What is the equitable city?
When reading about 'equity' in relation to cities, it is clear that people mean different things when they use the term. We can see at least four overlapping meanings:
Firstly, ‘equity’ is used as an analytical concept. In economics, for example, the concept of ‘social equity’ is used to look at the distribution of capital, goods and access to services throughout an economy, and is measured using tools such as the Gini index.
Secondly, ‘equity’ can refer to a way of seeing and understanding certain critical issues in a more general way. An ‘equity perspective’ of transportation and environmental sustainability, for example, would signal that understanding and responding to these issues requires that we take historical differences between social groups into account.
Thirdly, in discussions of urban policy ‘equity’ is often used as a normative ideal or principle, which we can and should move towards (in the same way that other concepts such as integration, sustainability and participation are often presented as principles to inform urban policies).
Finally, ‘equity’ may refer to a certain approach to policy and city making, where social groups are treated differently according to their historical experiences of exclusion or injustice. This can be contrasted with policy approaches based on the notion of ‘equality’, where all people are treated equally despite of their individual or group differences.
With these differences in mind, it makes sense to start off the debate with some consideration of what we mean by the term ‘equity’. This will help us to develop a better idea of what it means to talk of ‘urban equity’ or ‘an equitable city’.
Please give us your thoughts on what this concept of 'equity' is and can be. The questions guiding this topic are:
What does 'equity' mean in relation to cities?
What is an 'equitable city'?
The attached document on 'Equity in development' produced by the UK-based Overseas Development Institute may provide some starting points. Do these photographs (below) raise any questions of their own?
Channe Oguzhan, 7 May 2012Box 10 in the ODI Report entitled "Equity in Development" includes the World Bank’s 2006 definition of equity: equality of opportunity and ‘avoidance of absolute deprivation’ (p. 40). Despite its shortcomings (see report for critique) it is important to highlight how this definition resounds and intersects with a rights-based approach to development in that 'avoidance of absolute deprivation' invariably will include targeted interventions to better the standard of living for the most poor, marginalized and vulnerable groups in the city. In this sense, some minimum standards and conditions will have to be put in place before one can speak of a level playing field and equality of opportunity.
For example, in an "equitable city", slum dwellers' right to adequate housing will be addressed through targeted interventions to redress those multiple deprivations experienced, such as the lack of adequate water, sanitation, durability of housing and security of tenure.
For information and reference, UN-Habitat defines a slum household as a group of individuals living under the same roof in an urban area who
lack one or more of the following:
1. Durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions.
2. Sufficient living space which means not more than three people sharing the same room.
3. Easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an affordable price.
4. Access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or public toilet shared by a reasonable number of people.
5. Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions.
Attached UN-Habitat flyer on sustainable urbanization and the UN institutional reform.
James Duminy (Moderator) from South Africa, 7 May 2012Thank you for that interesting post Channe. The notion of 'targeted interventions' is clearly central to the ideas of equity and the equitable city. The intersection with 'rights' is another interesting point - having a right to something (such as a 'clean and healthy living environment') requires that steps are taken to ensure that you can access that right in the first place.
The ODI report argues that it goes beyond the World Bank’s definition of equity by outlining the following three principles of equity:
1. Equal life chances: There should be no differences in outcome based on factors for which people cannot be held responsible.
2. Equal concern for people’s needs: Some goods/services are matters of necessity and should be distributed proportional to people’s level of need and nothing else.
3. Meritocracy: Positions in society and rewards should be distributed to reflect differences in effort and ability, based on fair competition.
Do you agree with these principles? Is anything missing?
Channe Oguzhan, 8 May 2012It is important to note that the three "ODI principles of equity" are listed in order of priority. I wonder to what extent the first priority of "equal life chances" should be met before we can move down the list. While I don't disagree with the notion of meritocracy per se, I only believe it can have a meaningful value if indeed the "criteria" of "equal life chances" has been fulfilled. Otherwise, it appears to me that political power and influence as well as economic opportunities and prosperity will merely continue to be available to the privileged few.
On p. vi-vii, the ODI describes the challenge of "equal life chances" as follows: "The available evidence on the scale of the challenge confirms a worrying picture of life chances dependent on inherited circumstances and inequitable access to services, as well as rising income inequality which may further entrench disadvantage. As well as being a bad thing in itself, this inequity has a negative effect on growth, poverty reduction, social cohesion and voice."
How do we address this in the urban context?
In the perspective of a human rights based approach, consultation, participation, and empowerment are key principles. These are important aspects to keep in mind when and if seeking to implement the "ODI principle of equal concern for people's needs". Who determines the importance/ranking of priorities of needs? Surely the principle would be strengthened to clearly reflect the participatory voice of communities.
Another key human rights principle relates to non-discrimination and attention to vulnerable groups, and I am pleased to see the ODI report listing as solutions:
1. Providing universal public services for fair treatment.
2. Targeted action for disadvantaged groups.
3. Social protection.
4. Redistribution.
5. Challenging embedded power imbalances.
I am interested in views on the role of the state in attaining these solutions in the urban context of developing countries.
Carlos A Moreno from Colombia, 7 May 2012As James Duminy wrote: equity can be where social groups are treated differently (or it should be inequity?) according to their historical experiences of exclusion or injustice. There is a typical way ef exclusion and therefore of inequity and is the one that has to do with mobility. In developing countries where poverty in urban areas can reach 50 or 60% or even more, these people are usually located, in many cases, far from the cities "working areas". So, what we are talking about is that many of these poor people have to travel long distances in a not so good public transport for reaching their working place. So there is a need for proposing public policies that stregthens and improves public transport thinking in how to reach these poor people that are "excluded from the city". One example of fighting against inequity, is TransMilenio (TM) in Bogota, Colombia (Bogota´s BRT system). Despite all the actual problems, TM has been a system that has reached many of the peripheric neighborhoods and giving them opportunities to "acces" the city in a dignifying, fast and secure transport mean. So, I think that we also have to think of equitable cities in how its inhabitants, especially the poorest ones, can move and enjoy the city.
James Duminy (Moderator) from South Africa, 7 May 2012That is an interesting point, thanks Carlos. The issue of inequity/inequality as it relates to mobility and transportation is crucial. Perhaps you could start a new topic dedicated to this issue, Carlos? Here is a link to a lecture on Equity in Regional Transportation delivered by Dr Thomas Sanchez in 2009: http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=29525
Metro: Equity in Regional Transportation Talk by Thomas W. Sanchez, PhD.
http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=29525
Carlos A Moreno from Colombia, 7 May 2012Thank you James for the lecture. Yes you´re right, I´ll open a new topic on this issue.
Carlos A Moreno from Colombia, 7 May 2012I was just looking at the other dialogues (sustainable cities more precisely) and I realized that there is already a topic on "Mobility solutions to reduce poverty" which will be more or less the same point of view. But anyway I´ll open this topic looking it from the equity point
Clarence Shubert, 7 May 2012Affordable access to urban land and housing is critically important and difficult to achieve if land is privately owned and distributed in a market based system. The poor are left to squat illegally or driven far out from the city center. Unfortunately, most urban planning focuses on housing and infrastructure for the middle and upper classes. This can be overcome by providing large areas for low income and informal settlements based on long term leases rather than ownership. This both reduces costs for residents and also retains long term flexiblity for urban authorities to change land use in the future.
James Duminy (Moderator) from South Africa, 7 May 2012Land management is another crucial aspect of addressing wealth and spatial inequalities in cities. Do you have any specific examples of how where long-term lease approaches have promoted an equity agenda, Clarence?
Clarence Shubert, 8 May 2012James, thanks for your reply. In Indonesia, as part of the implementation of Kampung Improvement, large areas of Jakarta and other cities informal "kampungs" were designated as residential areas where residents could only get the right of use and building based on 30+ year leases. This enabled a formalization of land tenure security but at a much lower cost than buying free hold land. It also meant that as the city developed the process of reclaiming land for roads and public facilities was much easier and less costly.
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ONAPAJO IBUKUNOLUWA .P., 21 May 2012Different people have different understanding of an equitable city, but in my own understanding, An Equitable city is a city that has basic services,infrastructures, resources and facilities evenly distributed around the city to improve the economy and standard of living. An example of an equitable city is BEIJING, this city provides the most equal status of life and social harmony of any city around the world.