our buildings and cities, may help to reduce their
negative impacts on the natural environment and may make them more resilient to man-made and
natural hazards?
Sustainability resilience and governance: some terms explained
Urban Sustainability and Urban Resilience
Urban resilience relates to how well cities are able to ‘rebuild [their] physical fabric’ after a disaster
… and how well cities are able to ‘maintain function when shocked’
Urban sustainability often build on aspects such as the protection of the natural environment and
ensuring social equity, while allowing the economy to flourish within the boundaries of these.
Relates to how urban environments can be developed, operated and maintained in such a way that
they cause the least possible harm to the natural environment, predominantly through a more
sustainable use of resources and a reduced production of wastes, greenhouse gases included. As
such:
- Resilience may be considered a descriptive concept that gives insight into the particular
properties of a city that make it capable to maintain functioning and recovering from
disaster.
- Sustainability, then, is a more normative concept that gives insight into a desired state of a
city a minimal impact of that city on the natural environment through increased efficiency in
resource use.
There is, of course, a close link between sustainability and resilience of urban environments. If cities
become more sustainable, for instance, by applying more technologies and planning mechanisms
that ultimately result in less consumption of energy, water and other resources, then they may be
expected to be more resilient when disaster strikes.
4
Contents
Lecture 1: Van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 1. Where we are today.....................................................2
Lecture 2: Van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 2. Direct regulatory interventions..................................11
Lecture 4: Van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 4. Voluntary programmes and market-drive governance.
.............................................................................................................................................................22
Lecture 6: van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 5. Trends in and design principles for governance for
urban sustainability and resilience......................................................................................................29
Lecture 6: van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 6. Conclusion: in search of an answer to the key question.
.............................................................................................................................................................33
Lecture 8: van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 3. Collaborative governance...........................................39
1
,Lecture 1: Van der Heijden (2015). Chapter 1. Where
we are today.
Abstract
In our urbanized world, cities and other urban environments create problems as well as provide
solutions. Cities are an unsustainable source of resource depletion and pollution.
Globally, governments, non-governmental increasingly recognize that cities need to become more
sustainable by reducing their impact on the natural environment, while becoming more resilient to
natural.
Some will argue that we can make significant improvements through technological innovations.
Others will say that we can do so by rethinking our behaviour and changing the way we use cities
and other urban environments.
Cities hold significant potential for increased sustainability and resilience.
It considers that technology and social know-how are necessary but not sufficient to achieve
meaningful sustainable and resilient cities and other urban environments. This book argues that the
governance of urban sustainability and resilience is another necessary part of the puzzle.
Key terms
- Governance, technology and social know-how to achieve sustainable and resilient cities in
urban environments. Governance can be understood as an intended activity undertaken by
one or more actors seeking to shape, regulate or attempt to control human behaviour in
order to achieve a desired collective end
- Sustainable city Urban sustainability often build on aspects such as the protection of the
natural environment and ensuring social equity, while allowing the economy to flourish
within the boundaries of these.
- Resilient city urban resilience relates to how well cities are able to ‘rebuild [their] physical
fabric’ after a disaster … and how well cities are able to ‘maintain function when shocked’
- Urban environment
- Grandfathering Existing buildings and infrastructures are normally exempted from new
regulation
Conclusion
Three main governance problems that hamper meaningful urban sustainability and resilience
- Governments are slow to react to existing problems of urban sustainability and resilience. It
often takes a long time to develop and implement legislation and regulation, and even
longer for these to cause their effects.
- Introducing new legislation and regulation is often inconsequential. In developed economies
cities develop too slowly for new legislation and regulation to be meaningful. In developing
economies cities develop too rapidly for new legislation and regulation to be meaningful.
- A number of market barriers stand in the way to capitalize the economic benefits that more
sustainable and resilient cities can bring.
Aim of the book
2
,More specifically, in this book I seek to answer the question: What governance approaches and tools
may help to improve the resource sustainability of our buildings and cities, may help to reduce their
negative impacts on the natural environment and may make them more resilient to man-made and
natural hazards?
Sustainability and governance, some terms explained technological fixes, a partial solution
To summarize, there is an abundance of traditional and innovative technology that may help to
reduce resource consumption in cities, reduce their negative impact on the natural environment and
may help to make cities more resilient. However, while this technology has been moving forward for
decades its implementation lacks in both speed and scale to be meaningful in addressing the
problems of urban unsustainability and non-resilience. Technology is necessary but not sufficient to
address these problems.
Sustainability and governance, some terms explained behavioral change, another partial solution
To summarize, over the last decades great advantages have been made in our understanding of how
people use buildings and cities. Resource use can be reduced significantly simply by rethinking how
we use our buildings and cities. However, acting to these insights about behavioural change falls
short in both speed and scale to be meaningful. Like technology, behavioural change is a necessary
but not sufficient condition to address the problems of urban unsustainability and urban non
resilience.
The governance puzzle for urban sustainability and resilience: overcoming three major governance
problems
- Problem of Grandfathering
- Problem of Regulating a Building Boom in Developing Economies
- Problem of a Wicked Set of Market Barriers
Summary
Three main governance problems that hamper meaningful urban sustainability and resilience
A well-known approach for seeking to achieve urban sustainability and resilience is the introduction
of regulation by governments. The introduction of new regulation has significant drawbacks for
improving the sustainability and resilience.
First, city governments in rapidly developing economies cannot respond fast enough to address
current development rates. Lack regulatory frameworks capable of planning and delivering urban
sustainability and resilience, they also lack robust data-based analyses of what is likely to work.
Second, city governments in developed economies face a different lag. Their cities develop and
transform too slowly for new regulation to be meaningful. Existing buildings and infrastructures are
normally exempted from new regulation, a process known as ‘grandfathering’. Grandfathering in
effect allows for the maintenance of weak links in the chain of sustainability and resilience in these
cities.
Third, it becomes increasingly clear that an increase of urban sustainability and resilience provides
for significant economic opportunities. Consumers are willing to pay higher prices for sustainable
buildings while more resilient buildings may result in less financial harm when a natural or man-
made hazard strikes. Unfortunately, a wicked set of market barriers the passing on of responsibilities
3
, for taking action, conflicting interests between various parties in the building industry and split
incentives between those who pay for the costs of making the transition and those who gain from it.
To summarize, the three governance problems faced are:
- Governments are slow to react to existing problems of urban sustainability and resilience. It
often takes a long time to develop and implement legislation and regulation, and even
longer for these to cause their effects.
- Introducing new legislation and regulation is often inconsequential. In developed economies
cities develop too slowly for new legislation and regulation to be meaningful. In developing
economies cities develop too rapidly for new legislation and regulation to be meaningful.
- A number of market barriers stand in the way to capitalize the economic benefits that more
sustainable and resilient cities can bring.
Aim of the book
These three governance problems have focal attention throughout the book. This book seeks to
understand what governance approaches and tools may help to overcome these problems.
Civil society groups have become actively involved in governing urban sustainability and resilience.
More specifically, in this book I seek to answer the question: What governance approaches and tools
may help to improve the resource sustainability of our buildings and cities, may help to reduce their
negative impacts on the natural environment and may make them more resilient to man-made and
natural hazards?
Sustainability resilience and governance: some terms explained
Urban Sustainability and Urban Resilience
Urban resilience relates to how well cities are able to ‘rebuild [their] physical fabric’ after a disaster
… and how well cities are able to ‘maintain function when shocked’
Urban sustainability often build on aspects such as the protection of the natural environment and
ensuring social equity, while allowing the economy to flourish within the boundaries of these.
Relates to how urban environments can be developed, operated and maintained in such a way that
they cause the least possible harm to the natural environment, predominantly through a more
sustainable use of resources and a reduced production of wastes, greenhouse gases included. As
such:
- Resilience may be considered a descriptive concept that gives insight into the particular
properties of a city that make it capable to maintain functioning and recovering from
disaster.
- Sustainability, then, is a more normative concept that gives insight into a desired state of a
city a minimal impact of that city on the natural environment through increased efficiency in
resource use.
There is, of course, a close link between sustainability and resilience of urban environments. If cities
become more sustainable, for instance, by applying more technologies and planning mechanisms
that ultimately result in less consumption of energy, water and other resources, then they may be
expected to be more resilient when disaster strikes.
4
