Sustainability isn’t only affected solely by the negative impact fossil fuels, urbanization and degradation of land may have on the environment–it also extend to people. What I mean when I say this is that a thriving eco-conscious community driven by mentally and physically fit individuals is the only way to achieve and foster true environmental sustainability. A community itself is built upon its’ people. So, if a negative impact befalls any person due to said urbanization or land degradation, then it’s a serious threat to overall environmental sustainability. There’s three main ideas linked to this:
- The decrease in quality of life for some communities.
- The negative Psychological impact that may come with losing one’s home or his cultural heritage as a whole.
- And the loss of history to the bull-dozers of ancient architecture.
When Progress Leaves People Behind: The Decline in Quality of Life for Displaced Communities
Displacement, loss of land and loss of settlements in general–caused by urbanization or any other factors–play an integral role in undermining cultural heritage and diminishing the “way-of-life” for most communities around the globe.
Imagine a farmer or who may have a specific routine in order to earn for himself, his family and support those around him. I’m not implying that this is something he may enjoy, but it is something he can do comfortably due to his current position in the industry. Now let’s take that same farmer and force him to relocate into a new part of the city altogether. Now, does this really make a difference? Of course! Restarting from scratch, in a new market with new customers and new potential competition may be extremely burdening in our case. Additionally, transport costs rise, and food/access to health care worsens.
When we speak for a social and cultural perspective, we can see that displacement and forced relocation promotes cultural erasure and contributes to negative emotional impacts. Multiple studies such as a study in Branford, UK suggest the same:
“A study utilizing data from the Connected Bradford database examined the mental health effects of relocation within the city. Individuals who moved to areas with higher levels of air pollution exhibited an 11% greater risk of developing new mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, compared to those who relocated to areas with better air quality. The study also highlighted that access to high-quality green spaces was associated with reduced mental health medication prescriptions, emphasizing the importance of environmental factors in mental well-being.”
Cultural Erasure is promoted since physical sites of heritage are destroyed, communities are displaced and relocated far away from one another and consequently oral histories, tradition and beliefs vanish into the ever-growing cities which grow newer and disregard the old. This is especially important when communities which depend on their neighbours or its’ members for maternal, parental or child care are displaced far away from one another.
Whether it’s Palestine, China, Malaysia or any other country in the world, this is an arising problem which must be contained under the idea of Unbuilding.
A new part of Commune’s integral belief:
Over at Commune, we believe that the people are just an integral role in working towards environmental sustainability–even more than the environment itself. If people come together as one, then even deserts can be shaped into an oasis, and over here an commune we are trying to make that dream come true–not just for Pakistan, but for the entire world. So join us in our mission and support us in our fantastic journey which has yet to begin.
Leave a Reply