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Habitat III Regional Report for the Arab Region: Papers on “Inclusive cities,” “Migration and Refugees in Urban Areas,” and “Land Structure, Process, and Outcome,” for UN-Habitat (ROAS) and United Nations (ESCWA), 2015-2016

Abstract

In 2016, the Institute for International Urban Development (I2UD), led by Mona Serageldin and François Vigier, acted as main contributor to a report, “Habitat III Regional Report for the Arab Region,” implemented under the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

Topics include “Inclusive cities,” “Migration and Refugees in Urban Areas,” and “Land Structure, Process, and Outcome.” Documents are a range of preliminary draft materials, expert group meeting materials, and full report. Presentations are from Expert Group Meetings in Beirut and Cairo, and for the May 2017 ICNUP Conference. Two draft issue papers from 2015 were presented at the Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016.

Project Year:2015
Project Type:Regional Report
Geographic Regions:Beirut, Lebanon and Cairo, Egypt (Meeting Locations) / Quito, Ecuador (Conference Location)
Reports:














Authors:Mona Serageldin; FrançoisVigier; Barbara Summers; Maren Larsen; Johann Friedl
Sponsors:UN-Habitat; United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA); UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS)
Categories:Climate Change and Resilience Building
  
ID:2015_10_003

Related I2UD Projects

“Comprehensive Plan for Makkah, Madinah and Mashaer,” Urban Development Strategy for Ancient Holy Sites in Saudi Arabia, 2009

“The Unplanned Areas Upgrading and Employment Enhancing Programme in Egypt,” Needs Assessment and Activity Design Study for Informal Settlements in Cairo, Giza Governorates, Egypt, 2011-2016

“GCC Regional Spatial Strategy – Elements and Considerations,” Urban Development Plan, UN-Habitat Gulf States Regional Office Workshops, 2013

“National Urban Policies in Arab States,” Regional Assessment and Case Studies on NUPs in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, 2014

UN-HABITAT Spatial Regional Plan and Assessment for the Kurdistan-Iraq Region Housing Program, 2014

Habitat III Regional Report for the Arab Region: Papers on “Inclusive cities,” “Migration and Refugees in Urban Areas,” and “Land Structure, Process, and Outcome,” for UN-Habitat (ROAS) and United Nations (ESCWA), 2015-2016

Galleries 6-7 – Egypt: Cairo and Helwan, 1986, 1990

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“Economy of Historic Preservation” in Erbil, Kurdistan, Report for Strengthening Urban & Regional Planning (SURP), UN-Habitat, 2014

Abstract

Mona Serageldin directed a report series titled “Economy of Historic Preservation” in 2014, in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism (MOMT) and the Iraqi-Kurdistan Erbil Governorate. The project fulfilled a UN-Habitat program “Strengthening Urban and Regional Planning” (SURP), with support from François Vigier and Barbara Summers.

The report examines the interrelationship of cultural heritage preservation and urban development – in light of globalization, urbanization shifts and technological innovation. The analysis aligned with the SURP program goals, which support the capacity of officials in Erbil, a Kurdistan region of Iraq to stimulate financing for local infrastructure, and promote land value capture and community participatory processes.

Documents include the main report in two sections, an outline, slides for the full presentation, and supporting presentations with photographs. Case studies cover cultural heritage sites in the Medina of Tunis, Tunisia; Icheri Sheher in Baku, Azerbaijan, and in Quito, Ecuador.

See also: “National Urban Strategy for Governorates in Iraq,” UN-Habitat (UNDP) and Iraq Ministry of Planning (LADP II), 2014-2018

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2014
Project Type:Capacity Building Project
Geographic Regions:Erbil, Southern Kurdistan, Iraq (also Medina of Tunis, Tunisia; Icherisheher, Baku, Azerbaijan; and Quito, Ecuador)
Reports:
Economy of Historic Preservation: Part 1 “Heritage Preservation and Urban Development” (Overview)

Economy of Historic Preservation: Part 2 (Case Studies)

Economy of Historic Preservation: Full Presentation

Economy of Historic Preservation: “Overview of Municipal Finance” (Presentation, March 2015)

Economy of Historic Preservation: “What is Culture? Categories of Economic Values Attributed to Cultural Heritage Assets” (Presentation)
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Barbara Summers; David C. Jones
Sponsors:United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat)
Categories:Historic Districts
  
ID:2014_06_002

Related I2UD Projects


Design Studio 1981: “Housing Design in Islamic Cultures” in Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, Seminar Curriculum

“Economy of Historic Preservation” in Erbil, Kurdistan, Report for Strengthening Urban & Regional Planning (SURP), UN-HABITAT, 2014

“Comprehensive Plan for Makkah, Madinah and Mashaer,” Urban Development Strategy for Ancient Holy Sites in Saudi Arabia, 2009

“Sustainable Development Based on Valorizing the Historic Urban Fabric,” Paper by Dr. Mona Serageldin, 9th World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, 2007

“Integrated Area Management Action Plan,” Urban Management Plan for the Ancient Walled City Icheri Sheher, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2006

“Revitalization of Kars Historic Center” & “Strategies for Sustainable Development,” Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building for Kars, Turkey, 2004-2008

“Cooperation and Capacity Building for Promoting Cultural, Natural and Built Heritage in Transylvania,” Technical Assistance Report for Brașov, Sibiu, Sighișoara and Târgu Mureș, Romania, 2004

“Continuity and Change” by Dr. Mona Serageldin, Topic Paper for 48th World Congress, International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP), 2004

“Historic Center of Mexico City” Diagnostic Summary, Technical Assistance for Mexico City, Mexico, 2003

“Master Plan for the Revitalization of the Older Urban Fabric,” Preservation in the Old City of Al Qusair, Egypt, 2000

“St. Petersburg Center City Rehabilitation Project,” Urban Planning Network for St. Petersburg, Russia, 2000

“Preserving the Historic Urban Fabric in a Context of Fast Paced Change,” Research Essay by Dr. Mona Serageldin, 1998

“Lublin Local Initiatives Program” & “Lublin Old Town Rehabilitation Project,” Technical Assistance for Urban Upgrading in Lublin, Poland, 1994-2000

“Samarkand, Uzbekistan: Revitalization and Rehabilitation of the Historic District,” Technical Assistance for the City of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 1994

“Upgrading and Conservation of the Walled City of Lahore,” Regional Report on the Preservation of Historic Lahore, Pakistan, 1988

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“Reintroducing the Spatial Dimension in the Planning and Management of Latin American Cities,” Lecture Presentation by Yves Cabannes, 2003

Abstract

In March 2003, CUDS offered a lecture presented by Yves Cabannes, the Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, as part of the Urban Management Program for Latin America and the Caribbean from UN-Habitat.

The lecture covers past and current planning of spatial dimensions in Latin American cities and highlights the importance of spatial factors in social integration. It also touches on the significance of citizen participation and of partnerships among civil society, governments, and private sectors.

Presentation topics include: Land use plans in the 90s; (Mono) sector approaches to planning; Strategic City Planning (Barcelona); Influence of UN and Global Agenda in the 90s; and Participatory Action Planning with spatial dimension. The presentation addresses principles behind the term social inclusion, as “a multidimensional problem: territorial (physical), legal, social, cultural, economic and racial. It is a much more broader concept than poverty.” The presentation detailed four examples of urban upgrading projects that sought to solve issues of social exclusion and housing shortages in Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.


[Excerpt: Presentation, Experiences 1-5, lessons in social inclusion from urban development projects in Latin American cities]

“Lessons from some experiences addressing at the same time the global development of the city, the inclusion of the poor communities in the perspective of building democratic, productive and inclusive cities.”

Experience 1: Comunidades, Fortaleza Metropolitan Region, Brazil.

Experience 2: Neighborhood Improvement Participatory Action Planning (City Consultation) in Mesa Los Hornos, Mexico City, Mexico, (1998-2000).

Experience 3: Mapping the social exclusion at city level: Exclusion and Inclusion Map of Santo André, Brazil.

Experience 4: The Spatial dimension of Social inclusion: Integrated Program for Social Inclusion, Santo André, Brazil.

Experience 5: Optimization of Vacant Land in Rosario, Argentina.
___

Project Year:2003
Project Type:Public Lecture
Geographic Regions:Fortaleza and Santo André, Brazil / Rosario, Argentina / Mexico City, Mexico / Quito, Ecuador
Reports:
Authors:Yves Cabannes
Sponsors:Center for Urban Development Studies, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:Reconciliation and Development, Urban Planning
  
ID:2003_03_001

Related I2UD Projects

Gallery 4: Chile: Santiago, Concepción, and Talcahuano, 1992-1993

Gallery 16: Venezuela: Caracas, 1989

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“Community Based Credit for Housing, Infrastructure, and Microenterprises,” Micro-Finance Housing Shortage Study for Quito, Ecuador, 1995

Abstract

In 1995, the Unit for Housing and Urbanization (HU-GSD) researched a mico-finance study on housing shortages in Quito, Ecuador to assess the impact of USAID’s Regional Housing and Urban Development Office for South America (RHUDO/SA) Ecuadorian Credit Program.

The Unit’s research presented solutions for housing shortages in Quito, Ecuador. The study discusses mechanisms for the extension of credit to lower income households through community based credit institutions, including productive housing loans, micro-enterprise loans, infrastructure provisions, loan refinancing to solve housing shortages in Quito.

Documents are an Executive Summary, and the Main Report (1995). Supporting documents include a Microenterprise Component from January 1995, A Market report by Thomas J. O’Malley “Ecuador’s Secondary Market – Findings Possibilities and Recommendations,” and a Summary memo titled “Reaching the Bulk of the Housing Problem With Loans – Gustavo Riofrío to Mona Serageldin.”


[Excerpt: Executive Summary]

“The study reviewed the structure and operations of various institutions involved in housing in Ecuador. The strategic objective was the development of micro finance instruments offering lower income households credit for housing and housing related finance on terms that are affordable, convenient and responsive to their needs.

The purpose of the study was to: 1) Assess the RHUDO’s current credit program as it relates to efficient urban improvement; 2) Assess the feasibility of expanding the Program into the areas of productive housing loans, micro enterprise loans, and infrastructure provision as well as the possibility of refinancing these loans.

Microenterprise Development: The study recommends advocating the concept of a “productive house” used as shelter and as income generator as an integral component of the self improvement strategies of lower income families. It allows them to upgrade their economic conditions as well as their living environment. Home based income generating activities are particularly important in helping women address some of their financial needs. For the working poor, income generation is an integral part of housing development. Investing in the house helps establish and expand home based micro-enterprises. Building on this concept the study focuses of the following components:

– Linking micro-enterprise and home improvement finance through the credit unions.
– Utilizing the same credit channels to lend directly for housing and micro-enterprise development.
– Refinancing portfolios of productive housing loans in order to leverage capital resources.

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:1995
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Quito, Ecuador
Reports:Quito, Ecuador: (Executive Summary)

Quito, Ecuador: (Main Report, May 1995)

Quito, Ecuador: Microenterprise Component (Report, January 1995)

Quito, Ecuador: “Ecuador’s Secondary Market – Findings Possibilities and Recommendations,” Thomas J. O’Mailey, Report)

Quito, Ecuador: Reaching Bulk of Housing Problem with Loans (Gustavo Riofrio to Mona Serageldin, Summary)

Authors:Mona Serageldin; David C. Jones; Sherif Lotfi; David Neilson; Thomas O’Malley; Gustavo Riofrio; Kimberley Wilson
Sponsors:USAID Regional Housing and Urban Development Office
Categories:Urban Finance
  
ID:1995_03_003

Related I2UD Projects

Gallery 16 – Venecuela: Caracas, 1989

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“The Use of Land and Infrastructure in the Self-Improvement Strategies of Urban Lower Income Families,” Paper by Mona Serageldin, UN-Habitat Fourteenth Commission Report, May 1993

Abstract

A landmark paper by Dr. Mona Serageldin, “The Use of Land and Infrastructure in the Self-Improvement Strategies of Urban Lower Income Families,” was included in the The Fourteenth Commission UNCHS/Habitat Report and presented to the Commission in Nairobi, Kenya in May 1993.

This work presented the self-improvement strategies of families dealing with challenging living conditions as an ‘intricate and dynamic’ part of urban development, conditions which planners should respect. Dr. Serageldin’s report drew on her long history of research on urban development in cities globally, using short narrative examples and photos to illustrate specific households in: Abidjan, Amman, Cairo, Jakarta, Karachi, Kinshasa, Quito, Mexico City, Rabat, Surabaya, Tunis, and Boston. The report was sponsored by the Family and Development Program and the Office of Housing and Urban Programs of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Additionally, another essay (Excerpts below) on the same topic was published as USAID Seminar Brief No. 4: “How Urban Families use Infrastructure and Housing in their own Development,” (June 1992). This document summarized Dr. Serageldin’s seminar presentation for the USAID Family and Development Initiative Series on April 24, 1992, relaying her presentation of trends toward informal housing developments emerging in reaction to rapid urbanization in city populations – making housing shortages a dire problem for low income families.


[Excerpt: USAID Seminar No. 4. “How Urban Families use Infrastructure and Housing in their own Development,” June 1992.]

“Keeping Families Together: Dr. Serageldin’s longitudinal research in Cairo illustrated the importance of a house as an asset that keeps families together. Vertical expansion of buildings provides space which can be used to house less fortunate family members, such as the elderly, at advantageous terms to all parties. In one case, the rental income saved by a widowed mother living on a relative’s top floor was spent on her children’s school fees while the income generated by this family member from a ground floor shop covered the family’s living expenses.”

Project Year:1993, 1992
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire / Amman, Jordan / Cairo, Egypt / Jakarta and Surabaya, Indonesia / Karachi, Pakistan / Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo / Quito, Ecuador / Mexico City, Mexico / Rabat, Morocco / Tunis, Tunisia / Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Reports:
“The Use of Land and Infrastructure in the Self-Improvement Strategies of Urban Lower Income Families,” Fourteenth Commission UN-Habitat Report (May 1993)

—

USAID Seminar Brief No. 4: “How Urban Families use Infrastructure and Housing in their own Development” (June 1992)

Authors:Mona Serageldin; John Driscoll; María-Luisa Fernández
Sponsors:UN-Habitat; USAID
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:1993_05_001

Related I2UD Projects

Related I2UD Photograph Galleries

Gallery 2 – Côte d’Ivoire: Adjamé, Abidjan, 1990-1995

Gallery 5 – Congo: Kinshasa, 1989

Galleries 6-7 – Egypt: Cairo and Helwan, 1986, 1990

Gallery 13 – Tunisia: Tunis, 1978-1990