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Whose sustainability counts? Reflections on an Indian oasis and the drive for certified bamboo

Whose sustainability counts? Reflections on an Indian oasis and the drive for certified bamboo This paper traces a controversial development in India called Lavasa. Lavasa is a new hill station being created in Maharashtra, which aims to tap into a new eco-city trend of urban development. In order to ascertain “world-class” status, the city requires globally recognized standards. This study follows the Forest Stewardship Council certification process. This seemingly easy model of bamboo certification assisted in identifying underlying existing local tensions regarding land tenure, indigenous people's rights, potential landslide areas, and inequitable pay for women. Through a focus on one site of consumption and production, the paper explores two linked issues: the global “branding” of sustainable cities and sustainable product certification. Whilst both the city and certification reproduced neoliberal spaces of governance, a performativity lens highlighted the political outcomes of envisioning different “realities”. The paper argues that the concerns of distributional equity are a major challenge developing countries face in advancing sustainability. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Asian Geographer Taylor & Francis

Whose sustainability counts? Reflections on an Indian oasis and the drive for certified bamboo

Buckingham, Kathleen Carmel; Jepson, Paul
Asian Geographer , Volume 31 (2): 17 – Jul 3, 2014
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17 pages

Whose sustainability counts? Reflections on an Indian oasis and the drive for certified bamboo

Abstract

This paper traces a controversial development in India called Lavasa. Lavasa is a new hill station being created in Maharashtra, which aims to tap into a new eco-city trend of urban development. In order to ascertain “world-class” status, the city requires globally recognized standards. This study follows the Forest Stewardship Council certification process. This seemingly easy model of bamboo certification assisted in identifying underlying existing local tensions regarding land...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2014 Hong Kong Geographical Association
ISSN
2158-1762
eISSN
1022-5706
DOI
10.1080/10225706.2014.917687
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This paper traces a controversial development in India called Lavasa. Lavasa is a new hill station being created in Maharashtra, which aims to tap into a new eco-city trend of urban development. In order to ascertain “world-class” status, the city requires globally recognized standards. This study follows the Forest Stewardship Council certification process. This seemingly easy model of bamboo certification assisted in identifying underlying existing local tensions regarding land tenure, indigenous people's rights, potential landslide areas, and inequitable pay for women. Through a focus on one site of consumption and production, the paper explores two linked issues: the global “branding” of sustainable cities and sustainable product certification. Whilst both the city and certification reproduced neoliberal spaces of governance, a performativity lens highlighted the political outcomes of envisioning different “realities”. The paper argues that the concerns of distributional equity are a major challenge developing countries face in advancing sustainability.

Journal

Asian Geographer – Taylor & Francis

Published: Jul 3, 2014

Keywords: sustainable cities; sustainable development; forest certification; bamboo

References

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  • Introduction: Working Spaces of Neoliberal Subjectivity
  • Text, Talk, Things, and the Subpolitics of Performing Place
  • Legitimacy and the Privatization of Environmental Governance: How Non-State Market-Driven (NSMD) Governance Systems Gain Rule-Making Authority
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