Abstract
In 1995, the Unit for Housing and Urbanization (the Unit) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design participated in the “Best Practices and Local Leadership Programme” by the the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat).
The Programme highlighted international urban development projects as candidates for the UN’s Best Practices database. Documents addressed human settlement case studies in twelve nations: India, Australia, Austria, Kenya, Egypt, Argentina, Norway, Venezuela, Angola, Greece, Scotland, Philippines, Brazil, Germany, Turkey, and South Africa.
The Unit evaluated 28 city programs following UN-Habitat’s Programme goals:
- To develop and maintain a knowledge base on best practices in improving the living environment including their corresponding sources of knowledge, experience and expertise;
- To promote the dissemination, sharing and exchange of lessons learned from the above-mentioned best practices and others by and amongst all key groups of actors and stakeholders in the human settlement and development process;
- To facilitate the transfer of the knowledge, experience and expertise associated with best practices in improving the living environment through new and improved means of cooperation on a north-north, north-south and south-south basis including decentralized forms of cooperation;
- To assist scholars and practitioners in their investigation of innovative approaches to urban development.
In addition to 28 national profiles, documents include a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ between the Unit and Habitat agency, and Best Practices guidelines for pre-screening cases. See an Excerpt from the Memorandum below.
Excerpt
[Excerpt, “Guide to Documenting and Learning from Best Practices,” 1996. Introduction, page 6]
“The Best Practices Initiative began as a world-wide search for human settlements success stories. An official part of the preparatory process for The City Summit – the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) – held in Istanbul, Turkey, in June 1996. Best Practices Initiative generated over 600 submissions from 80 countries by the official deadline. These initiatives are testimonials to human ingenuity in the face of the challenges of an urbanizing world.”
“A two-stage, independent selection process produced a list of 104 Best Practices and highlighted 12 initiatives to receive the Tokyo and Dubai Awards for Excellence in Improving the Living Environment. The twelve Award recipients and many other initiatives were also on display at the Best Practices Exhibition, the largest single-theme exposition ever organised by the United Nations. The enthusiasm and interest generated by the Best Practices Initiative has led to its incorporation as an ongoing programme of UNCHS (Habitat): the Best Practices and Local Leadership Programme (BLP). The BLP will operate as a network of leading capacity-building institutions from around the world. Mandated to support the implementation of the Habitat Agenda – the Global Plan of Action adopted at Habitat II – through the continued sharing and transfer of Best Practices knowledge, experience and expertise, the BLP is launching a second call for submissions, culminating in a second round of Awards for Excellence in Improving the Living Environment in October 1998.”
“The purpose of this guide is to provide a framework for identifying, documenting and learning from BEST PRACTICES. In addition, this guide explains how individuals, groups and organizations can participate in a continuous exchange of know-how, experience and expertise in sustainable human settlements development.”
See related I2UD projects below
Related I2UD Projects
Related by: MENA International Programs
- Design Studio 1984: “The Revitalization of a Traditional Urban Quarter” for the Medieval Darb al Ahmar District, Cairo, Egypt, Seminar Curriculum (Project ID: 1984_01_001)
- “Urban Strategies for Economic Development: Towards an Agenda for the 90s,” Regional Report and Workshop for Amman, Jordan (Project ID: 1987_09_001)
- “Best Practices and Local Leadership Programme,” Review of International Urban Development Projects, for the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat) (Project ID: 1995_00_007)
- “Comprehensive Plan for Makkah, Madinah and Mashaer,” Urban Development Strategy for Ancient Holy Sites in Saudi Arabia (Project ID: 2009_04_001)
- State of Arab Cities, UN-Habitat Report & Conference, “Challenges of Urban Transition: Municipal Management and Urban Development Conference for Sustainability in Arab States” (Project ID: 2010_07_001)
- “GCC Regional Spatial Strategy – Elements and Considerations,” Urban Development Plan, UN-Habitat Gulf States Regional Office Workshops (Project ID: 2010_10_001)
- World Bank MNA Urban Action Plan – Policy and Strategy Papers: “The Evolving Regional Urban Agenda: Key Challenges and Opportunities” and “From Spring to Renaissance: Repositioning the Arab Cities” (Project ID: 2013_01_001)
- “Basic Services for an Urbanizing World,” Third Global Report on Local Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD III, UCLG). Chapter on “Middle East and West Asia” by Mona Serageldin, I2UD (Project ID: 2013_02_001)
- “Inclusive Cities and Access to Land, Housing, and Services in Developing Countries,” Urban Development Series, 2016, World Bank (Project ID: 2014_04_001)
- UN-Habitat Spatial Regional Plan and Assessment for the Kurdistan-Iraq Region Housing Program (Project ID: 2014_06_001)
- “World Migration Report,” Background Papers on Displacement, Migration and Resettlement in MENA, International Organization for Migration (Project ID: 2014_09_001)
- “National Urban Strategy for Governorates in Iraq,” Development Strategy for Phase II of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Iraq Ministry of Planning Local Area Development Programme (LADP II), 2014-2018 (Project ID: 2014_11_001)
- Keynote for City Debates 2015, American University of Beirut: “The Dynamics of Neighborhood Transformation: Long Term Trends and Immediate Responses to Turmoil and Civil Unrest,” Mona Serageldin (Project ID: 2015_03_001)
- Habitat III Regional Report for the Arab Region: Papers on “Inclusive cities,” “Migration and Refugees in Urban Areas,” and “Land Structure, Process, and Outcome” (Project ID: 2015_10_003)