JULIANIZA ARIFFIN DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA JUN 2014 INTRODUCTION Over the last 10 to 20 years, particularly in the West, there has been a growing awareness of our need to change the way we live, or face an increasingly poor outlook for our environment. Phrases like "eco-friendly", "climate change", "recycling" and "alternative energy" are now familiar to everyone. All this time the global problems affecting our planet can all seem overwhelming and can lead to a sense of powerlessness and apathy. However, there are many simple, ordinary things that we can all do locally to ensure a better quality community for the future, such as recycling more of our rubbish, reducing wastage, and minimizing our contribution to pollution. We can also make choices about influencing global problems, too. For instance, we can buy Fair Trade produce to help ordinary people in the developing world, we can buy recycled products to help make recycling cost-effective, and we can lobby our councillors and MPs about these wider issues. This is what Local Agenda 21 is all about, act local and think global. If all of us acted responsibly locally, global problems would be reduced, if not eliminated. The concept of Local Agenda 21 really began in 1987 at a meeting of world leaders in Norway, where they agreed that the way forward for the planet was to adopt policies of "sustainable development". In other words, the kind of development that meets our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. This probably seems like simple common sense, but such policies have been far from common in most western European countries. Later, at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, these ideas were further developed under the term Local Agenda 21, the strategy for implementing sustainable sustainable development at local level. Each country represented was urged to develop an Local Agenda 21 strategy which developed in close liaison with local communities and organizations. In 1996, Aberdeen City Council signed the Aalborg Charter for Sustainable Development. Since then Aberdeen City Council has undertaken a wide range of programmes towards achieving sustainable development and is seen as one of the leading local authorities in the United Kingdom in this field. In 2004, Aberdeen signed the Aalborg Commitments. The Commitments are a clear set of actions that should be taken to ensure sustainable development at local authority level. They cover: 1. Governance 2. Local Management towards sustainability 3. Natural common goods 4. Responsible consumption and lifestyle choices 5. Planning and design 6. Better mobility, less traffic 7. Local Action for health 8. Vibrant and sustainable local economy 9. Social equity and justice 10. Local to global - The Council is currently undertaking a review of our progress with both the Commitments and our Local Agenda 21.
OPERATINALISATION 1. Internal to the local government The basic principles laid out in the Agenda 21 can be activated by the many organizations and operations of a local government. These include local policy and programme development; planning and management procedures in local projects, including preparing of development plans; purchasing decisions in development and construction of public projects; development of network (electricity, gas, water, roads) and social (community services, education, health) infrastructure; day-to-day maintenance, including waste collection and disposal 2. Local government's interaction with its citizens A local governments' interaction with its citizens in implementing plans to realize the goals set forth in its LA21 Plan is key to the success of the plan. Changes in urban lifestyles have far reaching consequences, positive and negative, on the local and global environment. Thus education and training in environmental issues; information campaigns and awareness building - using both formal and informal channels; monitoring and evaluation - including opinion surveys, referandums; action plans involving the civil society, for example, in the 3Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle; can be various ways in which the local government sensitizes its citizenry towards environmental protection. 3. External to the local government There are some actions that local governments can only influence, but where the essential decision-making process is outside their control. Here issues such as green business proactices, product and safety standards, green tourism, labour practices etc. play an important role. Activities of the civil society at large, including community groups, NGOs, and other institutions, also fall in this category. Six Key Element In LOCAL AGENDA 21 1. Managing and improving the local authority's own environmental performance Corporate commitment Staff training and awareness raising Environmental management systems Environmental budgeting Policy integration across sectors 2. Integrating sustainable development aims into the local authority's policies and activities Green housekeeping Land use planning Transport policies and programmes Economic development Tendering and purchase/provider splits Housing services Tourism and visitor strategies Health strategies Welfare, equal opportunities and poverty strategies Explicitly 'environmental' services 3. Awareness raising and education Support for environmental education Awareness-raising events Visits and talks Support for voluntary groups Publication of local information Press releases Initiatives to encourage behaviour change and practical action 4. Consulting and involving the general public Public consultation processes Forums Focus groups 'Planning for real' Parish Maps Feedback mechanisms 5. Partnerships Meetings, workshops and conferences Working groups/advisory groups Rounds Tables Environment City Model Partnership initiatives Developing-world partnerships and support 6. Measuring monitoring and reporting on progress towards sustainability Environmental monitoring Local state of the environment reporting Sustainability indicators Targets Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Strategic environmental assessment LOCAL PLAN Local plan is a written statement including policies and proposals, and the reason for those policies and consists of Proposals Map which illustrates the proposals of the plan and where policies apply. The Proposals Map consists of a city wide plan, a city centre inset and an accessibility map. 1. Improving quality life of the citizen All new development should contribute to this aim. Health should not be adversely affected by pollution or by detrimental impacts on quality of life such as noise or visual disturbance or by the loss of opportunity for recreation through the loss of open space Development should not pollute the natural environment. There is a need to maximize public access to open spaces and other natural areas due to their importance for informal recreation, while at the same time protecting the nature conservation interests of designated areas. 2. Involvement of citizens in the development process Good design should be the aim of everyone involved in the development process and it will be encouraged throughout the City. Good design can help create lively places with distinctive character; streets and public spaces that are safe, accessible, pleasant to use and human in scale; and places which inspire and reinforce pride in the city. This policy applies to change of use and refurbishment schemes as well as redevelopment. 3. The setting and character of buildings of architectural and historic interest Local characteristics which are considered detrimental in terms of urban design and which undermine the overall character of areas should not be used as a precedent for the poor design of new development. The proposals should maintain and enhance the setting and character of buildings of architectural and historic interest and conservation areas. There should be a role for innovative design in all areas of the city. Also, there should be opportunities for landmark buildings in suitable areas and sites such as the city centre, district centres, prominent and corner sites and areas of regeneration to help raise the profile of the area to be regenerated. New development should also take account of the latest building technologies. 4. Mix land-use development Integrating housing with shops and employment opportunities can make the most of the potential for higher densities and intensive activity at locations with good access to public transport. One of the main attractions of city living is the close proximity of work, shops, social, education and leisure, cultural and sporting uses. The Local Plan policies will help deliver the City Strategy aspiration for a vibrant mixed use city. Encouraging a diversity of uses helps to maintain balanced communities by providing increased activity and natural surveillance mixed used development can also help to improve personal safety. Through the provision of local services as well as encouraging the provision of surgeries, clinics, day care centres, nurseries and crches to locate in areas of identified need, sustainable communities are developed. Careful consideration shall be given to the range of uses proposed within a single site/building to ensure that uses are compatible and that any potential conflict is kept to an acceptable minimum through. 5. Integrating transport and development Development should connect into existing transport networks to ensure it is convenient for travel to the site to be achieved by all modes in order to provide genuine choice of travel. It is not acceptable for proposals to be designed and located on the assumption that the car will represent the only realistic means of travel for the vast majority of people. Development should always be integrated into pedestrian, cycling and public transport networks to ensure easy access to these modes of travel. Parking should be limited such as providing car parking less than standard, provides parking for disabled persons, secure cycle parking , lorry and motor cycle parking to encourage uses of public transport. 6. Public space The design, location and function of buildings can help reinforce the identity of routes and spaces within the public realm. Well-designed public spaces such as paths, streets, squares, parks and plazas can help people find their way around the city and provide informal, civic, or recreational space. When there is the opportunity to provide new or improved public spaces as part of a development scheme, these spaces should be well- designed, connected to pedestrian routeways and provide for the needs of all users. Importantly, the layout and form of new development should enhance the comfort and usefulness of open. CONCLUSION Sadly, relatively few Local Agenda 21 community forums have been set up to co- ordinate these strategies, but Hammersmith and Fulham Local Agenda 21 is one that has been successfully running since 1995 with representatives from local businesses, residents' associations, schools, disability groups and many more. Many local people have attended the community events and have informed the issues most important to the community. These led to the development of ideas to improve quality of life in the area. Now we have entered the 21st century, we should have a greater incentive to put a Local Agenda 21 strategy into practice, helping every sector of the community Malaysia to improve sustainable behavious and improve our environment. Despite our many inner city problems, our greens, wildlife, rivers, beaches need to be conserved. We should manage a great public transport links and a doorstep recycling scheme. Malaysians should ensure that future generations of residents and our many visitors can enjoy a better Malaysia for years to comes.