Sustainable Urban Development Network

The Sustainable Urban Development Network (SUD-Net) is a network of global partners, supported by UN-HABITAT, with the aim of promoting an interdisciplinary approach to sustainable urban development. It has the goal to help impoverished areas gain access to food in a sustainable manner.
SUD-Net was founded in 1990 by United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
Main Activities
Some of the main activities SUD-Net include but are not limited to: building partnerships; introducing new ideas through the use of demonstrations; encouraging education and an exchange of ideas.
Integrated Environmental Zoning (Dutch model)
In an effort to simplify the process for permitting and land use, the Dutch government combined the agencies that were each responsible for air, water, and soil pollution assessment (Environmental Protection Act of 1980). Further legislation switched the focus from threat analysis to environmental protection (National Environmental Management Act). The Netherlands has received attention for its plan to control all of its environmental issues within twenty-five years. This mode of assessment has uncovered conditions that are unacceptable according to the program criteria, and the cost of remediation has been prohibitive. There have been concerns over the inflexibility of the assessments and today’s environmental policy is considering incorporating flexibility criteria to compensate for the costs, without compromising on the environmental standard goals.
Partnerships
SUD-Net, in an effort to enable global, regional, national, and local leaders, has sought to commence and strengthen relationships that support urban development. SUD-Net enters into agreements with its members to communicate within a standard while using current ways to deal with urban issues. The Regional Technical Cooperation Division (RTCD) offices are tasked with creating Regional Working Groups and initiating agreements to be ratified by SUD-Net administrators. Access to SUD-Net is voluntary and happens through an Urban Gateway.
Mission
SUD-Net aims to improve the resources available for entities ranging from national to local governments to assist in the efforts to cultivate productive, sustainable urban cities. The organization seeks to improve social equity, social resilience, economic development, and the quality of urban environments all over the world. Through the use of urban and environmental planning, SUD-Net intends to help local decision-makers mitigate the effects of urbanization on climate change and support poverty reduction strategies.
The consequences that are linked with growing populations in cities are known, however, many governments and local decision-makers in developing and semi-developing countries still remain unaware of the strategies and resources that can be used to implement sustainable urban development policies. SUD-Net seeks to address this issue with the use of further education about sustainable urban planning and provide access to tools and communication networks to further enhance the resources for cities to practice good sustainable habits.
With these goals in mind, UN-HABITAT and SUD-Net provide a coordinated global portal through which urban decision-makers can access information and resources, interact, and cooperatively engage through the SUD-Net partnerships and access to basket funding. Within UN-HABITAT, SUD-Net joins existing initiatives while also strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration on sustainable development issues.
Initiatives and Projects
The Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI)
Formally launched at an international conference in Oslo, Norway on 17 March 2009. The conference took place with two main goals in mind: integrating the principles of sustainable development into policies and programs and reversing the loss of natural resources in developing countries through the promotion of resilience to climate change. The main objectives of the conference were to officially launch the CCCI and share experiences on how to address the CCCI in both developing and developed countries. About 100 participants from the countries of the Philippines, Uganda, Mozambique, and Mexico were all in attendance. The issue of climate change is a key mandate connected with SUD-Net. The network places a strong emphasis on local urban planning and enhancing the competence of cities in the subject of global climate change.<ref name=":0" />
Cape Town SUD-Net Workshop
Took place in Cape Town, South Africa on 17-19 February 2009. The topic of the workshop was how to promote sustainable urban development networking in African cities. Prior to the conference, five pilot cities in Africa were added to the Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI), which continued to fulfill the major goal of SUD-Net which is strengthening the voices of urban dynamics for developing cities. The major objectives of the workshop were to identify and strengthen urban planning networks in Africa and identify any possible weaknesses or gaps in the plan, share experiences, define SUD-Net’s role in the Africa region in the promotion of urban planning and management, and to officially launch the SUD-Net Africa regional network. The countries of Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe were all in attendance. 41 participants were present at the workshop.<ref name=":1" />

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