Johannesburg - South African cities need to prepare for rapidly increasing oil prices, unpredictable rainfall patterns and fresh water demand, according to a State of the Cities Report released on Wednesday.
"City managers, responsible for acting in the best interests of their citizens, must take proactive steps to improve the ecological resilience of cities so that the metros become life-supporting systems," Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Yunus Carrim, said at the launch of the report in Johannesburg.
"South African cities need to prepare themselves for rapidly increasing prices of oil and dependent products, erratic and unpredictable rainfall patterns as a result of climate change as well as fresh water demand amongst other challenges."
Carrim said the report by the department's South African Cities Network - a partnership between cities that encourages the exchange of information - stressed the need to significantly reduce the racial spatial patterns of cities and improve the density of the population to encourage greater integration, lower transport costs and more effective use of limited energy resources.
"For the cities to be more effective in the future they will require much more support from provincial and national government as part of a more integrated co-operative governance system," Carrim said.
"City managers, responsible for acting in the best interests of their citizens, must take proactive steps to improve the ecological resilience of cities so that the metros become life-supporting systems," Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Yunus Carrim, said at the launch of the report in Johannesburg.
"South African cities need to prepare themselves for rapidly increasing prices of oil and dependent products, erratic and unpredictable rainfall patterns as a result of climate change as well as fresh water demand amongst other challenges."
Carrim said the report by the department's South African Cities Network - a partnership between cities that encourages the exchange of information - stressed the need to significantly reduce the racial spatial patterns of cities and improve the density of the population to encourage greater integration, lower transport costs and more effective use of limited energy resources.
"For the cities to be more effective in the future they will require much more support from provincial and national government as part of a more integrated co-operative governance system," Carrim said.