96 Action Ideas for Action

What You Can Do to Promote the Following:

Social Justice

Formulate comprehensive legislation on resettlement programmes which promote a policy of no demolition or eviction until all alternative logistical support, infrastructure, health and educational facilities are in place.

Lobby for the repeal of gender discriminatory policies and procedures and formulation of gender responsive procedures and standards for housing development.

Organise forums which encourage partnerships with the private sector and which discuss their role in the provision of shelter and urbanisation.

Campaign for the government to establish an independent body legally responsible for preventing illegal forced evictions and the monitoring, documenting and reviewing any ongoing or proposed or intended evictions.

Campaign for the prohibition of sale of government-owned urban lands, foreclosed or sequestered lands and lands of public domain to domestic and foreign investors.

Identify and strengthen existing alternative initiatives and mechanisms that are already responding to domestic and other violence against women in urban and rural areas.

Lobby local and national government to outlaw child labour and to protect children from physical abuse, sexual and workplace exploitation.

Promote the use of mixed land use policies and development programmes.

Call for legislators to promote financial and tax incentives for environmentally friendly developments projects and reforestation programmes.

Promote the concept of incorporating costs for relocation in the project costs of government infrastructure (national and local) projects which result in the displacement of families.

Lobby for the funding of safe houses, support services and educational facilities for street children.

Institute progressive taxation of urban lands to prevent over commercialised speculation in particular that which makes housing prohibitively expensive for the lower income groups and poor.

Lobby government to ensure that rural people everywhere have access to safe water and sanitation for healthy lives, while maintaining essential local environments.

Organise campaigns which encourage the provision of basic health care for children, including immunisation and nutrition.

Campaign for the provision of curative health care and advice and the development of support centres to encourage such health practices.

Promote the training of legislators, professionals, public civil servants to develop an understanding and support of sustainable settlements /cities.

Lobby Legislators both a local and national level to promote and support Rent Acts to control rental prices and to provide security to tenants.

Organise campaigns for the institution of appropriate legislation and regulations to enable punitive action on graft and corruption, and red tape on housing projects.

Lobby legislators to introduce laws which increased warrantee periods for houses and buildings constructed and materials used the construction. (eg. material specification)

Campaign for the introduction of procedural guidelines effecting the transfer of idle government lands to be utilised for socialised housing.

Call on the government to organise in co-operation with industry and the consumer movement, educational programmes which encourage sustainable methods of production and patterns of consumption.

Lobby local and national authorities to fine or delay approval of housing projects which do not provide adequate free family and youth recreational facilities.

Lobby the government to increase access for the poor to land, finance, infrastructure and building materials in both urban and rural areas.

Cultural Vibrancy

Work with local educational establishments and national educational planners to promote to school children and college students sustainable lifestyles and environmentally and socially friendly practices.

Introduce new educational curriculums and courses in schools, colleges and institutes of higher education on urban management with an emphasis on creating more social responsibility.

Organise community cleanliness and awareness programmes on health, safety and environment protection.

Lobby government to provide women-centred, women managed, safe and effective reproductive health care and affordable, accessible services for responsible family planning.

Campaign for proper lighting and safety features to prevent accidents, crime, sexual crimes and harassment.

Promote the active use of appropriate traditional and indigenous land-use practices, such as pastoralism, traditional land reserves and terraced agriculture in land management.

Lobby for the inclusion of specialised facilities and services for the elderly and ageing population in the community.

Organise campaigns which promote the recognition of the rights of indigenous people to their land, traditions, knowledge and livelihoods.

Organise public-awareness programmes that promote environmental labelling and other information that inform people of the health and environmental impact of products.

Encourage the use of traditional knowledge in national health systems.

Lobby the government to institute legislation banning of smoking in all public places and in venues commonly used by juveniles/youth.

Promote exchange programmes amongst all sectors to enable the sharing of expertise, ideas, experiences and solutions on Habitat issues.

Increase co-operation with international professional organisations and support the establishment of professional associations in developing countries to enhance exchanges of personnel, information and technology.

Promote the introduction of proper footpaths to encourage the reduction of short-distance vehicle travel. Include seating along footpaths and walkways in city centres to encourage walking as a enjoyable and viable means of transportation for all ages young and old.

Promote the concept of marked, gazette and safe bicycle paths along all roads with the exception of super-highways and highways.

Decentralise large schools systems and promote the development of smaller schools incorporated into housing projects to reduce unnecessary travel.

Call for the development of family friendly buildings, shopping complexes with crèches, short-term child care facilities and breast feeding designated areas.

Encourage the revival and re-development of derelict inner city areas involving the local inhabitants.

Lobby local and national governments to improve rural living in order to reduce the attractiveness of urban living and migration.

Promote the establishment of national emergency life services to deal with injury and serious illness and disasters.

Political Participation

Ask Legislators both at local and national level and civil servants to gazette and publicise all infra-structural developments in the mass media.

Encourage the authorities to adopt more "open door" practices, and to consult the public on methods, policies and procedures utilised when creating new development projects or revamping existing projects to facilitate healthy consumer input and cross-sectional opinion and suggestions.

Encourage the increased participation of women at all levels in project and programme research, design, planning and implementation to facilitate women user friendly products and developments.

Conduct disabled peoples forums on how to improve disabled access in transportation, housing, offices, public amenities and awareness programmes to promote sensitivity in planning and implementation of all development projects.

Promote sanitation, with a strategy of community-based labour-intensive construction of sewerage and stabilisation ponds.

Request and suggest to shopping complexes and building owners, to build more energy efficient and human friendly buildings.

Promote gender sensitisation for policy makers, government agencies, urban planners religious authorities, the judiciary, police and institutions that hamper women's status to ensure better safety and protection.

Conduct youth forums on what young people want to see introduced to improve the quality of future cities and settlements which they will have to live in.

Discuss with property developers, real-estate agents your requirements of a environmentally and user friendly habitat as a potential buyer.

Organise a national health watch to monitor and forecast the introduction of or increase in communicable diseases.

To encourage the members of a community to conduct environmental audits by utilising members of the community and experts from the local authorities or environmental organisations and departments.

Encourage the establishment of local and national councils for sustainable development, both in the formal business community and in the informal sector which includes small-scale businesses to promote equitable and sustainable income generating practices.

Involve Professional Associations in the training of governmental agencies and non-governmental organisations to facilitate contribution towards research, planning, organisation of community projects which work towards the goals of Habitat II.

Encourage the government to establish specialist department for Housing and Urban development and to train the staff to undertake overall responsibility for the countries policy, programmes, monitoring and evaluation.

Promote the development of national advisory groups to assist academics, business persons, scientists, government officials and members of the public to assist with the formulation of urban policies, environmental standards, and regulations and societal ethics.

Promote the composition of an overall national development policy grounded on sustainable and equitable development, which includes the nations policy of industrialisation, agricultural development, infrastructural development, housing and poverty alleviation programmes.

Encourage the establishment of urban resources centres to provide information, facilitate networks and to support poor communities through the organisation of training and skills development for individuals, CBOs and the smaller NGOs.

Local authorities and municipalities should conduct needs assessments and surveys on improving the policies and systems to promote programmes and methods for the provision of adequate housing and sustainable settlements.

Ecological Sustainability

Inform the public of the need for and lobby legislators/policy makers to enact legislation making Environmental Impact Assessments compulsory for all development.

Organise campaigns to promote greening of urban areas through tree planting, improved sporting facilities and public spaces.

Campaign for the enactment of legislation which introduce heavy fines for smoke belching and emissions from all vehicles.

Encourage the protection of green lung areas and recreational parks in cities and promote the understanding of their importance.

Promote the use of solar lighting systems or other efficient and environmentally friendly energy systems in housing and building projects.

Lobby for the provision of legal support and powers for local municipalities which enables them to fine or restrain violators of environmental regulations

Lobby the government to compel the use of anti-pollution devices and strictly regulate and monitor companies on the use of anti-pollution devices.

Encourage the development of treatment centres for hazardous wastes and for industry to treat, recycle or reuse such wastes.

Formulate and implement a policy to prevent large waste disposal and treatment plants being located in nature preserves or environmentally important areas.

Promote the increased number of categorised garbage collection points and organise awareness programmes on environmentally friendly domestic disposal systems.

Encourage government and developers to use techniques like landscape ecological planing that focus on an ecosystem or a watershed.

Organise campaigns which advocate minimal, integrated or non-pesticide and artificial fertiliser use in agriculture and food production and rural and urban pest and weed control.

Promote the concept of local Municipalities adopting a compre-hensive and effective Health Plan to improve living conditions such as waterquality, solid waste manage-ment, proper public health facilities and social services.

Economic Productivity

Promote the concept of integrated land-management and project development to local authorities, planners, and developers in the private and public sector.

Promote the decentralisation of lending operations and the increased competitiveness of mortgage markets to reduce artificially high consumer borrowing rates.

Promote the provision of credit facilities to women for income generation activities, housing and family support.

Encourage tie-ups between investors, community based organisations and housing developers to promote low-cost housing and increased employment opportunities for the residents and inhabitors.

Lobby local and national government to increase allocations of the national budget to upgrading slums, low cost housing programmes, health and agricultural programmes aimed to benefit the poorer groups in society.

Allocate funds for the acquisition and distribution of lands for socialised housing

Encourage the government to increase expenditure on research and development of cheap and environmentally friendly energy.

Lobby government to establish appropriate financial institutions to ensure availability of finance for the development of human settlements and implementing community based housing-finance systems for the benefit of low-income groups.

Extend the repayment period for 30 years for socialised housing.

Lobby government to develop specialist research and training institutions and specific mechanisms which promote integrated urban management in order to overcome the constraints created by sectoral approaches, in particular, by separate management of road development, public transport, land-use, water management.

Encourage the training of young professionals in the field of housing and urban management, with the co operation of institutes and colleges of higher education.

Lobby Members of Parliament to enact legislation which apply the principle of "polluter pays" and introduce incentives to reduce pollution of rivers and seas.

Encourage companies to provide in-house child care facilities and/or vouchers for child care services.

Conduct workshops to promote the establishment of Housing Workers Co-operatives and a national fund for the financing of these co-operatives.

Encourage the development and use of affordable public transport systems both through discussion and consultation.

Campaign for the introduction of private vehicles restricted zones and car passes for single occupancy private vehicles in city centres.

Promote the establishment of training centres in areas of unemployment in rural and urban centres, whilst making funds available for start up loans to provide skills training to the unemployed and to "entrepreneurs".

Formulate education policies and programmes that will enhance the skill and increase the earning capacities of those in the informal sector in rural and urban areas, particularly young people and women.

Encourage trade unions, farmers, and women's associations to set-up financial co-operatives or credit unions to increase access to cheap financial assistance.

Promote the adoption of land sharing schemes for government lands presently occupied.

Promote the up-grading of houses by individual households with support from community development association, local NGOs and municipal agencies, using local materials and labour-based environmentally friendly technologies.

Encourage the utilisation of innovative housing technologies and building materials and allocate funds for incentives to individuals/organisations which develop new/improved housing technologies.

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