Voula P. Mega Sustainability, Blue Green Growth, and the Politics Of

Voula P. Mega Conscious Coastal Cities Sustainability, Blue Green Growth, and the Politics of Imagination Conscious Coastal Cities Voula P. Mega Conscious Coastal Cities Sustainability, Blue Green Growth, and the Politics of Imagination after a special authorisation by the European Commission Voula P. Mega PhD in City and Regional Planning and Policy Brussels , Belgium [email protected] The author retains the copyright to all Watercolour illustrations. ISBN 978-3-319-20217-4 ISBN 978-3-319-20218-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-20218-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015953832 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www. springer.com) In memoriam Professor Sir Peter Hall Disclaimer : “The views expressed are purely those of the writer and may not in any circumstances be regarded as stating an offi cial position of the European Commission. The European Commission cannot be held liable for any use of the information contained in this document.” Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand Albert Einstein Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong, these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history Winston Churchill The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and fall- ing short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark Michelangelo With every drop of water you drink every breath you take, you ‘reconnected to the sea. Health to the ocean means health for us. Sylvia Earle All things move and nothing remains still … Heraclitus vii Pref ace Try to imagine the world without cities. It would be like a world without sea, without excitement. As humanity progressively and irreversibly becomes urban, the future of the planet is more and more decided in cities. It seems that, in the noblest adventures of the century, cities will lead and countries will follow. Most of the globe’s economic activity is funnelled through cities and especially coastal and maritime cities. They have the opportunity and the responsibility to lead the world towards sustainable development. The sheer size of cities is crucial, but also their potential to generate and capture positive synergies, their capacity for creativity and innovations and the intercon- nected local political leadership which heralded the era of urban geopolitics. Urban democracies, advocating for citizens to be at the heart of policies, could bring an extraordinary momentum in times of global democratic and trust defi cit. This book sheds particular light on coastal cities, places of exceptional opportunities and tensions at the junction of marine, land, air and human ecosystems. From seaside resorts and delta cities to maritime hubs, the spectrum of coastal cities includes very diverse typologies. They can all generate very diverse exceptional synergies, out of the interacting strengths and weaknesses of both cities and coasts. The book highlights particular threats and opportunities, and underlines effective imaginative responses that can inspire cities to address the challenges of the future in harmonious symbiosis with the sea. Humanity owes much of its prosperity to seas and oceans. Oceans are the ultimate life support system. Water has not only been a precondition for life on earth but it has provided vital resources to society and endowed some cities with special assets, from fi sheries and sea transport to recreational activities, raw materials and energy. Since the age of ancient metropolises on the sea, many port cities concen- trated not only commercial and economic wealth, but also political and even cultural power. Privileged access to the sea has often invited economies to exchange, trade and expand. The proximity of the sea and, through maritime routes, of the shores of the world, makes coastal cities more open and inventive, rich in experi- ences that can be offered to both citizens and visitors. ix x Preface Direct access to and symbiosis with the sea have been the generic criteria applied in this book which broadly focuses on coastal cities, without following a precise typology. The array of coastal cities includes places of potential confl icts between activities and ecosystem services and more vulnerable to open sea meteorological conditions and extreme phenomena that are also linked to advancing climate change. The escalating risks of fl ood and storm surge increasingly threaten cities, even if their citizens continue to wish to live by the sea. Authoritative reports analysing city-level data on population, assets, elevation and forecasts of rising sea levels, suggest that risks can be high and have to be collectively understood and addressed by all stakeholders. The spectre of sunken cities has reappeared. Images of Wall Street under water, in 2012, could be a twenty-fi rst-century symbol for urban climate change risks. Since Ulysses, the fi rst navigator, humanity has been attracted to exploration of lands beyond the seas. Its interest in life below the waves probably is as recent as its interest in life beyond the planet Earth. Atlantis, the archetypal sunken city, lost the struggle with eternity, but underwater archaeology shed light on many wealthy and glorious urban times before being engulfed by the water. Many more lost cities could be found on the seabed, humanity’s largest museum. At the other end of the spectrum, thriving cities reign on the seas and lead global maritime functions. Could present threats transform them into the sunken cities of the future? Climate change, subsidence, and socio-economic change could cause more cities to sink. Given the populations migrating to coastal cities, their oversize economic impact, and the anchoring of global prosperity in maritime businesses, the eventual sinking of coastal cities is an economic, social and even ethical and cultural issue of the highest importance. Resilience of places and communities to withstand threats becomes decisive. Cities have to strike a balance between short-term action to address urgent extreme situations and, most important, long-term action for sustainable development. The questions in the heart of the matter include: What could the journey of coastal cities into the world of the future be like? What auspicious and adverse winds and waves might there be to affect their unique assets and prospects? Why do citizens wish to aggregate by the sea? How does this proximity infl uence their quality of life? What are the risks of exposure of the world’s port cities to coastal fl ooding, storm surges and high winds? What can the impact of climate change, subsidence, demographic developments and socio-economic activities be? What can cities do to protect their citizens and what can citizens do to make their cities more immune to shocks? How could cities best manage precious marine resources as valuable assets that must be used sustainably? What innovations can cities bring as strongholds of the emerging blue economy and the services provided by marine ecosystems? How could coastal cities be best eco-managed to grasp opportunities and manage risks while engaging with their stakeholders and the world and promoting ocean corporate responsibility? * * * Cities are major nodes of all energy fl uxes in the complex, uncertain and interlinked urbanising world. The fi rst chapter examines the opportunities and risks which Preface xi could impact the future of cities as critical nexus points of social, economic and ecological change. It reviews global demographic, socio-economic and environmental trends, political developments and technological breakthroughs and presents an array of possible futures which invite cities to develop a vision on a preferred future. Last but not least, this part explores the potential of cities to lead the world in times of global democratic defi cit. The acceptable balance towards the civilisation of sustainability is a fundamental challenge for twenty-fi rst century cities. Conscious cities have to address all interacting global societal challenges, striving for strong sustainability. They can head through the age of scarcity and towards a new world order offering better chances for all citizens, present and future, within the limits of the planet. In alliance with seas and the oceans, the supreme life support systems, cities can lead by example and through their magnitude reinforced by their multiple networks. They should care not only about their natural resources, including marine resources, but also lead coalitions of committed stakeholders and engage in protection of the oceans and the high seas, the ultimate world commons.

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