Dear Friend,

I contact you as know your engagement on urban development and climate change issues.

It is confirmed that the urbanization negative trend and impacts are still underestimated and neglected by most of the international agencies, forums and conferences, so we believe is now absolutely necessary spread awareness on the urgent need of urban/rural rebalance and territorial integration, as much as possible, not only within academia, where we just dialogue among us!!

Therefore, on the basis of a previous proposal to the UE-Horizon/COST program, called “PAGUS-Program Alternative Governance of Urban Settlements”, that was focused on these issues, we prepared the here annexed draft manifesto.

All of us coincide on the urgent need of a paradigm shift and a new approach oriented to overall wellness and sustainable territorial development, taking in account societal and environmental values.

I want to share it with you colleagues as in the past we discussed similar concepts and vision, remembering your interest and engagement.

We registered and now implementing the “PAGUSInitiative.net”  web-site  with the aim to set up a specific platform where collect and discuss all the urban/rural related topics.

Hoping to receive your adhesion, I submit you a draft Manifesto, that in this preliminary phase still not entering in details, to facilitate the  largest  share and support, I invite  you to share it and add your name among the signatories.

If you agree then register with your mail,  full name and affiliation  on the CONTACTS page to participate this initiative.

Paolo Motta

 

 

MANIFESTO TO THE UN PACT FOR THE FUTURE

As academics, experts, and researchers worldwide, we invite the global range of authorities and organisations to stimulate and support all initiatives that are focused on addressing the severe challenges of our time, especially concerning the urbanization issues. We regard it as vital to mitigate the impacts resulting from the deepening climate change and to face the challenge of improving the overall living conditions for humankind on planet Earth.

Considering that:

• It is undisputable that we are witnessing an acceleration in climate change. This threatens humanity’s living conditions, both now and for future generations. There is an immediate need to define operational strategies and launch shared initiatives for ensuring global, resilient developments that protect the environment and enhance collective well-being.
• UN, UNDP, UN-HABITAT, amongst many other agencies, warn that the current uncurbed growth of megacities and huge urban areas needs to happen in sustainable ways that mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. We consider that AGENDA 2030, and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 11, do not set out a coherent and systematic approach towards sustainable, people-centred urbanisation. They present an insufficiently integrated development strategy for urban and rural areas.
• The impacts of climate change on Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Latin America, and, indeed, in the developed global North, are already dramatic. The inadequate international response to climate change-related natural disasters, food and energy crises, and recurrent pandemics, further highlights the lack of long-term strategies. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive vision and approach.
• Internal and international people migrations, resulting from economic disruptions, wars, conflicts and regional crises, are accelerating the growth of massive urban agglomerations. These are increasingly significant in Asia and Africa. The numbers of people who are permanently living in marginal and unhealthy informal settlements has reached crisis levels.
• The growth of new megacities, often in developing countries, requires huge public sector investments. These do not represent a long-term solution. The dominant paradigm of ever-greater urbanisation, which currently encompasses 70% of the global population, requires urgent  review and new policies to reduce this trend.

The contemporary, one-sided, emphasis on technical and economic solutions, to address issues of urbanisation, requires a drastic re-evaluation. It is responsible for losing sight of the conditions facing humanity in cities.  A new, resilient, territorial balance must be struck between urban, peri-urban, and less populated regions, which accounts for the needs of all people, particularly the most vulnerable.

A profound review of the current settlement approach is needed.  There have been similar calls since the 1970s.  But the extent of the current crisis in cities, and to reduce and prevent the growing negative impacts, requires urgent action..The imposed paradigms of the 20^th century are no longer responding to the 21^st century chellenges.. Different contexts and characteristics require unique responses and solutions.

The signatories declare:

The consequences of contemporary inhumane forms of urbanisation need to be highlighted. The increasing critical urban/peripheral imbalance must be described, explained and challenged. Such a challenge will be based on new theoretical insights and strategic guidelines. It must indicate radical and complementary approaches towards territorial settlement.  As such, it will pave the way for a real paradigm-shift[i], which reflects the following:

• Recognising that the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, catastrophic natural events, health, energy, food crises, wars, migrations, etc., are now evident, critical, and inter-connected, so that it is necessary to intervene urgently and comprehensively to mitigate their short and medium-term effects.
• Recalling the principles of the UN, the Paris Agreement, the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the indications of the subsequent COPs, and the commitments signed by governments and international organisations, with the aim of mitigating and adapting to the climate catastrophe.
• Identifying the near-exponential increase in urbanisation flows, which are taking place without adequate controls. This results in the growth of precarious settlements, the abandonment of peripheral and marginal territories, the reckless use of land and natural resources, and close to irreversible levels of environmental pollution and degradation.
• Confirming the inadequacy of current urban planning and development approaches, which have become subject to market growth imperatives. These are unable to deal with numerous new emergencies.  Strategies for “smart” and “15-minute cities” are only temporary palliatives which are unable to solve the structural problems of 21^st century urbanisation.
• Underlining that the growing number of megalopolises and new urban agglomerations are being created outside of any environmental and socio-economic contexts which enhance human dignity and wellbeing. The fact that their development is motivated mainly by economic growth and consumerism diminishes their capacity to provide for daily needs of human welfare and prosperity.
• Highlighting with concern that governmental, urban and other authorities’ attention has been largely deficient, focused on marketisation, and, in some cases, uniformed.  There is an urgent need for international bodies, and all stakeholders responsible for territorial and urban development, to take account of these issues, and not to ignore them in their numerous declarations and statements,

Therefore, the signatories will build a comprehensive understanding about: 

• Contributing to presenting practical measures for mitigating and adapting to the climate and biodiversity loss catastrophes. Equally, these will include reducing the negative impacts produced by large urban agglomerations.  They will involve regulating the use of natural capital sources, protecting environmental sinks, and limiting the carrying capacity and footprint of human activity.
• Introducing a specific objective focused on balanced and sustainable territorial development. This will reduce imbalances between urban and peripheral areas, as complementary elements of an integrated single “smart territory”. It will address future strategies and the 2030 Agenda SDGs, particularly reflecting the issues and concerns underpinning SDG 11.
• Mitigating urban migration flows towards large cities and the growth of precarious and marginal settlements. It will focus on retaining inhabitants in their territories and revitalising original settlements using new ITC and digital technologies, proper accessibility, enhanced services, and reducing the current gaps that exist within urban areas.
• Identifying and implementing new approaches to urban development, spread and extension across territories. They will capitalise on investment in new technologies and remote working methods.  These approaches will seek to implement “green” and “circular” economy production and consumption operations.  They will not be based on self-contained economic parameters. Such approaches will account for the interrelationships of all societal aspects, emphasising the human values of solidarity, justice, equal worth, human dignity, and capability, such that environmental balance and harmony can be achieved.
• Spread awareness among authorities, local communities, and individual citizens on the urgency of urgent collective action to change the current development approaches of, concentration on expanding urban areas. Revitalise smaller towns, villages, and settlements, accompanied by a revitalisation process of production, consumption and distribution, to ensure a balance, permanent relationship with the natural environment.

Through these actions, the PAGUS initiative aims to challenge and change the current approach to urbanisation.  It addressed the growing imbalance of urban/peripheral areas.  It identifies these impacts as responsible for a significant share of climate change, and the degradation of all Nature.  The initiative will significantly contribute to the protection, redevelopment and sustainable use of ecosystem services and natural capital.

We consider that the world is at a pivotal juncture. It requires a strategic action to pave the way for the proposed “paradigm shift” to a more balanced distribution of human scale settlements. The initiative aims, in collaboration with other international experts, organisations, associations, to present to the U.N. Summit-2025 an elaboration of this 2024 Manifesto.

It should pave the way for enabling natural risk prevention, local and resilient economic development, greater social cohesion, improved quality of daily living circumstances, and the conditions for permanent collective and individual well-being.

ONGOING-LIST-SIGNATORIES