Unplanned urbanisation leads to social inequality

Apart from multiplying the use of fuels, greenhouse gas emissions, soil-water-air-noise pollution and loss of biodiversity, unplanned urbanisation has led to intensified social inequality, said an urbanisation expert.

Emphasising the need for ecologically healthier cities to combat adverse climate change effects, the urbanisation expert Debra Efroymson explained the idea of eco-city at a press conference Monday.   

"Eco-cities refer to a city where health and environment predominate at the same time," she told the press conference held on the eve of the two-day long Eco-City Conference-2021 on Wednesday.

Bangladesh and Nepal are jointly organising the event in cooperation with Ecocity Builders with the theme "BiodiverCity: Addressing Environment Disasters through Healthier Cities".

"Climate change has appeared to be a major challenge for the world. The number and severity of natural disasters have increased over the past couple of decades as global carbon footprints have risen at an alarming rate," Debra Efroymson, regional director at the HealthBridge Foundation of Canada, told the virtual press conference.  

Saifuddin Ahmed, executive director at the Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust, said, "We have constructed more and more buildings to improve the quality of life – ultimately leading to unplanned urbanisation. We have turned the city into concrete jungles."

Ahmed said they want to make the earth more liveable for future generations.

Naima Akter, WBB project officer, and Shail Shrestha, co-founder of Digo Bikas Institute in Nepal also addressed the press conference.

The eco-city conference will be joined by more than 50 experts from different sectors including members of the parliament, public health specialists, environmentalists, legal experts, and urban planners from Bangladesh and Nepal.

Besides, guest speakers from the USA, Canada, India, Bhutan, Vietnam, Uganda and Tanzania will also join in.