|
|
To further complicate the picture, health facilities are not widely accessible and available in urban and rural areas. Medical treatment is beyond economic and physical reach. As a result, the management of opportunistic infections associated with HIV-AIDS is a nightmare.
How does one begin to address these complications within the rubric of a discussion on urban sustainability? Frankly speaking, I have no idea. The city in Kenya, India or anywhere else in the world for that matter, is a behemoth that one can hardly begin to describe. It is almost impossible for a single individual to know every part of a city intimately or to be familiar with the lifestyles of all its residents. When planners sit down to construct a city or to modify it, the concerns of the lower income groups are often not factored in. Cities in colonized territories were often segregated, with careful planning dedicated to the colonizers’ quarters and “modern” facilities incorporated within these privileged sections, while less attention was paid to “natives' ” quarters.
Several independent nations inherited such cities. Rapid population growth and increased migration complicated already uneven situations. Next to the more prosperous, well-planned neighborhoods, shanty-towns grew larger and larger. Increasingly drastic economic disparities have compounded the situation even more. Thus, while in some cities, urban planners are able to talk about expanding transportation systems, or creating more environmentally-friendly means, in other cities, the discussion cannot be as straightforward.
In Nairobi, for instance, tens of thousands (this figure is likely an underestimation) walk across the city for two or more hours everyday to get to their places of work. About half of Nairobi’s population is estimated to live in slums with inadequate sanitary facilities and medical facilities, few schools and high insecurity. Projects to upgrade these slums have been discussed, and some are underway. I am not qualified to comment on the progress of these projects, but cannot help feeling that it will take a long time before their effectiveness is felt. Keeping this in mind, if one considers the effect of a disease such as AIDS on the national community then it becomes clear that the obstacles that lie ahead are even larger than what has been visualized.
There’s no room here to go into the impact that global slavery, imperialism, genocide, wars and the plunder of our environment have had on the development of our nations and cities. However, I want to emphasize the importance of keeping these factors in mind when we talk about development and urban planning. Our slums and cities have histories which are tied up with the factors that led to development and spread of diseases such as HIV-AIDS.
We need to examine the direct and indirect connections between impoverishment, our political set-ups, environmental degradation and disease. We have to examine the connections between the policies of global monetary bodies and the conditions of recipient nations or between the break-down of our ecological systems and the breakdown of our social systems and of our immune systems. Otherwise we will continue to propose solutions that only address one thread in a constantly evolving and growing tapestry.
|
Tags
You must be logged in to add tags.
|
Writer Profile
R Kahendi
The opportunity to learn from people from different walks of life has opened my eyes to the larger problems affecting us all.
I enjoy doing creative writing, poetry, and pieces on social issues. You can read some of my writing on my weblogs: KAHENDI'S BLOG, Ouagadougou's Weblog and Kahendi's Korner
|
Comments
Greetings mamadou baldeh | Jan 30th, 2006
I can`t talk about hiv/aids because these is very difficult and not willing to give us chance to live. these is especially when it have support from poverty, and to be a prostitute etc..
africa we should introduce a operation campaign called ~Operation no sex for youths until marry because the youths are the future leaders.
Good Henry Ekwuruke | Feb 20th, 2006
I am very passionate about AIDS and the overall eradication in Africa. At least, I have something to gain from your good article.
It is cool.
Henry
You must be a TakingITGlobal member to post a comment. Sign up for free or login.
|
|
