The world is urbanizing at unprecedented rates, with millions absorbed into the urban population every year. Adding to the pressure are more than 30 million displaced people driven from their homes by climate change and violence. Naturally, some of the fastest growing cities today are also some of the most polluted and unlivable cities in the world. Personally, I have seen my home Bangalore, once proudly called a garden city transform to a city on the precipice of disaster, with burning lakes, uncontrollable emissions, and a fumbling public transit system. Today, I have to resign to the fact that my city may not be livable in 2025. So how does one unravel this mess and where does one begin?
Urban sustainability solutions often look at technological advancements to deal with the growing mounds of waste, and the increasing pollution. Quick policies are introduced to shut down polluting industries, demolish slums to beautify cities and stop encroachment. These policies and solutions often overlook the poor and have serious consequences on the overall development of the city. In many developing cities it is the poor who clean our cities, recycle our waste and contribute heavily to a cities’ production. The urban poor also are the first victims and often agents of environmental destruction. Left out of the discourse and decisions that build and develop our cities, the poor have little motivation, access and capacity to develop sustainable solutions. Unequal development has devastating consequences on the social fabric of a city but can equally have problematic effects on the environment. Lack of access to sanitation facilities can pollute intricately networked water systems, destroy common resources and add to the burden of waste and declining public health. Informal industries largely run out of slums and sweatshops contribute heavily to air and water pollution, apart from exploiting its workers and damaging their health.
It is imperative to integrate the poor and their voices in the planning and development of a city, while increasing the scope of urban sustainability to include issues of social justice and inclusive development. Impoverished communities that have the capabilities and voice to access opportunities, overcome challenges and make informed decisions are more likely to see value in policies that protect natural resources and ecological systems in and outside our cities as often they are affected most by the degradation of the environment. At Bagheera Project we are working toward this end. By providing formal employment opportunities with decent living wages and benefits, and partnering with organizations bringing needed medical interventions and sanitation, we hope to build a more resilient and less vulnerable community. This stability provides space for the community to vocalize and address their challenges in a more holistic way. We attempt to facilitate this by providing knowledge and resources to help push informed decision making and solve pervasive challenges
