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        | SHELTER EVENTS World Association of 
          Megacities: Metropolis ’93 - 21st-24th September 
          1993
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  The World Association of Mega 
  Cities, Metropolis, in association with other associations of cities and 
  municipalities has played an important role in promoting the acceptance of 
  Agenda 21, the programme of action for the environment adopted at Rio ’92.
 Montreal hosted the fourth Congress of the World Association of Mega Cities, 
  (Metropolis ’93) from the 21st to the 24th September 
  1993.  The Congress, based on the theme, “The Citizen and Sustainable 
  Development”, focused on various issues that confront the metropolis of today. 
  Taking serious note of the possibility that large cities will become the 
  dominant form of territorial occupation (50% of the world’s population will be 
  urbanised) by the turn of the century, the Congress defined its objectives to 
  enable the metropolises to discuss their experiences in planning and 
  development and create conditions conducive to dynamic interaction between 
  various elements of the cities.
 
 The Congress established six working groups which dealt on diverse issues of a 
  city’s health and sustainable growth and its place in the global society.
 
 The six groups focused attention on:
 Development and 
  Expansion
 1.Economic 
  strategies and challenges of large metropolis.
 2.Strategic planning for metropolis
 3.Urban transport – the use of existing 
  corridors for passenger transport and under-ground roads.
 
 Development and Quality of Life:
 4.Air pollution and health in large cities.
 5.Information and education strategies for 
  the management of solid urban waste.
 
 Development and Interdependence:
 6.Policies to enable low-income people to benefit 
  from urban development.
 
 The role of the citizen as an 
  active participant in the process of the city’s evolution rather than a mere 
  city dwelling consumer was the central theme of the Congress.  
  Decentralisation of power down to community groups was an important agenda for 
  discussion.  In essence, the participation of citizen groups and neighbourhood 
  units in decision making and law enforcement was emphasised.  The contribution 
  of the urban poor in the economic growth and development of the city was 
  recognised by al and the improvement of their quality of life and their 
  integration into the urban milieu was a major concern.
 
 The working group on Development and Interdependence focused mainly on 
  policies for the benefit of the under privileged sections of the urban 
  societies, the interdependence of the local communities and the reinforcement 
  of the relations between them.  Land tenure, ownership, simplification of 
  bureaucratic administrative procedures and innovative financial strategies was 
  regarded as a prerequisite by most participants to improve the quality of life 
  of the urban poor.  Emphasising on the success of the above approach Dr. 
  Pronosol from Mexico City and Dr. Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Nuaim form Riyadh 
  described the regularisation of many hitherto illegal housing developments and 
  their subsequent physical betterment in the cities.
 
 The general lack of initiative on the part of the citizen in the development 
  of the city was taken serious note of.  Encouragement of individual action and 
  reduction of the growing indifference by the citizen was a serious issue on 
  debate.  Commenting on this Jean-Pierre Elonger Mbassi from Cotonou, mentioned 
  the problems that the city, its citizens and the communities face that 
  discourage ‘interdependence’ in the metropolis. The complexity of the city 
  centres reduce an individual’s sense of identity with the city.  The 
  acknowledgement of existence, especially of the under privileged, and a sense 
  of belonging is of primary importance for generating within the individual 
  citizen and the community the desire for ‘interdependence’.
 
 The Congress sought to answer the following questions, of prime importance to 
  the sustainable growth of mega-cities in the world of tomorrow.  How can the 
  right balance be established, without recourse to excessive restrictions, for 
  economic, social, and demographic development to take place favouring strong 
  and lively city centres while allowing for harmonious relations between the 
  metropolis an the region which surrounding it?  How can we establish a fair 
  division of the advantages, responsibilities and the decision-making powers 
  within a metropolitan region?  How can we ensure the recognition by higher 
  levels of government of the distinct role to be played by the metropolis while 
  at the same time ensuring its harmonious involvement with the wider society 
  around it?  How can we ensure a happy symbiosis between the economic 
  contribution of the city and that of the regions?  How can we ensure the 
  quality of life in face of the social and other limitations found inevitably 
  in a highly urbanised milieu?
 
 Edith Gingras and Zeenat 
  Niazi, DA, Canada
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