Publication:
Evaluating the Potential Returns to Investing in Green Urban Development in Durban

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (20.35 MB)
831 downloads
Date
2017-04
ISSN
Published
2017-04
Editor(s)
Abstract
Urbanisation is taking place at an unprecedented rate throughout the world, often outpacing plans and the capacity of city managers. As a result, natural open space areas in cities are being degraded and diminished, and problems such as flooding, air and water pollution are getting worse. The environmental problems associated with increased hardened surfaces and the loss of natural areas and ecosystem services are particularly acute in developing country cities, where a lack of regulation and resources has led to poor planning, the expansion of informal settlements in high risk, marginal areas, and the inability to adequately manage the quantity and quality of surface water flows.Durban, located within the eThekwini Municipality on the east coast of South Africa, is rich in biodiversity, but faces a number of environmental and developmental challenges. Green urban development is an approach that aims to minimize the impacts of urbanization on the environment, and tackles the core problems of pollution and waste, the consumption of natural resources, the loss of urban open space and the degradation and loss of biodiversity, as well as mitigation of the urban contribution to climate change. The aim of this study was to explore, using a case study and scenario-based approach, the potential costs and benefits of undertaking a green urban development approach to address some of the main environmental issues described above, and to explore the potential tradeoffs between different types of interventions, with an emphasis on assessing the desirable balance between engineered interventions and the conservation of natural open space areas. The study focuses on three elements of green urban development, all of which impact on ecosystems and biodiversity: sewage and solid waste management, active storm water management and the conservation of natural systems and riparian corridors.
Link to Data Set
Citation
Turpie, Jane; Letley, Gwyneth; Chyrstal, Robynne; Corbella, Stefan; Stretch, Derek. 2017. Evaluating the Potential Returns to Investing in Green Urban Development in Durban. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27322 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Return on Investment in Green Urban Development
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-04-01) Turpie, Jane; Kroeger, Timm; De Risi, Raffaele; de Paola, Francesco; Letley, Gwyneth; Forsythe, Katherine; Day, Liz
    Rapid urbanisation is taking place at an unprecedented rate throughout the world, with the rate of growth often outpacing urban planning and the capacity of city managers. As a result, existing natural areas within cities,which provide a range of benefits to urban dwellersare becoming smaller and degraded, and problems such as flooding, air pollution and water pollution are becoming worse in many places. African cities often lackthe resources to deal with these problems. However, anumber of studies have suggested that investing in the maintenance or restoration of natural infrastructurein many cases may not only address given problems at comparable or lower cost than conventional engineering projects, but also generate multiple additional benefits that ultimately translate into cost savings and increased human wellbeing. Meanwhile, great strides have been made in the design of sustainable mechanisms to deal with urban environmental issues, stormwater flows and the attendant pollution problems, and management and planning of cities is increasingly taking a holistic approach that includes the use and conservation of semi-natural and natural areas within cities as part of a green urban development strategy. One of the challenges of green urban development will be to findthe right balance between ecological infrastructure(natural systems), “green” (= environmentally friendly)built infrastructure, and conventional (“grey”) built infrastructure. Dar es Salaam, located on Africa’s Indian Ocean Coast,faces a multitude of environmental problems. Prominent among them is the problem of flooding in and around the city centre, which frequently brings the city to a standstill, as well as causing infrastructural damage. Many factors have contributed to this problem, including unplanned informal settlements in the upper catchment and floodplain areas, a lack of drainage and a lack of solid waste management. The impacts of flooding are also exacerbated by high levels of pollution in the rivers, which increases the risks associated with flooding. In consultations for this study, stakeholders in Dar esSalaam identified the Msimbazi River as being amongthe most degraded ecosystems in the city and also the source of the most serious flooding problems. The aim of the study was to explore the potential costs and benefits of undertaking a green urban development approach, including catchment-to-coast restoration measures, to ameliorate flood risk in the Msimbazi Rivercatchment.
  • Publication
    A Spatial Valuation of the Natural and Semi-Natural Open Space Areas in eThekwini Municipality
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017) Turpie, Jane; Letley, Gwyneth; Chyrstal, Robynne; Corbella, Stefan; Stretch, Derek
    Durban is located within a global biodiversity hotspot, and still contains a wealth of biodiversity. Some of this is protected in nature reserves, but much of it is in private hands or in communal lands on the city’s periphery. City managers are divided over the level of attention that should be given to preserving these remaining natural areas. While it is argued that they make a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation in the province, provide valuable ecosystem services and will contribute to the city’s resilience in the face of climate change, the counter argument is that much of this area should make way for development to alleviate the escalating problem of unemployment. The study of ecosystem services and their value to society has made significant advances since an estimate was made of Durban’s ecosystem services in the 1990s using early values from the international literature. The aim of this study was to provide estimates of the value of ecosystem services provided by natural open space areas within the eThekwini Municipal Area (EMA), and to map the geographic variation in these values as far as possible so as to be able to compare both areas and types of value, using available and locally-relevant data. This study was carried out as a desktop study based on available data. Modelling assumptions were based on data from within the study area, drawing on the regional, national or international literature only where necessary. The study focused on the direct values associated with the provision of natural resources, indirect use values associated with regulating services generated by ecosystem functioning, and the amenity values generated by ecosystem attributes.
  • Publication
    Greening Africa's Cities
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-05-23) White, Roland; Turpie, Jane; Letley, Gwyneth Letley
    Africa is urbanizing late but fast. This brings many benefits but, as this report shows: thus far, urbanization in Africa, unique in a number of respects, is having deleterious and largely unchecked impacts on the natural environment; the degradation of natural assets and ecosystems within African cities carries tangible economic, fiscal and social costs; there are important opportunities to change the current environmental trajectory of African cities so that they move towards a more harmonious relationship between their natural and built environments. For this to happen, focused action is necessary.
  • Publication
    A Preliminary Investigation of the Potential Costs and Benefits of Rehabilitation of the Nakivubo Wetland, Kampala
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-09) Turpie, Jane; Day, Liz; Gelo Kutela, Dambala; Letley, Gwyneth; Roed, Chris; Forsythe, Kat
    Rapid urbanisation threatens existing natural areas withincities and the ecosystem services that they provide. This case study forms part of a broader study that investigates the benefits of investing in Green Urban Developmentin African cities. The Kampala case study focuses on the Nakivubo wetland, one of several large wetland systems that occur within and around the city. This wetland has become severely degraded by polluted water from thecity that passes through the wetland before entering Inner Murchison Bay. However, as the city has continued to grow, pollution flows into the wetland have increased significantly, the size and assimilative capacity of the wetland has decreased, and the costs of water treatment have increased. These concerns, as well as the increasing shortage of public open space areas in the city that are available for recreation, haveled to the city’s consideration of the rehabilitation of the Nakivubo wetland, both to restore its functioning and to create the opportunity for a recreational area with associated possibilities for economic development. This study provides a preliminary evaluation of the state of the Nakivubo wetland, the potential costs and benefitsof its rehabilitation and the implications for the city’sexpansion plans. The primary objectives were defined as(1) effecting a measurable improvement of waterquality passing out of the Nakivubo wetland into InnerMurchison Bay, (2) ensuring sustainable management ofthe Nakivubo wetland, (3) reducing water quality impactson human health and (4) opening up opportunitiesfor safe recreational use of the lower wetland. One of the main challenges in achieving the above would be institutional. Greater Kampala extends well beyond the boundaries of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), which originally encompassed the entire city, and unless the KCCA area is adjusted accordingly (as has been done in other countries), the problems that will arise in a growing city will be in areas under multiple other jurisdictions.
  • Publication
    Developing Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for the National Climate Change and Low Carbon Green Growth Strategy and Action Plan in Romania
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-11) World Bank
    In support of the Climate Change and Low Carbon Green Growth Program of Romania (LCGGP), the World Bank has prepared the current report with the aim of helping the Romanian Government to operationalize the strategic path chosen by the country for implementing its National Climate Change and Low Carbon Green Growth Strategy 2016-20302 (NSCC) and the associated 2016-2020 Action Plan for Climate Change (APCC). This includes some relevant institutional arrangements and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) activities for existing Climate Change (CC) related policies and measures, notably those derived from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, plus the requirements for European Union (EU) Member States regarding the monitoring and evaluation of the EU-level climate and energy package and the Europe 2020 goals for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It was recommended that the Romanian government should build upon current obligations for M&E of public policies, whilst recognizing that the M&E system initially established for the NSCC and APCC for Romania must not be considered as static, but rather as an on-going continuum that will evolve, expand and improve over time. The report highlights some key weaknesses in institutional capacity for CC-related M&E and identifies several sector-specific examples of areas for improvement. The report usefully reviews international good practices for the M&E of CC strategies and action plans under the headings of General good practice; Green Growth good practices; Special considerations for CC adaptation (including the selection of indicators), and; European examples (including short case studies on relevant M&E practices from Germany and France). In order to facilitate the necessary learning processes for policy-makers and other key stakeholders it is recommended that the Romanian government adopts a “theory-based” approach (in conjunction with the OECD DAC criteria) as the evaluation framework for the NSCC and APCC. The theory-based approach follows an iterative process of design, evaluation, and redesign based on lessons learned about whether specific interventions are successful or not, why they succeeded or failed and how they can be improved. The report concludes with numerous additional practical recommendations for development of a simple, affordable and cost effective M&E system for the NSCC and APCC. These recommendations are grouped into four categories: (i) general recommendations; (ii) recommendations for improving institutional arrangements; (iii) recommendations for developing a solid evaluation framework; and (iv) recommendations for reporting. Finally, to ensure a robust framework, the M&E and Reporting system should clearly define goals, indicators, responsibilities and communication strategies. It should facilitate continuous learning by policy-makers and other key stakeholders in order to underpin the long-term development of the knowledge and understanding needed to better design, implement and deliver future CC strategies and action plans for Romania.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Lebanon Economic Monitor, Fall 2022
    (Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank
    The economy continues to contract, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. Public finances improved in 2021, but only because spending collapsed faster than revenue generation. Testament to the continued atrophy of Lebanon’s economy, the Lebanese Pound continues to depreciate sharply. The sharp deterioration in the currency continues to drive surging inflation, in triple digits since July 2020, impacting the poor and vulnerable the most. An unprecedented institutional vacuum will likely further delay any agreement on crisis resolution and much needed reforms; this includes prior actions as part of the April 2022 International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff-level agreement (SLA). Divergent views among key stakeholders on how to distribute the financial losses remains the main bottleneck for reaching an agreement on a comprehensive reform agenda. Lebanon needs to urgently adopt a domestic, equitable, and comprehensive solution that is predicated on: (i) addressing upfront the balance sheet impairments, (ii) restoring liquidity, and (iii) adhering to sound global practices of bail-in solutions based on a hierarchy of creditors (starting with banks’ shareholders) that protects small depositors.
  • Publication
    World Development Report 2006
    (Washington, DC, 2005) World Bank
    This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.
  • Publication
    Doing Business 2014 : Understanding Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises
    (Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2013-10-28) World Bank; International Finance Corporation
    Eleventh in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 185 economies, Doing Business 2014 measures regulations affecting 11 areas of everyday business activity: Starting a business, Dealing with construction permits, Getting electricity, Registering property, Getting credit, Protecting investors, Paying taxes, Trading across borders, Enforcing contracts, Closing a business, Employing workers. The report updates all indicators as of June 1, 2013, ranks economies on their overall “ease of doing business”, and analyzes reforms to business regulation – identifying which economies are strengthening their business environment the most. The Doing Business reports illustrate how reforms in business regulations are being used to analyze economic outcomes for domestic entrepreneurs and for the wider economy. Doing Business is a flagship product by the World Bank and IFC that garners worldwide attention on regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship. More than 60 economies use the Doing Business indicators to shape reform agendas and monitor improvements on the ground. In addition, the Doing Business data has generated over 870 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals since its inception.
  • Publication
    Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21) Luna-Bazaldua, Diego; Levin, Victoria; Liberman, Julia; Gala, Priyal Mukesh
    This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.
  • Publication
    Argentina Country Climate and Development Report
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank Group
    The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.