Republic of Côte d'Ivoire Urbanization Review
Why think about greening cities?
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- Environmental externalities can impose heavy environmental, social, and economic costs on cities
- As urbanization intensifies and wealth grows, the production of environmental externalities is likely to be amplified.
- Greener cities are often more productive, competitive, inclusive, and resilient to risks
- Greening is about informed, coordinated, and context-specific decision-making
- Greening is also about awareness of how projected increases in flooding, extreme weather events, and other climate change–related effects are likely to hit cities
- Data collection to support coordinated action across sectors is essential
- In Côte d’Ivoire, greening initiatives can be tailored to the patterns and priorities of individual cities
Why think about greening cities?Policy makers shape their cities and determine the environmental costs of urbanization. As chapters 1 and 2 show, infrastructure and land use decisions determine the form and growth patterns of urban areas, but their environmental dimension is rarely considered when they are made. For example, policy makers regulate urban land uses such as maximum permitted densities and make infrastructure investment decisions such as road construction projects. These decisions frame the mobility needs of urban residents, such as commuting distances to work and to school, and their transport options, all of which are important variables in determining an urban area’s per capita air pollution and carbon emissions. Environmental externalities can impose heavy environmental, social, and economic costs on cities. In economic theory, negative externalities are uncompensated damages imposed by one economic agent on another. A textbook example is air pollution, as the consequences of burning fossil fuels are not included in the market price for energy consumption, but are paid by everyone who breathes harmful particles and is affected by climate-related events. These costs can be steep: in China the health costs of air pollution alone have been estimated at 3.8 percent of GDP.92 Other costs can include knock-on effects for economic development of a city as a whole, as health problems undermine worker productivity, pollution makes a city unattractive to skilled workers, and climate-related extreme weather events disrupt businesses and destroy infrastructure. As urbanization intensifies and wealth grows, the production of environmental externalities is likely to be amplified. As urban systems grow, negative externalities of congestion and air pollution generally rise, affecting humans’ well-being and the environment.93 In addition, as cities become wealthier and incomes increase, the consumption and waste associated with each urban resident is also likely to grow, straining solid waste services and, unless managed properly, raising pollution and health risks.94 Cities need to plan ahead to make sure that the costs of these externalities do not undermine the benefits of growth. Greener cities are often more productive, competitive, inclusive, and resilient to risks. There are solutions that connect environmental objectives and other policy priorities. Initiatives to reduce the environmental costs of urban activities can also generate social and economic benefits. For example, improved infrastructure for basic services such as urban waste collection and treatment not only helps maintain water quality and biodiversity in urban lakes, but also reduces the burden of diseases such as diarrhea and cholera. Getting basic services right can also help mitigate the costs of extreme weather: damage from flooding is amplified when sewage systems are not prepared for water surges. Greening is about informed, coordinated, and context-specific decision-making. Thinking about green cities does not require a new paradigm. Greener cities are efficient in their use of natural resources, clean because they minimize pollution and consider the environmental impacts of policies and infrastructure decisions, and resilient in that they account for natural hazards and the role of environmental management in disaster preparedness.95 Making a city greener requires thinking about the externalities that planning and management decisions may bring. As Côte d’Ivoire grows and becomes wealthier it is likely that negative externalities of urban activities intensify. If these challenges are ignored, they could undermine hard-won gains in quality of life. Greening is also about awareness of how projected increases in flooding, extreme weather events, and other climate change–related effects are likely to hit cities (box 3.1). Cities across the world face growing risks of extreme weather events that can put lives in danger and cause extensive damage to public and private infrastructure. Côte d’Ivoire’s coastal cities such as Abidjan, Grand-Bassam, and San Pédro are highly vulnerable to sea-level rise and damage tied to coastal erosion, placing a large portion of the country’s population and economic activity under threat. Greening means bringing the best available information about risks into planning decisions and infrastructure investment today, in order to build resilience and avoid unnecessary losses. For example, improvement to the San Pédro–Abidjan road link is a clear national development priority. The design of any new investment in roads in this area, however, must consider the long-term viability of the infrastructure: design decisions about the location and materials of the road will directly affect exposure to risks like coastal erosion and—as the destruction of newly resurfaced areas in 2013 highlights—heavy rains. Data collection to support coordinated action across sectors is essential. Monitoring and evaluation of environmental risks such as water and air quality, as well as coastal erosion, are vital to support informed decision-making. Greening initiatives do not come in “one-size fits all.” Their effects are specific and usually vary from one city to another. Studies show that initiatives to promote increased use of non-motorized transport could improve the health of urban citizens in cities such as London and New York because improved air quality and increased physical activity reduce respiratory- and obesity-related illnesses.96 But the same outcome cannot be expected in all cities. In highly polluted cities such as Beijing and Delhi, additional efforts may be needed to reduce emissions before the health benefits of increased walking or cycling come through. Evidence-led initiatives are needed. In Côte d’Ivoire, greening initiatives can be tailored to the patterns and priorities of individual cities. Cities of all sizes can benefit from greener growth patterns. But support for environmentally sustainable development should be prioritized by need. Global connector cities such as Abidjan and San Pédro can prioritize green initiatives that align with the need for innovation and competitiveness, since greener, healthier, happier, and more livable cities are likely to attract skilled workers and reap productivity gains. They can also minimize exposure to the growing threat of natural disasters by building approaches against sea-level rise and coastal erosion into urban planning. In Regional Connector cities such as Bouaké and Man, greening initiatives can help promote localization economies needed for efficient regional trade and transport by providing a framework to better manage tradeoffs and support more efficient growth. Greening is also important in Domestic Connector cities, but there, priorities to improve basic services can lay the foundations for greener urban development. 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