GEORGE NEWS - To keep the garden in the Garden Route. That is the concern of a group of residents that recently established the Sustainable City Forum (SCF) in partnership with the George Business Chamber.
It is a nonprofit corporation (NPC) and its main function is to contribute to the sustainable land management of George as a vibrant city region through collaboration with municipalities and all its citizens.
And they are not just talking. According to a statement by the SCF that was given to the George Herald, earlier this year George was voted the city with the best quality of life in South Africa. The study was done by Numbeo, an international organisation basing its ratings on a city's purchasing power, safety, health care, climate, cost of living, traffic and pollution.
The SCF says with increasing in-migration to the region, it is likely that George will experience rapid growth. However, research indicates that how cities develop is a critical factor in determining their longer-term economic sustainability and social stability.
"With rapid urbanisation and intensive agriculture taking place, how do we still keep the 'garden' in the Garden Route?" asks the SCF in a press release.
"Flying over George reveals an ever increasing number of informal dwellings occupying river valleys, with limited access to services, and located further and further away from key work opportunities. From this elevated view, it is also clearly visible how some gated estates are almost wall-to-wall housing with very little space for trees, or common areas. How do these settlement patterns and communities effectively respond to the emerging challenges of climate change and increased development pressures placed on limited resources? Will reduced rainfall affect the food security for our communities?"
The SCF holds that, as a society, we need to become more informed of these risks, and the opportunities to reduce or mitigate them. "For this reason, the SCF is an 'Action-Research-Collaboration (ARC)' hub to ensure our actions are informed by research and, through community collaboration, lead to long-term social and ecological well-being."
The SCF asks residents who are interested in getting involved to contact Prof Rob Fincham at robert@scfgeorge.org. People can also follow them on Twitter, #Sustainable City Forum.
The SCF-leaders emphasise that SCF is not a Nimby (Not In My Back Yard) movement to stop development. It recognises that development is needed, but needs to be shaped to ensure that it leads to social and environmental or ecological well-being.
"We need to keep George as the centre of the Garden Route, not the centre of a concrete jungle."
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