|
Final Discussion Document
Full text 
Executive Summary
First Discussion
Document
Full text
Executive Summary
Position Papers
Contributing authors
Comment
|
POLICY AND STRATEGY
AGENDA 21 FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
The Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction in Developing Countries was
launched as a discussion document during the recent World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg. The final document is the result of a collaborative
process that by itself represents an important step in the empowerment
of developing countries, providing as it does an agenda that was prepared
entirely by experts from developing countries to answer to the specific
needs and challenges of developing countries. It also marks the first
milestone in a new partnership between the International Council for Research
and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB)
and UNEP-IETC on sustainable construction
in developing countries. The project also received support from the Construction
Industry Development Board of South Africa (CIDB).
Aims and objectives
The aim of the Agenda is to better understand the challenges of sustainable
construction in developing countries, and to formulate a Research and
Development agenda and supporting Strategy for Action that will ensure
that the contribution of the construction sector to the physical development
of developing countries supports the principles of sustainability.
In this context, the Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction in Developing
Countries is seen as serving several objectives:
- Ensure investment in R&D that is relevant to developing countries
and meet their priorities.
- Provide direction to national investment in R&D.
- Guide international investment in research and development in the
developing countries
- More efficiently gear the scarce resources (human and capital) in
developing countries.
- Strengthen South-South cooperation and sharing of knowledge to increase
the level of self-determination for developing countries.
- Redefine the scope of North-South collaboration.
- Clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders.
- Stimulate debate and encourage exchange of learning on sustainable
construction within the developing world.
A new approach
From the challenges identified in the Agenda document, is clear that,
to improve the quality of life for people in developing countries, a number
of critical issues such as access to adequate housing and infrastructure,
rapid urbanisation, informal settlement and institutional incapacity have
to be addressed. However, in following an issue-driven approach in formulating
this research agenda, it would have been easy to get trapped in the enormity
of the developmental challenge and end up with an unfocused wish list
that lost sight of the original purpose: making sure that the development
that is necessary and happening already will be according to sustainability
principles.
Therefore, a different approach was followed that, firstly, steered clear
of old sectoral divisions (e.g. energy, water, waste, etc.) and attempted
to introduce a more holistic approach, and secondly focused not on the
development that is needed, but on what would be necessary to make sure
that when development happens, it would be sustainable. The R & D
agenda therefore focused on identifying a range of immediate to long-term
enablers that will have to be developed to provide the role players within
the broader construction sector who are working on solutions to these
developmental issues, with what they need to ensure sure their decisions
support sustainable development.
Sustainable construction will also require concerted action by all stakeholders
involved in the creation of the built environment, and the Agenda therefore
identifies and allocates the necessary actions in a Strategy for Action.
The enablers and the actions together provide a comprehensive, long-term
framework for the furtherance of sustainable construction.
[Back to top]
A shift in emphasis - the developing
world contribution
The title of this document suggests that there is a difference in sustainable
construction between developed and developing countries. However, if one
looks at the headings in the R & D Agenda and Strategy for Action,
these can in most cases apply equally well to developed countries. The
question can therefore be asked: How is Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction
in Developing Countries different from an agenda that would have been
formulated from a developed-world perspective? The differences lie in
the scope of the Agenda and the context within which its recommendations
have to be applied.
The developed world, which owes its wealth and high standard of living
to its commitment to technological development, would naturally emphasise
technology in an R & D agenda that concerns itself with sustainable
construction. Thus for many years there has been a tendency for sustainability
studies in construction to give greater emphasis to the dimensions or
aspects denominated as technical, i.e. ecological and geographical/spatial
sustainability. As a result, this approach has often ended up neglecting
the social contradictions making the field mainly - and in some cases
exclusively - a technical one.
The developing world, however, comes from a people-centred view of development,
which recognises that ultimately it will be the behaviour and choices
of people that determine the success or failure of sustainable development
and construction, not only the availability of sustainable technologies.
While technology is important, we also need to provide an institutional
environment that encourages and enables people to change their behaviour,
as well as giving them reasons for changing their behaviour.
The R & D Agenda outlined therefore not only looks at the technological
enablers that will be necessary, but also at what would be required to
provide an enabling environment for the implementation of sustainable
construction practices in developing countries. This entails the development
of a variety of institutional enablers, as well as the formulation of
a value system for the construction sector that supports sustainability,
and the tools that would be needed to facilitate the adoption of this
value system.
Not just for the developing world
Apart from providing a structured opportunity to empower researchers
in developing countries and expand research capacity in these countries
through South-South partnerships and technology transfer, the Agenda also
provides a framework within which existing North-South partnerships can
be reformulated and renegotiated and new partnerships can be established.
The R & D Agenda and Strategy for Action developed further provides
a model that can be used by developed countries to expand the scope and
relevance of their contribution to sustainable construction.
The way forward
To take the Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction in Developing Countries
forward is an enormous undertaking that will require plenty of innovation
and commitment from all concerned. Moreover, the implementation of this
Agenda is not just the responsibility of the research and education institutions.
More active involvement of government, industry, non-governmental organizations,
professionals and clients is needed if sustainable construction is to
be adopted by developing countries as the best way forward. Recommendations
for managing and promoting the implementation of the Agenda 21 for Sustainable
Construction in Developing Countries are included in the full report,
which also describes the developing world context, the R & D Agenda
and the Strategy for Action.
Download
Final discussion document:
- The executive summary - pdf format (662Kb)
- The full report - pdf format (1.58Mb)
|
