urban & metropolitan governance

“If it didn’t already exist, WUF would need to be invented” – Interview with Ullrich Sierau, Lord Mayor of the City of Dortmund, Germany

“If it didn’t already exist, WUF would need to be invented” – Interview with Ullrich Sierau, Lord Mayor of the City of Dortmund, Germany

By Ullrich Sierau|2020-02-20T09:42:50+01:00February 20th 2020|smart & digital development, urban & metropolitan governance, Dortmund, Germany, Urban Culture, WUF10|

Last Thursday, the tenth World Urban Forum came to a close in Abu Dhabi. "Cities of Opportunities – Connecting Culture and Innovation" was the forum's theme, making for a week full of exchange and discussion on the various facets of sustainable urbanisation. URBANET spoke to the Lord Mayor of the German city of Dortmund on his key takeaways from the conference.

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Khartoum: Urban Chaos and the Reclaiming of City Character

Khartoum: Urban Chaos and the Reclaiming of City Character

By Khalafalla Omer|2020-02-13T09:19:26+01:00February 13th 2020|housing & informality, urban & metropolitan governance, Africa, Khartoum, Sudan, Urban Culture|

An integral part of urban culture, the form of cities' built environment has considerable impact on the quality of urban life. Elaborating on the case of Khartoum, Sudan, Khalafalla Omer makes a case for a new approach in urban planning policies.

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How Can Social and Economic Development Spring from Art? A Case Study from Halle (Saale), Germany

How Can Social and Economic Development Spring from Art? A Case Study from Halle (Saale), Germany

By Hendryk von Busse & Ina Treihse|2020-02-11T09:12:47+01:00February 11th 2020|economic development, urban & metropolitan governance, Germany, Halle an der Saale, participation, Urban Culture|

In Halle, a collective of urban planners, teachers, artists, students, and volunteers painted a whole district with street art and graffiti, demonstrating that these techniques can lead to positive social, cultural, and economic impact in shrinking and neglected areas.

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Why Culture Matters in the Reconstruction and Recovery of Cities

Why Culture Matters in the Reconstruction and Recovery of Cities

By Ahmed Eiweida, Christianna J. Brotsis, and Yuna Chun|2020-02-04T09:22:00+01:00February 4th 2020|urban & metropolitan governance, Bosnia, conflict-affected cities, Indonesia, Urban Culture|

With an ever bigger urban population being affected by both natural hazards and armed conflict, policy makers and practitioners need to develop effective strategies for the reconstruction and recovery of cities. Ahmed Eiweida, Christianna Brotsis, and Yuna Chun argue that it is imperative for such strategies to take culture into account.

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Safe and Quality Housing at Your Digital Fingertips

Safe and Quality Housing at Your Digital Fingertips

By Rakhi Mehra|2020-01-28T08:52:53+01:00January 28th 2020|housing & informality, urban & metropolitan governance, Delhi, India, informal settlements, smart city|

Rakhi Mehra reveals the story behind a pioneering digital tool that wants to help revolutionise the quality of informal housing. After a few clicks, users receive a customised construction manual and cost-overview with the aim of ensuring that their house meets the safety requirements it needs to stand the test of time.

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Participatory Slum Upgrading in Mumbai

Participatory Slum Upgrading in Mumbai

By Trupti Amritwar Vaitla|2020-01-23T09:26:24+01:00January 23rd 2020|housing & informality, urban & metropolitan governance, India, informal settlements, Mumbai, slum upgrading|

India’s financial centre is one of the densest cities in the world and also home to a number of slums with urgent need for improvements. Trupti Amritwar Vaitla, CEO of the Mumbai Environmental Social Network, highlights a few of their innovative slum upgrading projects that have a participatory element at their core.

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Climate Change: What Happens to People Living in Informal Settlements?

Climate Change: What Happens to People Living in Informal Settlements?

By Emanuela Barbiroglio|2020-01-16T09:37:58+01:00January 16th 2020|climate change & resilience, global urban debates, urban & metropolitan governance, climate change, climate change mitigation, COP25, Madrid|

At COP25, the Desk Officer for Sustainable Urban Development at MISEREOR, Clara-Luisa Weichelt, talked to Emanuela Barbiroglio about the challenges of addressing climate change in informal settlements and human-rights based solutions.

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Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas: A Status Update from the South

Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas: A Status Update from the South

By Mariana Dias Simpson & Itamar Silva|2020-01-15T13:21:31+01:00January 14th 2020|housing & informality, urban & metropolitan governance, Brazil, informal settlements, Latin America, Rio de Janeiro|

Brazil's strategies towards its favelas have varied enormously over time. If they are to be successful in improving people's lives, it is essential that informal settlements are perceived as an integral part of a city, argue Mariana Dias Simpson and Itamar Silva.

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Urbanisation in Fragile Societies: Thinking about Kabul

Urbanisation in Fragile Societies: Thinking about Kabul

By Oliver Harman, Freshta Karim, Shoaib Rahim & Shahrukh Wani|2019-12-04T15:56:19+01:00December 4th 2019|economic development, urban & metropolitan governance, Afghanistan, basic services, good governance, inclusion, Kabul|

As part of the Blavatnik School of Government's “Challenges of Government” Conference, the International Growth Centre's Cities that Work team put together a panel on identity and legitimacy in Kabul. The discussion highlighted the importance of building legitimacy in fragile contexts, particularly given the emergence of fragmented identities and new networks of solidarity, resistance and governance in urban contexts affected by conflict.

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COP25 – A Chance To Discover Cities’ Potential

COP25 – A Chance To Discover Cities’ Potential

By Emanuela Barbiroglio|2019-12-02T13:25:14+01:00December 2nd 2019|climate change & resilience, global urban debates, municipal & climate finance, urban & metropolitan governance, COP25, Madrid|

The climate summit in Madrid represents a unique opportunity for urban communities to take inspiration from each other, to build cities that are better prepared to tackle climate change, and to obtain investments. National delegates will need to increasingly confide in local authorities and provide them with more resources if they want to develop prompt and effective responses to the climate crisis.

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The Case for Gender Approaches to Urban Resilience – Experience from Coyuca, Mexico

The Case for Gender Approaches to Urban Resilience – Experience from Coyuca, Mexico

By Mairi Dupar|2019-11-21T12:08:57+01:00November 21st 2019|climate change & resilience, urban & metropolitan governance, gender, Latin America, Mexico|

A commitment to applying a ‘gender perspective’ to climate-smart planning in Coyuca, Mexico, brought to light some uncomfortable truths about bias against women. As a result, local government, researchers, and community members are more aware of how women’s and girls’ wellbeing must be addressed through climate resilience programmes.

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Urban Rural Partnership: A Win-Win Solution Towards Resilient Growth

Urban Rural Partnership: A Win-Win Solution Towards Resilient Growth

By Rajib Shaw|2019-10-15T13:09:33+02:00October 15th 2019|climate change & resilience, smart & digital development, urban & metropolitan governance, Japan, urban resilience|

Strengthening urban rural connections is essential for building resilient infrastructure, claims Rajib Shaw. However, as examples from Japan show, implementation is often hindered by administrative issues, calling for innovations in governance and communications to make urban rural partnerships a reality.

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Does Cultural Heritage Make More Resilient Cities?

Does Cultural Heritage Make More Resilient Cities?

By Rohit Jigyasu|2019-10-10T10:42:09+02:00October 10th 2019|climate change & resilience, urban & metropolitan governance, climate change, climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation, Nepal, urban resilience|

When disasters hit, cultural heritage is often perceived as something passive, something hit by destruction. Conservation architect and risk management expert Rohit Jigyasu argues for a different perception: one that acknowledges the decisive role urban cultural heritage can play both in the prevention and in the outcome of natural disaster, making it an active component of urban resilience.

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Empowering Communities to Build Resilience: Quito, Ecuador

Empowering Communities to Build Resilience: Quito, Ecuador

By David Jácome-Pólit|2019-10-01T09:24:27+02:00October 1st 2019|climate change & resilience, urban & metropolitan governance, Ecuador, Latin America, participation, Quito, urban resilience|

Quito, Ecuador is facing a variety of natural hazards, making it imperative to develop proper resilience strategies. David Jácome Polit, the city's Chief Resilience Officer, explains why any such strategy has to be based on a neighbourhood's social structure.

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How Parking Meter Data Can Help Fight Corruption

How Parking Meter Data Can Help Fight Corruption

By Ania Calderon and Eduardo Bohórquez|2019-08-28T11:54:01+02:00August 28th 2019|governance & finance, urban & metropolitan governance, anti-corruption, data, good governance, Mexico, mobility, urban governance|

How can cities fight corruption? In Mexico, various cities have successfully worked with open data as an accountability tool that also improves service delivery. Ania Calderón and Eduardo Bohorquéz explain.

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