[sustran] UN HABITAT quick guides on sustainable mobility and paradigm shift

[FEKBRITTON]

re: UN=A9\Habitat Call for Expression of Interest for Cooperation =
Partners for
Production of Quick Guides for Sustainable Urban Mobility

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Now are the times that try men's souls. - Tom Paine=20

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Dear Lisa, Morten and All,

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I think this is an excellent exchange in this otherwise drab post Rio+20
world.  Instead of pussy footing around and playing nice as usual, =
Morten
Lange points up a typical turgid example of the reason why we are =
losing,
and losing badly, the war of sustainability (and social justice).

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The good news is that as a Viking he does not just sit there and applaud =
one
more half-baked mediocre (if well intentioned) idea. Instead he stands =
back
and looks at the issues (about which he knows a lot) and sounds a =
challenge
which really does need to be answered (but my bet is that it will of =
course
be ducked (i.e., ignored) as just about always, However  we don't have =
to
take that, we can reverse the tide and improve the quality and courage =
of
these projects But we have to get together to do it. ).=20

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Morten characterizes this, in his perfectly chosen words: an approach =
which
is (a) "quite unambitious and bureaucratic", then (b) "not a  very open,
collaborative process", followed by (c) "they do not seem to be wanting
NGO's on board at all", all the way to his knockout blow (d) "instead of
just regurgitating cautious adjustments to a perilous Business as =
Usual".
He could have gone further and drawn our attention to the fact that this
"call" -- " to promote a paradigm shift " , get it "paradigm shift"! --
gives a grand total of two weeks in the sleepy (for many) mid-summer for
anyone with an idea to get back to them with a first proposal.  That's a
joke, right?

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And there is more:  Can someone out there  remind me what is a "quick =
guide"
to sustainable urban mobility?  Did anyone mention to them that there =
are
hundreds, thousands  of them out there and that to change the game in =
terms
of urban transport, " to promote a paradigm shift ", it is not quick =
guides
or more endless  repertories of "best practices" that are going to do =
the
job.=20

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Does anyone else think there is something badly wrong here?

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Think of sustainable development as Syria, and the UN as the UN.=20

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Sustainable development and social justice cannot be passively =
administered
by civil servants whose first priority is to hang on  to their jobs. It =
is a
war, a war we are losing, and one  that needs to be fought and won with
brains, engagement, ideas, openness, experience, outreach,  =
inclusiveness,
communications, variety and risk taking.  We need to dare, to look the =
BAU
team in the eye, to go for virile combat,  to understand that to win =
this
one (urban mobility) we need to seize the public space (which a lot of
people and established interest are not going to like), to make some big =
and
creative mistakes, to learn from them, to do more . . . and to win.

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And in all this a tip of the hat to Lisa for agreeing with the overall
assessment. And then her hope "the hope, perhaps naive, that a Southern
based Organisation would have the ability to be involved in a productive
way".   (If that quiet call does not break your heart then you know =
nothing
.)

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But finally, this is good news too because it is an informed, frank =
exchange
with, I hope, a couple of hundred of us following it and trying to =
figure
out how to avoid " just regurgitating cautious adjustments to a perilous
Business as usual".

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When will it be time to send in the A Team? (On which I definitely want
Morten".)

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Eric Britton

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PS. Today I am grading papers for an annual Master Class that I give to =
a
last year MBA program at  the Institut Sup=A8=A6rieur de Gestion in =
Paris under
the title Sustainable Development, Economy  =
<http://sdes2012.wordpress.com/>
& Society, which you can visit if you wish at
http://sdes2012.wordpress.com/. I mention this here  because I can
truthfully say that everyone of the course papers I have thus far read =
and
commented are at a higher level than this two page UN Habitat call. No
kidding.

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---

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On Behalf Of Lisa Kane
Sent: Tuesday, 17 July, 2012 15:03
To: Morten Lange=20

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Dear Morten,

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Thanks for taking the time to reply. I wish I could offer the response =
you
look for, but I cannot. In fact, I agree with your overall assessment. =
My
motivation in circulating this was the hope, perhaps naive, that a =
Southern
based Organisation would have the ability to be involved in a productive
way.

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Regards

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Lisa

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Honorary Research Associate

University of Cape Town

Rondebosch 7701

+2721 6715404

+2772 7046605

--------------------------------------------

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On 17 Jul 2012, at 2:44 PM, Morten Lange <morten7an at yahoo.comwrote:

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Thanks Lisa, for conveying this to the group.

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However the content does not infuse me with optimism ..

I am sorry if I put this too bluntly, but the process around this=20

project, seems quite unambitious and bureaucratic to me. And not a=20

very open, collaborative process (?) Additionally they do not seem to=20

be wanting NGO's on board at all, only consultancies (?)

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My final criticism is their wording in the only instance where active
transport is specifically mentioned. It is to be "promoted".

What is needed is much more radical : reallocation of space in favour=20

of active transport modes. A redistribution of investments so, that=20

(indirect) subsidies car users are reduced.  Especially if one takes=20

the externalities of motorized transport into account : Barrier=20

effects (reducing public health and efficiency benefits achieved=20

through active transport), pollution of at least five main types,=20

land-use/sprawl, etc)

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I know I am preaching to the choir, but perhaps some of you can offer
consolation or hope that this exercise by UN Habitat will actually move
things forwards, instead of just regurgitating cautious adjustments to a
perilous Business as usual.=20

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--

Regards / Kve ja / Hilsen

Morten Lange, Reykjav k

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---------------------------

From: Lisa Kane <lisakane at iafrica.com>

To: "sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org"=20

<sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>

Sent: Monday, 16 July 2012, 17:56

Subject: [sustran] UN HABITAT quick guides on sustainable mobility,=20

call for interest

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This call for interest looks like it could be of interest to list =
members:

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http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/11316_1_594501.pdf

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Regards

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Lisa

=20

Honorary Research Associate

University of Cape Town

Rondebosch 7701

+2721 6715404

+2772 7046605