What is urbanism and why it is important
Questions about how to shape cities, and what that process should look like, are not new. But urban planning becomes ever more important as urbanization levels hit their highest. In Kazakhstan, 11,372,840 people live in urban areas, which is 59.5 percent of the country's over 19 million population.
Globally, some 55 percent of the world’s population live in cities, according to the World Bank data. By 2050, it is projected that nearly 7 of 10 people in the world will live in cities.
More than 60 percent of global GDP comes from cities, which speaks to the positive impact of urbanization on sustainable economic growth, but only if managed well. Often, however, urban development plans fail to address the needs of different groups of the population.
That is where urbanism can help to ensure the sustainable, accessible, and safe arrangement and designing of buildings, transport systems, and public spaces - all that makes our urban spaces.
Making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable is Goal 11 among the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
«Cities and metropolitan areas are powerhouses of economic growth—contributing about 60 percent of global GDP. However, they also account for about 70 percent of global carbon emissions and over 60 percent of resource use. Rapid urbanization is resulting in a growing number of slum dwellers, inadequate and overburdened infrastructure and services, such as waste collection and water and sanitation systems, roads and transport, worsening air pollution, and unplanned urban sprawl,» says the UN.
Urbanization dynamics
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), during the first decade of independence, from 1992 to 2001, Kazakhstan’s population decreased by 1.6 million people (9.7 percent). It has been growing steadily since 2002 and reached 18.4 million in 2019.
The country's urban population has also been growing steadily due to both natural increase and migration growth, as many people were moving to cities seeking better opportunities. The capital Nur-Sultan and Almaty, Kazakhstan’s former capital, were the main destinations for internal migration.
There were also efforts from the government to encourage migration flows from the overpopulated south to the north, which was comparatively depopulated.
According to Kazakhstan's territorial development plan until 2025, the urbanization level is expected to reach 63 percent by 2025.
Kazakhstan is forecasted to continue the rapid demographic growth of agglomerations and other large cities, according to the Kazakh Ministry of National Economy. Four agglomeration centers - Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Shymkent and Aktobe - now account for 22 percent of the country's population and 33 percent of the country's GDP.
In 14 major cities, the population for the last 10 years has grown by 13.1 percent, accounting for 68 percent of the regional trade, 22.3 percent of the industrial production and 20,1 percent of the nationwide volume of investments into the fixed capital.
What is urbanism?
Karsybek defines urbanism as what shapes cities.
«In general, how people and city should interact with each other and how to create spaces for people to be safe, happy and feel comfortable in cities and so that it spans across different activities of people,» said Karsybek.
Urbanism encourages us to think of the psychology and sociology of people because cities are first and foremost designed for people.
«The first key principle is to consider the needs of a person. What she or he needs, what should be done so that every person regardless of his or her abilities and capacities would live and prosper, and what makes people want to live in cities. Primarily, this is about interaction with people,» said the expert.
Urbanism involves experts from different fields.
«One is an architect, who understands how the city is built and what it comprises, another is an urban planner, who plans the development of urban spaces, including the economy, business, and health sectors. The field also needs a sociologist who compiles a portrait of a resident, their mentality, and needs. There should also be economists and ecologists. For example, in the case of Lake Taldykol [referring to a small lake in Nur-Sultan], environmentalists were taking an active part,« said Karsybek.
Major problems in cities
There are many challenges that cities face. Environmental threats, reduction of resources in the context of increasing population, and the many buildings that are often built without consideration of risks to the city are just a few to name.
People are moving to the cities hoping for better opportunities, but cities are often not ready to sustain the influx of people resulting in overcrowding when there are more people on a square meter than it could sustain. This causes tremendous pressure on infrastructures, such as housing utilities, water, and electricity.
Houses are built, but the infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing population is not met. Roads become dominant, and the development does not always include public transport and is unfriendly for walking and cycling.
Another important issue stems from the increasing frequency of natural disasters and hazards. Cities must be resilient and ready to handle strong winds, heavy rains, and snowstorms. The 2018 heavy rain in Nur-Sultan followed by a storm is among the recent examples of how natural phenomena caused huge damage to the city landscape damaging building facades and tearing off roofs of houses.
According to Karsybek, the most difficult task is to work with the mind. «It is about changing conventional wisdom. For example, people's habit to drive. From children to adults, people imagine good life when you drive a car. From the public to the government, this paradigm - dependence on cars - is reflected in urban space. The so-called road lobby is so deeply ingrained in our understanding of cities and family life that people do not want to give up on that and when we say that we need to cut the lanes and create more walking lanes for bikes, they do not understand this,« she said.
Along with that, cars generate a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to worsening air quality in cities.
As of 2021, there were 3.8 million cars in Kazakhstan, according to the Bureau of National Statistics. Per 100 people in the population, there are 18.9 cars per 100 people nationwide - every five people in Kazakhstan own a car. The figure stands at 21.1 in Nur-Sultan and 21.4 in Almaty.
It is essential to raise awareness first before acting. «Concrete actions require a lot of time and big money,« she added.
The government also needs to have vast support in making certain decisions, which they usually lack, largely due to a lack of trust.
»Especially, the LRT project [referring to the light rail transport project that began in 2011 and failed to be completed]. Everyone knows where it ended. People now have this kind of attitude that they do not trust initiatives undertaken by the officials. They fear and there is no trust,« said Karsybek.
Constructive dialogue, however, is steadily building up and urbanists serve as a bridge mediating between the officials and the public.
»In general, we share information through social media. We are running a project on the standards of comprehensive development of territories. The document consists of recommendations on how to plan and build urban spaces and we are now trying to adapt it to the Kazakh realities. We meet with architects in all regions of the country. This is done to provoke discussions,« said Karsybek.
Everyone can be an urbanist
A person's responsibility does not only confine to his or her apartment but rather goes well beyond his or her work and home spaces.
»A person goes out to the street, and this is also home. Streets and parks are also home. This is all where we can take responsibility. If every person would treat every place like home, for example, not littering around or collecting garbage, he or she will demonstrate active civic position in urbanism,« said Karsybek.
How does urbanism contribute to a barrier-free environment?
Making sure that cities and their spaces are inclusive is one of the key goals. Groups of people with reduced mobility are affected the most when city spaces fail to meet everyone’s needs. These groups include not only people with disabilities but also women who are pregnant or carrying a baby wheel, and people with luggage. Each of these groups has specific requirements.
«This is a huge segment of the population. Creating a barrier-free environment is primarily to make the city safe, accessible, and comfortable for all people. This applies to all areas of the city’s life – housing, transport, streets, children's playgrounds and it requires a separate concept,» said Karsybek.
While there might be a long way for the country’s cities towards becoming inclusive, sustainable, and accessible, efforts are already being taken both by the government, civil society and citizens themselves giving hope for people-centered urban planning.
Written by Assel Satubaldina
