Humankind and The City.
Towards
A Human and Sustainable Development
Naples,
6-8 september 2000
Naples
DECLARATION
Preamble
We,
the participants at the World Meeting Humankind
and The City: Towards A Human and Sustainable Development, held in Naples,
6-8 September 2000:
· Recognising the pivotal role that cities play in economic development and job creation, in promoting cultural creativity and technological and organisational innovation;
· Concerned with the social, economic, environmental impacts of urbanisation, globalisation and social change; and
· Noting the potential contribution that cities could make in promoting more sustainable forms of development and improving quality of life;
Hereby declare that:
1.
Justice for a more humane city
A
more humane city must be based on the principles of social and environmental
justice. It must respect and promote the dignity of each person, and ensure the
rights of diverse cultures to self-expression. Urban problems, such as poverty,
unemployment and underemployment, lack of adequate shelter, secure tenure and
basic services, and social and ethnic exclusion are not inevitable evils. Rather,
they are a scandal, too often resulting from a lack of political will and good
governance. Particularly in developing countries, foreign debt and
environmental degradation are closely linked. The “global common good” of a
more humane city cannot be achieved without reducing inequalities of all kinds
and at all levels.
2.
Good Governance
The
challenge of more humane and sustainable urban development cannot be met without
good governance. Good governance requires the participation of all humankind –
women and men of all ages - in public choices at all
levels of decision-making.
3.
Towards a new integrated economic vision
There is a need to build a new paradigm for economic development, based on inherent human and environmental values, and recognising the contribution of the “civil economy”. This expression, inspired by the Neapolitan economist Antonio Genovesi (1713-1769), means an economy that incorporates the wealth, added value produced by family, community, non-profit, voluntary, LETS (Local Exchange Trade System), micro and ethical financing, fair trade and mutual and self-help activities, as well as the critical unaccounted use of natural resources. Such an economy requires adequate indicators, not only economic but environmental, not only aggregate but also distributional, not only material but also spiritual.
4.
The role of integrated and participatory planning
Integrated and participatory planning should provide the basis for more sustainable urban development strategies. Such planning should strengthen civil society; build social capital; promote community-based development; and stimulate local enterprise (particularly among women and the young) and cultural vitality.
5.
The principle of subsidiarity and the promotion of sustainable
communities
The
Habitat Agenda and Local
Agenda 21 are important instruments recognising the critical
contribution of partnerships, participation, capacity-building and
decentralisation based on the principle of subsidiarity. They
should be widely applied by governments at all levels, and
involve the active participation of religious, social, economic, cultural
and professional associations, academic and research institutions, and
grassroots organisations.
6.
The importance of collective memory and the culture of the city
Cities are increasingly multiethnic and multi-cultural. The right to the city must be broad-based and all-encompassing. Nevertheless, the historical and cultural heritage, representing the collective memory of the city, its specificity and identity, must be preserved and promoted as a key contribution to the humanisation of our cities.
7.
Technology
Scientific and technological advancement is an essential component of sustainable development. In the past, however, it has too often accentuated inequality and harmed the environment. From now on new forms of technology should directly address the needs of the poor and abide by the precautionary principle.
8.
The cultural and educational dimension
The
cultural and educational dimensions have a strategic role to play in providing
the human and social capital for more sustainable forms of development. These
dimensions must be promoted together with spiritual, aesthetic and relational
ones within more comprehensive and holistic educational systems. A particular
responsibility lies with the media. New Information and Communication
Technologies should be put to work to promote the education necessary to achieve
social and environmental justice.
9.
Towards a new global ethics
Our
norms and ethics of behaviour for the 21st century should be based on
a shared recognition of our common humanity and our
shared eco-systems, to enable the non-violent resolution of conflicts and
differences and the recognition of the “global common good”. These ethics
and norms must keep the human being and human relationships at the centre of all
decision-making, to go beyond the narrow logic of economic development to
include the concern for social and environmental justice.
10.
The importance of the spiritual
The
spiritual dimension in its broadest sense is essential to sustainable human
development. It strengthens justice, solidarity, reciprocity and aesthetic
values. Every city should preserve and promote this dimension as an essential
aspect of the well-being of its people.