At the event, the programme associated with the Call to action on sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth was launched, under the leadership of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Commonwealth Association of Architects, the Commonwealth Association of Planners, and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, with support from The Prince’s Foundation and the Rwandan Government.
This event was jointly hosted by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum and the Commonwealth Association of Planners. It explored strategies for addressing rapid urbanisation in small states facing the specific challenges of remoteness, vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters, and the capacity needed to deal with these and other constraints. The session drew on experiences from small states across the Commonwealth, shared innovations and highlighted the specific considerations of managing sustainable urbanisation in a small state context.
Chair: Rebecca McNaught, Cities Research Institute and Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Australia.
Panellists:
- Rikiaua Takeke, CEO, Kiribati Local Government Association
- Mere Naulumatua, President, Fiji Institute of Planners
- Alexei Trundle, Research Fellow in Sustainable Urban Development, University of Melbourne, Australia
- Gisa Fuatai Purcell, Acting Secretary-General, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
- Samuela Pohiva, Senior Secretary to Local Government and Community Development, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Tonga
- Karibaiti Taoaba, Regional Director Pacific, Commonwealth Local Government Forum (representing Charles Kelly, Town Clerk Gizo Town Council, Solomon Islands)
- Mohamed Mauroof Jameel, President, Architects Association of the Maldives
- Eberhard Weber, Professor, School of Geography, Earth Sciences and Environment, University of the South Pacific, Fiji
The event attracted over 57 attendees from 22 countries, with approximately 41 attending via the Vimeo livestream.
Questions to the panel, together with expressions of support, came from a variety of sources, including Compass Housing Services, Solomon Islands Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening, Tonga Climate Resilient Transport Project, among many others.
Key messages
- Urbanisation is a powerful force and the opportunities that urbanisation brings should be embraced in Pacific Island States through strengthened governance of sustainable urbanisation, vision and long term planning.
- We need to reframe cities beyond infrastructure and understand them as groups of people and communities that interact in confined spaces. Sustainable urban development should be about understanding and enhancing these connections in order to provide support.
- The way Pacific cities and towns are planned and managed, and the manner in which infrastructure is developed, need to be strengthened particularly by using traditional knowledge, nature-based solutions and technology.
- Local government, being closest to the people, plays an integral role in assessing, planning for and managing human settlement, but they must be technically and financially able to effectively respond to community needs, volatilities, vulnerabilities and change.
- There is a strong case to invest in local government capacity to benefit long-term sustainable urbanisation.
- It is time to look at the systems and approaches in governance in small island states to work towards more collaborative forms of governance and stronger partnerships between all stakeholders, drawing on traditions and strengths of Pacific people.
- Urban and regional planning needs to be taken more seriously at local and national level in the Pacific region.
- Young people must be brought into the sustainable urbanisation discourse going forward as they can mobilise action and are the next generation who will inherit the cities and towns of today.
- Connectivity between Pacific SIDS and Oceania more broadly in sustainable development initiatives is important.
- Need to support development in rural areas, such as education, health services and infrastructure, to improve the economy, provide a social safety net in the village during difficult times and slow down rapid urbanisation.
- Climate change is having a significant impact on Pacific SIDS, affecting fresh water supplies, infrastructure and future existence. Government and communities must continue to work collaboratively on local adaptation measures.
- Cities and towns need to update disaster preparedness and response plans.
- Policy makers, governments and communities need to acknowledge that informal settlements are now part and parcel of the urban setting, with the accompanying consideration of land use planning, land tenure, provision of reticulated services and waste management.
- Need to provide space for listening to Pacific people who have a great deal to contribute, particularly women.
