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

By |2024-01-04T13:27:42+01:00February 11th 2020|

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.

Empowering Communities to Build Resilience: Quito, Ecuador

By |2024-01-04T08:44:30+01:00October 1st 2019|

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.

Real World Civic Tech Implications of South Africa’s Grassroot Platform

By |2024-01-03T17:04:36+01:00June 25th 2019|

Enabling participatory democracy is the goal of South Africa's online platform Grassroot, where community members get together to change their municipalities for the better – with considerable success, as Katlego Mohlabane, outreach and campaigns coordinator at Grassroot, illustrates with examples from Mnandini and Mzondi.

Having a Say in What Affects Your Life: Youth Participation in Kumasi, Ghana

By |2024-01-03T11:16:41+01:00February 21st 2019|

In Ghana, several policies and laws aim at including youth in urban planning processes. In reality, however, youth do not take part in city development. Emmanuelle Laurinda Godjo analyses the causes and suggests measures that authorities should take.

Urban Futures: Youth Participation in the Baltics and the Balkans

By |2024-01-03T11:20:40+01:00February 19th 2019|

Citizen participation in urban planning is a quite new concept to begin with. And, even if implemented, cities often neglect to extend the concept to those, whose lives will be most affected by a city's development: Youth

Empowering Syrian Refugees Through Cash for Work Programmes

By |2024-01-02T18:43:33+01:00December 18th 2018|

Living as a refugee is difficult, and often aggravated by not being able to work and earn money in your host country. In Southern Jordan, refugees and locals take part in urban regeneration efforts.

“An Urban Habitat is Not Only Brick and Mortar”

By |2024-01-02T18:46:31+01:00December 5th 2018|

Daniel Kerber is the founder and CEO of More than Shelters, a social business that brings a creative and innovative approach to the humanitarian context. Since it was founded in 2012, More than Shelters has been active in various places: parts of Jordan that border on neighbouring Syria, transit routes, and places where migrants and refugees arrive, such as Greece and Berlin, Germany. URBANET asked Daniel Kerber what More than Shelters brings to the housing debate.

Young People’s Participation: Critical for Responsive City Planning

By |2024-01-02T16:05:16+01:00September 6th 2018|

In the Indian city of Mumbai, different groups participated in revising the city’s Development Plan. This article highlights the importance of the participation of young people in city planning at the neighbourhood level if planning is to respond adequately and responsibly to contemporary challenges.

By the People, For the People: Social and Environmental Revitalisation of the Caño Martín Peña, Puerto Rico

By |2024-01-02T15:09:42+01:00August 22nd 2018|

Improving the living conditions in low-income communities always entails the threat of gentrification processes, eventually displacing the original residents. Lorena Zárate claims that this is not an inevitable outcome, as can be seen in the success of the Caño Martín Peña Land Use Plan.

Interview: The Power of Decentralisation

By |2024-01-02T15:15:15+01:00July 10th 2018|

Ghana is one of the frontrunner countries dedicated to implementing the SDGs. Highlighting the local perspective, one area of implementation is the revision of the country's National Urban Policy. URBANET spoke to Sylvanus K. Adzornu from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development about key drivers for successful implementation of SDGs.

Reviving the City: How an Asphalt Plant Turned Into a Public Park

By |2024-01-02T15:48:01+01:00June 21st 2018|

In Mexico City, residents organised to convince the city government to build a public park instead of developing an area for office buildings. The Parque Imán can serve as an example for successfully greening neighbourhoods, and reclaiming public space in a participatory and transparent manner.

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