Dutch Stakeholders’ Meeting Amsterdam, November 12-13
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DUTCH STAKEHOLDERS’ MEETING ON THE ROAD TO HABITAT III
DAY 1
The Netherlands cannot miss the New Urban Agenda The Netherlands can play an important role in the development of a New Urban Agenda when it is adopted next year in Quito, Ecuador. Dutch knowledge and expertise in areas such as water management, infrastructure and governance cannot be missed. However, to be able to bring the ‘Dutch touch’ to Quito, there is still much work to be done. The first step was taken in Amsterdam in early November at a meeting with sixty stakeholders. The list of participants was diverse. Representatives of European, national and local governments, international organizations, NGOs, businesses, educational and knowledge institutions were all present. But this diversity did not create any obstacles during the reception which was held on the sixth floor of building belonging to the event’s organizer, AkzoNobel. The conversation got going in no time and moved directly to the main content. ROME AND SHENZHEN CEO Ton Büchner interrupted the welcome drink with some legitimate questions: “Why are we, as AkzoNobel, here and why are we the host of this meeting? What does a company in paints, lacquers and chemicals have to do with urbanization? We don’t build cities,” said Buchner, “but nearly seventy percent of our products will be used in cities. And given the rapid rise in urban population, this will only increase. That presents opportunities, but also raises questions. How can we play a role in this growth in a sustainable way?” Kitty van der Heijden, director of the European office of the World Resources Institute, supported that analysis. Based on facts and figures, she again underlined the need for an enduring urban agenda. “Every day 274,000 residents join the urban population of our planet” she said, “and where it took 2,000 years for Rome to reach a population of 2 million, the Chinese city of Shenzhen has reached that milestone in just 20 years.” “You can deal with this situation in many different ways”
said Van der Heijden as she emphasized the importance of urban design. “Atlanta and Barcelona are similar in terms of population, but Atlanta has nearly twelve times more urban area and emits almost six times as much CO2 per capita as Barcelona.” SCHOOL OR PARKING LOT The variation among cities, even within national borders, is great. For example, New York ranks a lot better in terms of pollution than the rest of the United States as a whole, Beijing conversely ranks low on the scale in comparison to other areas of China. “This just goes to show how a city can largely follow its own path.” Enrica Duncan couldn’t agree more. She is involved in Nossas Cidades (Our Cities) in Brazil, a grass-roots network that connects urban residents to make cities more sustainable and livable. “Today we are talking about policy - and the creation of indispensable preconditions - but the true guardians of our future are the people themselves.” Nossas Cidades believes that active, engaged and connected citizens can turn the tide so inclusive, creative and sustainable cities can emerge. Duncan cites an example of a ten year old girl who got a whole campaign going in order to prevent her school from being torn down to make way for a parking lot. As the host, André Veneman, Director of Sustainability at AkzoNobel, guided the guests towards the dining area, the conversation continued in the elevators. “The sense of urgency is apparent and this is a significant start,” said 2
DUTCH STAKEHOLDERS’ MEETING ON THE ROAD TO HABITAT III
Q U O T E “AkzoNobel is committed to the development of sustainable cities. We are also acutely aware that working together with key stakeholders is the best way to achieve viable solutions.”
T O N Carolien Gehrels, European Director of Big Urban Clients at the engineering consultancy Arcadis. Upstairs, on the sixteenth floor, Kees Rade from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also spoke about this during the opening of the dinner when he said, “Urbanization is back on the global agenda.” From his position in the Ministry and his
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B Ü C H N E R
involvement in water, climate and sustainability issues, Rade does not want to lose sight of climate change. “The UN has given a prominent place to sustainable, safe, inclusive and resilient urbanization within the Sustainable Development Goals. We must also make this link today and in the future. When we talk about our cities, we are also talking about sustainability.”
DUTCH STAKEHOLDERS’ MEETING ON THE ROAD TO HABITAT III
Quito is the beginning, not the end Talking, dining and networking is step one. But on the second day of the stakeholders’ meeting there is work to be done if the Netherlands really wants to make a tangible contribution. And how can the Netherlands achieve this in the ten months that is left before heading to Habitat III? As an introduction, André Veneman briefly discussed the Human Cities Coalition, an initiative of AkzoNobel, which was born six months ago from the belief that there is another feasible model that can make and keep cities livable - by not only taking financial performance into account, but also looking at input from the residents themselves. “What is a human city actually,” mused the corporate director of sustainability. “There is much talk of strong cities, resilient cities, and smart cities, but the concept of a human city, that is primarily about listening to the citizens. How do we provide the city that they need? That is what it is all about.” “In order to appropriately paraphrase and give initiatives such as the Human Cities Coalition the proper follow up, quick action is desperately needed,” said Kitty van der Heijden who was functioning as moderator. “So please refrain from using jargon and focus on concrete steps.” BITE-SIZED CHUNKS Ana Moreno, coordinator of the secretariat of Habitat III in New York, agreed. “Just to outline the perspective: next year’s conference in Quito is important, but the preparation is much more important. The cards are shuffled beforehand.”
in the Sustainable Development Goals is essential,” says Moreno. “That was not the case twenty years ago after Habitat II.” Since then much has changed. Moreno draws a comparison with the developments seen in the debate around climate change. “That debate also needed simplification. The Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 made a start with it when it was made clear that politics has a role, and a responsibility in how we deal with climate change. Since then, ongoing data analysis, studies, reports and findings have made it possible to break the issues down into bite-sized chunks for the citizens. And as a result there is support for real change.” LOCAL LEVEL Habitat III is not here yet, but it is being worked on. Moreno cited numerous thematic sessions happening at the local level: in Tel Aviv, Montreal, Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi, for example. “And not only is the content important at these meetings but also who attends them. The participants include local policy makers and key stakeholders. It is especially at these local levels that we must give the urban agenda a place.” On the policy level, international units work closely together with twenty experts to come up with solutions on specific themes. This is complex, also with regard to the process. “Yesterday I was in Paris at one of these policy meetings. There was an intense debate about how the city would overrun the countryside. It went on to such an extent that we never got to the discussion about the urban agenda with all the economic, geographic and social issues that it entails.” Moreno hopes it goes better today. “I trust you will focus.”
Q U O T E “What I have experienced here is unique. In Germany we talk a lot, but there has been an awful lot created in
According to Moreno, there is momentum to bring about real change. “The urban theme is steadily moving toward the center of the international agenda in a way that we haven’t seen in the past twenty, maybe even seventy years.” “The fact that urban development has been included
just two days, especially because of the participation of many stakeholders.”
DA N I E L
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DUTCH STAKEHOLDERS’ MEETING ON THE ROAD TO HABITAT III
DAY 2
W O R K
G R O U P S
In three work groups, participants reflected on the changing composition of the New Urban Agenda, the role of the Netherlands and how this stakeholders’ meeting can best be followed up. Group 1 - The Dutch contribution to the New Urban Agenda Under which theme can the Netherlands make a difference and contribute significantly to the New Urban Agenda? According to Group 1, this would be in four areas: good governance, urban design with good land management, urban economy and, of course, water management. Participants also indicated where they see their own contribution in taking the next steps. Regarding governance, the Netherlands is strong in public-private partnerships in which the public administration creates the right conditions so that good urban practices can be implemented. Responsibility within the private sector as well as societal organizations plays a very important role. And lastl, Dutch water management is a strong ‘export product’ in all areas: industrial use of water, closing the water cycle, protection in delta areas by dykes, land reclamation through polders, and the relationship to public health. Group 2 - Capacity Development
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The main finding of Group 2 for both the challenges as well as the solutions are to be found in the cities, even though these are two different things. According to the participants, the Netherlands does very well from an international perspective. In this respect the Netherlands is a significant player. Financial management, but especially the typical Dutch ‘polder model’, is part of it. Achieving stakeholder agreement, no matter how time intensive
it can be, also helps tremendously in handling the challenges that many cities face. Group 3 – How can the Netherlands get a say in the urban agenda? A resounding ‘Yes, we must keep going’ is the best summary of the discussions in the Group 3. The stakeholders’ meeting is certainly not a passing fad to them. The group also came up with the notion that a sustainable stakeholder support group should focus on concrete, identifiable impact. How? By forming coalitions, developing business cases, providing project support and exchanging information and knowledge. There is much enthusiasm for the development and presentation of a successful showcase in Quito. Another interesting suggestion is to focus on secondary cities. Group 3 proposed creating a workgroup that can help the sustainable stakeholders’ group to move forward, supported by a collective investment in time or money, from various stakeholders. This workgroup should soon make a proposal for another meeting aimed at setting up a sustainable formula, and that meeting could do with some more representatives from other companies and parties. The idea is that the stakeholders’ group would be an open platform, but with a structural organization - a small administration. In addition, parallel initiatives can also be launched.
DUTCH STAKEHOLDERS’ MEETING ON THE ROAD TO HABITAT III
Whispering Sessions, Flipcharts and Showcases For ‘the real thing’ three workgroups were set up. In varying combinations, they examined specific questions. Is there enough fertile ground for further collaboration in the Netherlands? What can the Dutch contribute to Habitat III and the New Urban Agenda and on which themes and roles can we distinguish ourselves? In Group 3, Emiel Wegelin of URBACT pointed to what was written on the flipchart and asked, “What are the key drivers for further cooperation in a stakeholder support group? I have my ideas,” said Wegelin, “but I’d like to hear from you.” The answers were found in small ‘whispering sessions’. Dagmar Keim of the municipality of Amsterdam said “My personal motivation is a better future for my children, but the citizens of Amsterdam think: why are the city officials spending time and money on a global theme concerning distant cities? The citizens’ interests are local, and often focused on the short term. And this theme really requires long-term thinking.” Each player must take its responsibility, said Huub Rijnaarts, professor in the environmental and water technology section at Wageningen University. He thinks that a stakeholder group should seek synergy between the private, public
and science sectors. “We cannot expect the government to do it all.” SECONDARY CITIES In another group focus was the key word. “The question is not only what we can contribute, but also how we can benefit. In order to formulate an answer to this, focus is needed: What are we aiming towards? Should we put our energy into trying to influence the United Nations? Or should we set our own priorities, such as concentrating on secondary cities, for example. Why not just ignore the UN and set our own goals. We could select one hundred cities where we can unite our social goals with business goals and achieve real results in the next ten to fifteen years.” The six groups came up with various ideas and drivers. They called for a formal structure, networks of cities and knowledge centers, proactive policies and attention
FACTS & FIGURES Demographic African cities are among the fastest growing cities in the world. Lagos in Nigeria is an good example. Between 2012 and 2030 the population is expected to more than double. Economic On average, 80 percent of the Gross National Product worldwide is earned in cities. Traffic jams and other traffic pressure will cost some cities, such as Beijing, Dublin, and Cairo more than four percent of the GDP. Social 2.5 billion residents lack the most basic form of sanitation, 780 million lack safe drinking water and 279 million live without electricity. Ecological Three-quarters of the global CO2 emissions is attributable to cities. 6
DUTCH STAKEHOLDERS’ MEETING ON THE ROAD TO HABITAT III
to not only the technical, but also the human side of the debate. An idea that quickly gained a foothold is that of a showcase and best practices. In this way we can show the world in Quito how the Dutch approach takes shape, is successful and can be exported. The sixth group referred to the example of the ‘Silent Warehouse’ (Pakhuis de Zwijger) in Amsterdam, a platform where they have daily programs on innovation and creation. Ana Moreno from Habitat III was immediately enthusiastic and asked, “Couldn’t we include that in Quito?” After an hour and a half of whispering sessions and plenary feedback, Wegelin summarized: we need to focus and concentrate on impact. Therefore we need to be practical. It is important to get many stakeholders involved. We need to show plenty of actions to the outside world: projects, business cases and showcases. Is there fertile ground for the continuation of the stakeholder’ group? Workgroup 3, under the guidance of moderators Emiel Wegelin, Rinske van Heiningen and Sanne Vermeulen was clearly positive about that. But the big question lingered: Who will take the lead? On the way to the lunch buffet, organizer André Veneman addressed that question. “We are interested in taking on this role, but we want to have the commitment from the other stakeholders and 7
certainly from the Dutch government as well.” After lunch the conversation continued on the same themes in the workgroups but with new formulations. Workgroup 2 was given the task to consider the various stakeholders needed for a durable urban agenda. Who has a role to play? Who are the vanguards? The whispering group was quickly able to name a few: the UN, social movements, universities, the World Bank, city governments, regional governments, and the OECD. From the various whispering sessions a whole list emerged. The moderators Alex Jachnow and Eric Schellekens went deeper into the issue: what skills and competencies do these stakeholders need to have in order to fulfill their role with vigor? “Cross-institutional thinking,” said someone. “Poldering” said another. “Urban planning and water management are also essential,” added someone else. “This is something the Netherlands is very good at. A friend of mine has a boat in the canals of Amsterdam. There is a bridge where he has only one centimeter clearance. But that centimeter is always there; not more, not less. There is intense organization behind something like that, and other cities could probably benefit from this know-how.” Workgroup 1 conducted a similar discussion. What is the Netherlands
really good at? What do we bring to the table in Quito? Moderators Mart Grisel from the European Urban Knowledge Network and Marius Stehouwer of the Human Cities Coalition heard the Dutch expertise in water management and stakeholder management being named as predominant contributions. But that is not all. Spatial planning, landscaping and the fact that our cities give cyclists and cycling room and priority are other factors that were named. To sum up, said one of the participants: “In the Netherlands we know that a city is not only a place where you live, but above all a place that you love.”
POWER TO THE CITIES “Cities have not had such a prominent place on the agenda since the time the Netherlands emerged from the rubble caused by the Second World War,” said Nicolaas Beets of the Ministry of the Interior and National Relations. “When the Netherlands takes on the position as Chair of the EU next year for six months, we want to be ready; by forging alliances, pointing the way to already existing funds and giving cities a bit more influence. It’s not easy, but we must really make an effort to ensure that the movement has an effect and cities fulfil their role. It is therefore not about new regulations, additional funds and the like, but about giving cities a little more influence and making them better able to take up the challenges and go down the right path.”
DUTCH STAKEHOLDERS’ MEETING ON THE ROAD TO HABITAT III
The polder and the urban agenda Kees Rade of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs often hears that cities go for growth. But if this growth does not include employment opportunities, or if it leads to social unrest or an out of control traffic burden, then it is in no one’s best interest. As an emissary of the Dutch government, Rade outlined the Dutch perspective. This is important in light of the fact that the Netherlands will take over the EU chairmanship from Luxembourg in 2016. “A city should be green, compact and resilient,” said Rade. “That means that growth should not lead to severe air pollution or be at the expense of our natural resource reserves.”
Given the importance of urban development, continues Rade, you have to wonder if it should be left to politics alone. “The Dutch Delta Plan, which protects our country from the water, also underwent the same consideration and was ultimately accomplished without political decision-making. There is a budget of tens of billions set aside which politics cannot touch. Perhaps such an approach would also be advisable for these urban issues.” Regarding how the Netherlands can contribute to the content in Habitat III,
Rade also includes the theme of water management. “We are in contact with other delta countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, France and Japan. We share our knowledge about water and the rising sea level; knowledge and expertise that we can certainly bring to Habitat III.” Rade was clearly enthusiastic about the Human Cities Coalition and this stakeholders’ meeting. He said he would investigate how the Dutch government can fulfil its role in the coalition. “We will certainly take the input from the workgroups and sessions.”
According to Rade, there are three things of paramount importance in the process towards a new urban agenda. “Inclusiveness is one. Sometimes we forget the impact on the poorest members of our society. But we must remember that forty percent of the world’s population lives in slums. This is something that we should not overlook in the debate.” WATER MANAGEMENT From his Dutch background, Rade also highlighted the power of ‘poldering’. “In the Netherlands, we always strive for consensus among as many parties as possible. It is time consuming, but it strengthens the support.” Rade’s third point relates to the ‘secondary cities’; with a size of 500,000 to 3 million inhabitants. “We are inclined to think about the big cities, however, it is the smaller cities where we see the most growth.”
Q U O T E Sometimes we forget the impact on the poorest members of our society. But we must remember that forty percent of the world’s population lives in slums. K E E S
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DUTCH STAKEHOLDERS’ MEETING ON THE ROAD TO HABITAT III
“Europe is a beacon of hope” “The situation is serious, but the Netherlands can help,” said Alioune Badiane, program director at UN-Habitat, at the conclusion of the stakeholders’ meeting.
the need for action: “The struggle for sustainability will be won or lost in the city. We need to better understand the challenges and raise awareness of demographic, social and economic trends.”
“The Netherlands will not only contribute in terms of expertise, but also in terms of commitment. There is fertile ground in this country for science, sustainable business and individual and collective creativity, but our cities pose major challenges in the areas of unemployment, segregation, and poverty, which is also closely related to challenges in the areas of environment and sustainability.” Badiane cited Ban Ki-moon to underline
That is not easy in Europe at this time, Badiane recognized. “There is polarization due to the arrival of many refugees. But we shouldn’t forget that Europe was the continent where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights came into existence. For many people, Europe is a continent of hope. You, and all of us here in the Netherlands should always remember that.
The way forward As the organizer André Veneman closed the stakeholders’ meeting after one and a half days of discussion, listening and hard work, he was more than satisfied. “There is clear consensus on the need and value of this initiative. We must continue as a platform, but at the same time, we must quickly get more concrete so that we are able to present actual showcases in Quito and elsewhere.” Veneman took the suggestions from the workgroups, and promised an invitation to a follow-up meeting. And AkzoNobel wants to take their responsibility in this. “We will meet again early next year.”
The stakeholders’ meeting was made possible by the dedication and commitment of Mart Grisel (European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN)), Sanne Vermeulen, Inge Kok Postma and Marius Stehouwer (Human Cities Coalition), Alexander Jachnow and Els Keunen (Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)), Emiel Wegelin (UrbAct - International Advisory Services for Urban Action), Eric Schellekens (ARCADIS), the Ministry of Foreigh Affairs, André Veneman and Rinske van Heiningen (Akzo Nobel) Special thanks to the speakers Alioune Badiane (UN Habitat), Nicolaas Beets (Ministry of the Interior & Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands), Enrica Duncan (Nossas Cidades), Kitty van der Heijden (World Resources Institute), Ana Moreno (UN Habitat) and Kees Rade (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands).
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