Fighting Social Exclusion in Cities
Geneva, 19 September 2001
Urban planners and housing experts met in Geneva on Monday,
17 September 2001, under the umbrella of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) to discuss the problems of insecurity and social
exclusion in cities and to find ways to overcome them. Their discussion was
part of this year’s annual session of the UNECE Committee on Human
Settlements (17-19 September).
The recent ‘summer of discontent’ experienced in some
British and French cities has again highlighted the need for social cohesion
in urban areas. Cities have always been socially and culturally mixed. But if
they cannot provide a well-balanced political, economic and social environment
and ensure an adequate standard of living and equal opportunities for all
their residents, political instability, ethnic conflicts and other social
problems can occur.
In countries in transition the problem is exacerbated by
the impact of privatization, with the authorities withdrawing wholesale from
the housing sector and new owner-occupiers unable to afford the upkeep of
their homes.
In the UNECE region in general, the economic slowdown and
cutbacks in spending on social programmes have contributed to growing income
and social inequalities. Globalization of both communications and markets is
also having a profound effect, especially at the bottom of industrialized
societies. This inevitably affects the large housing estates built to meet the
needs of now-idle factories and their workers, many of whom originally came
from former colonies or other less developed regions. The outbreaks of
violence among young people, their stand-offs with police and recent attacks
on new arrivals, such as refugees, have illustrated the tensions that grip
these housing estates.
According to the city planners, the best way to fight
exclusion is not by means of isolated action, but by making sure that the need
to promote social inclusion figures prominently in spatial planning, housing
and land administration policies. It is also important to empower people so
that they are motivated to individually influence the outcome of their lives
and to collectively modernize their communities.
The city planners and housing experts also referred to the ECE
Strategy for a sustainable quality of life in human settlements in the 21st century, adopted by UNECE Housing Ministers in Geneva last year.*
For more information, please contact:
Christina von Schweinichen
Deputy Director
UNECE Environment and Human Settlements Division
Palais des Nations, office 340
CH - 1211 Geneva 10
Phone: +41 22 917 23 88
Fax: +41 22 907 01 07
E-mail: [email protected]
* Economic Commission for Europe. ECE Strategy for a
sustainable quality of life in human settlements in the 21st century. Sales No. E/F/R.01.II.E.10
Ref: ECE/ENV/01/08