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A2					Urban environments
Growth and decline in an urban area - Newcastle					"The dynamic nature of urban populations leads to stresses on housing, transport and waste disposal within the urban environment and its periphery. Appropriate solutions need to be deployed effectively if cities are to be sustainable." WJEC specification
					see also: Exploring sustainability

	Edinburgh Edinburgh says 'No thanks!' to congestion charging.					Housing				MEDC Urban Environments
						Transport		Waste		LEDC Urban Environments
						Thames Gateway - Decentralisation in the SE

Urban Planet - BBC in depth Includes link to an interactive map. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2006/urbanisation/default.stm

UN Division for Sustainable development http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/index.html Water, sanitation and housing case studies http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd12/Background5.pdf

Rio+10: The World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in June 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa to assess global change since the Rio Earth Summit held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 1992 (itself the 20th anniversary of the first international Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm, 1972). Under discussion were a range of global environmental problems, including transport issues and waste management. Main site - no longer updated: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/ Latest news http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/index.html What was achieved? http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/media/Brochure.PDF

UN Sustainable Development Agenda 21 homepage. UN system-wide site on implementation of the Rio commitments. Scroll down the list to get information on particular countries. http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/index.html

UN Habitat Human settlements programme. http://www.unhabitat.org/default.asp Sustainable cities http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/sustainablecities/ Urban transport http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/urbantransport/ Urban management http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/ump/

UN City Profiles A concise overview of the major problems facing cities, the solutions adopted and some of the best practices. Select by country, then city from drop down menus. http://www.unhabitat.org/guo/gui/city_intro.asp From Global Urban Observatory & Statistics http://www.unhabitat.org/guo/

Best Practices for Human Settlements "This searchable database contains over 2150 proven solutions from more than 140 countries to the common social, economic and environmental problems of an urbanizing world. It demonstrates the practical ways in which public, private and civil society sectors are working together to improve governance, eradicate poverty, provide access to shelter, land and basic services, protect the environment and support economic development." http://www.bestpractices.org/

Pro-poor growth in the city: are City Development Strategies the answer? Launched in 1999 by Cities Alliance, CDSs aimed to bring poor and vulnerable groups into urban planning and policy development processes. This research report argues participation has not brought about the expected benefits. http://www.id21.org/urban/u1jg1g1.html See also consultants http://www.ghkint.com/services.htm

SKAT Swiss Centre for Development Cooperation in Technology and Management - including transport infrastructure, urban development and sanitation. http://www.skat.ch/

Greatest cities Entries and personalised articles on the world's greatest cities (contributed) . http://www.greatestcities.com/index.html

Urbanisation and migration Page from UNPFA population site. http://www.unfpa.org/sustainable/urbanization.htm

Water Aid's Thirsty Cities report is available as a pdf download. http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/thirstycities.pdf

City Profiles Prepared for the UN's Cyber SchoolBus on-line curriculum Cities of Today, Cities of Tomorrow. http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/habitat/profiles/index.asp Cities of Today, Cities of Tomorrow http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/habitat/index.asp

The New Colonist A US-based web magazine about sustainable city living. Has pages for most US cities. http://www.newcolonist.com/

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Cities without slums The theme for World Habitat Day ( 2001). Page of links to articles and case studies (Egypt, India, Colombia, Kenya). http://www.unhabitat.org/whd/articles.htm

Homeless international http://www.homeless-international.org/

The Housing Project UK-based portal site which includes large section on 'social housing' and sub-sections on homelessness. http://www.housingnet.co.uk/

What is a decent home? http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_housing/documents/page/odpm_house_028590.hcsp

Sustainable neighbourhoods Research findings from Joseph Rowntree Foundation based in York, March 2005. "...assesses the sustainability of eight former coal-mining neighbourhoods in three South Yorkshire local authorities, a sub-region with excess housing supply. Against the broader context of housing and labour market change, it looks at what characteristics or 'assets' of neighbourhoods are key to sustainability, and how sustainability is affected by population movements. The study, by Geoff Green, Mike Grimsley and Bernard Stafford, draws on baseline (2000) and follow-through surveys (2002/03)." http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/housing/0145.asp

Supporting people The Supporting People programme offers vulnerable people in England the opportunity to improve their quality of life by providing a stable environment which enables greater independence.http://www.spkweb.org.uk/

Homeless pages From the Resource Information Service.

Homeless link http://www.homeless.org.uk/ http://www.homelesspages.org.uk/ Background, keywords and links http://www.homelesspages.org.uk/subs/subjects.asp?sbid=10

The London Health Observatory monitors health and disease trends for the London NHS region. http://www.lho.org.uk/ There is a summary of the health aspects of housing and homelessness (it is estimated there are at least 100,000 homeless people in London and perhaps as many as a quarter of a million). http://www.lho.org.uk/hil/housing.htm

Thames Reach Bondway Works with those who sleep rough in London. Stories behind the statistics. http://www.thamesreachbondway.com/

Shelter This charity believes everyone should be able to live in a decent and secure home that they can afford, within a mixed neighbourhood where people feel safe, can work and fulfil their potential. Lots of briefings and press releases. Facts and research. http://www.shelter.org.uk/

Housemate Shelter's Homework project site which aims to prevent homelessness by providing an opportunity for young people to learn about housing and homelessness issues. Teachers can order a pack of resources (Scottish, Welsh bi-lingual and English editions). http://www.housemate.org.uk/

Crisis Fighting for hope for the homeless. Crisis believe a 'hidden city' of homeless people, bigger than Manchester, is costing UK taxpayers £1.4bn per year. http://www.crisis.org.uk/ Lots of links. http://www.crisis.org.uk/links/index.php#2

Homeless International A UK based charity that supports community-led housing and infrastructure related development in partnership with local partner organisations in Asia, Africa and Latin America. http://www.homeless-international.org

Strategies to combat homelessness UN Habitat 2000 report in pdf format - download by chapter. http://www.unhabitat.org/en/uploadcontent/publication/HS-599.pdf

Shelter and intermediate development ITDG's Shelter Programme has been developing ways to help communities develop their own solutions to these housing problems. ITDG has Shelter Programmes in Kenya, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Peru. http://www.itdg.org/?id=shelter

India Census results from India's Ministry of Home Affairs. Information from the 2001 Census is online. Includes housing stats. http://www.censusindia.net/

Id21 - Housing case studies A database of the latest research projects. http://www.id21.org/zinter/id21zinter.exe?a=l&w=d2

• Pro-poor housing loans in the Philippines http://www.id21.org/zinter/id21zinter.exe?a=1&i=U2ep1g1&u=42093866

• Kenya and India: linking housing and enterprise development Intermediate development projects in Nakuru in Kenya and Alwar in India where aim is to revitalise sub-sectors of the local economy so that they become 'the engine for housing development'. http://www.id21.org/zinter/id21zinter.exe?a=3&i=U2ts1g1&u=42093866 Also http://www.id21.org/urban/u2ts1g1.html

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• Waste and recycling

One World Water and sanitation guide. http://uk.oneworld.net/guides/water

The water and sanitation program The WSP is an international partnership of the world's leading development agencies concerned with water and sanitation services for the poor. http://www.wsp.org/

Sanitation connection Theme page on urban issues. http://www.sanicon.net/themes/intro.php3?theme=6 Solid waste management http://www.sanicon.net/titles/topicintro.php3?topicId=4

Planet Ark Do a news search on recycling. http://www.planetark.org

SKAT Swiss Centre for Development Cooperation in Technology and Management - including waste management. http://www.skat.ch/

Colby College Summaries of actual attempts to pursue sustainable development created by students at Colby College includes examples of solid waste management. Referenced for those who wish to look up the original sources. http://www.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/cases.html

Andhra Pradesh Urban Services for the Poor Project Environmental infrastructure improvement includes water supply, sanitation, solid waste management and drainage. http://www.apusp.org/

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• Transport

World Mobility Forum 2005 theme China and Asia. http://www.worldmobilityforum.com/frmset_en.php?lang=en

Transport for sustainable development UN paper. http://www.unchs.org/unchs/english/transpor/transp.htm

Transport links DFiD transport website. http://www.transport-links.org/transport_links/index.asp

World Bank transport page http://www.worldbank.org/transport

Infrastructure connect Transport page - news section highlights transport projects in developing world. http://www.infrastructureconnect.info/transport.asp

Afribike online Afribike has shown that bicycles enable individuals to spend significantly less time and money on transport and improve their access to education, markets and services, including health services - and ultimately 'cycle' out of poverty. http://www.afribike.org/home.html

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy US campaigners who promote environmentally sustainable and equitable transportation policies and projects worldwide. They argue the US has been exporting 'car dependence' to developing countries. http://www.itdp.org/

Transportation Page from the New Environmentalist. http://thenewenvironmentalist.com/articles_0702/transportation_mag.html

Pro-poor transport Research report. http://www.id21.org/urban/U3ms1g3.html 'Towards pro-poor transport policies in Africa' http://www.id21.org/urban/u4db1g1.html

TRL Transport consultancy based in Wokingham. http://www.trl.co.uk

Transport statistics A set of links from the Department of Transport (England & Wales). http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/sectionhomepage/dft_transstats_page.hcsp

Commision for integrated transport UK Government agency. http://www.cfit.gov.uk/

Sustrans Sustainable transport charity which aims to get us all walking and cycling. http://www.sustrans.org.uk/

Pedestrians' Association Living Street initiative - a battle plan to make the places we want to walk and spend time in become something more than traffic corridors. http://www.pedestrians.org.uk/

UK transport links

Edinburgh - congestion

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• LEDC Urban Environments

Greatest cities Page on Rio with links to reference articles on contemporary issues, population, economy and government. http://www.greatestcities.com/rio/rio-2.html

Urban Issues in Developing Countries Links to sites. Also contains some special topic link pages such as urban poverty or urban agriculture. http://urban.freeservers.com/link/menulink.html

India Census results from India's Ministry of Home Affairs. Information from the 2001 Census is now coming online including housing. http://www.censusindia.net/

The  Andhra Pradesh Urban Services for the Poor Project APUSP is designed to help the poor in 32 class 1 towns of Andhra Pradesh benefit from improved access to appropriate and sustainable services.  The APUSP development budget is £94 million over seven years. Funding for environmental services is linked to municipal reform. http://www.apusp.org/

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• MEDC Urban Environments

Office for National Statistics (UK) ONS data services, recent Census developments, access to public data and a section on the UK in Figures at the National Statistics website. For downloads in csv format (a spreadsheet which can be saved as an Excel file) go to StatBase. http://www.statistics.gov.uk

ONS Neighbourhood statistics service Type in a postcode for the key statistics on that district (including DETR & Oxford University deprivation index 2000). Also can click on areas via a regional map for local authority and ward data. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/home.asp

Public sector information. For any government agency, local authority or government department 'open government' must be the first port of call. Now hosted by UK online. http://www.ukonline.gov.uk

Environment Agency Government agency for England and Wales which incorporates the pollution inspectorate. Click on Your Environment and look for the What's in your backyard? feature. You should be able to type in a postcode and get a map for the general area showing environmental information (eg landfill sites, pollution inventory, floodplain maps). http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

Social Exclusion http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1127160 Social Exclusion Unit http://www.socialexclusion.gov.uk/

English Partnerships - the regeneration and development agency for England aunched in May 1999, created by combining the roles of the Commission for the New Towns (CNT) and the national functions of the Urban Regeneration Agency (known as English Partnerships). The agency is one of the country’s largest landowners, participates in partnerships for the regeneration and development of target areas, aims to cost-effectively re-use previously developed (brownfield) land and find new sources of funding. http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk

Sustainable Scotland Network Local authority partnership. http://www.sustainable-scotland.net/index.asp

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Edinburgh - congestion issue

Edinburgh’s first-ever referendum – on a transport programme which includes congestion charging and increased transport investment – was held in February 2005. The outcome of the referendum onTuesday 22 February 2005 was an emphatic 'No' - 74% of people voted against the plan; turnout was 62%. The question, below: "The leaflet enclosed with this ballot paper gives information on the Council's transport proposals for Edinburgh. The Council's ‘preferred’ strategy includes congestion charging and increased transport investment funded by it. Do you support the Council's ‘preferred’ strategy?"

The Meadows, Edinburgh, February 2005.

"Plans to introduce congestion charges in cities across the UK received a serious setback... when voters overwhelmingly rejected the controversial tolls in the first British referendum on the issue." Edinburgh says No The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/congestion/story/0,12768,1423162,00.html Congestion charging setback The Independent http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/transport/story.jsp?story=613784 BBC News: Edinburgh rejects congestion plan http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4287145.stm Residents to decide on road tolls (Feb 6) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4239507.stm Why some Edinburghers won't be able to vote. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4174789.stm Cordon maps http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4239681.stm Arguments against http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4216347.stm Arguments for http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4226571.stm Edinburgh city council - Transport Edinburgh Get the cordon maps, leaflets, inquiry report and policy documents. Edinburgh City Council stated £127.4 million would be spent on public transport before congestion charging would have begun in 2006, to give people a real alternative to travelling by car. http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/transportedinburgh/ or http://www.transport-edinburgh.org.uk/ Get Edinburgh Moving Yes campaigners. http://www.getedinburghmoving.org National Alliance Against Tolls Despite the title, Edinburgh No campaigners. http://www.notolls.org.uk/edinburgh.htm Friends of the Earth press release http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/press/pr20041211.html Edinburgh branch: http://www.foe-edinburgh.org.uk/main/index.html

Spokes The Lothian cycle campaign group. http://www.spokes.org.uk/

CRAG campaigns for better public transport, especially railway development, in the Edinburgh area. http://www.capitalrail.org.uk/

Transform Scotland Campaigns for a more sensible transport system, one less dependent on unsustainable modes such as the car and the heavy lorry, and more reliant on sustainable modes such as walking, cycling and public transport. http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/

Forthright Alliance Formed to fight revived plans for a second Forth Bridge crossing and instead advance the case for sustainable transport alternatives. http://www.forthrightalliance.org/

Campaign for Borders Rail http://www.borderrail.co.uk/

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Last checked May 2006. Broken links? Email: geography@btinternet.com