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

Abstract

In 2014, I2UD provided an analysis and overview of the Kurdistan Iraq-Region Housing Program, which proposed an investment into meeting the housing needs of lower-income households in three Iraqi governorates. Documents include a Synthesis Paper and presentation on capability enhancement solutions for refugees in Baghdad, Iraq, and case studies on housing programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia for a workshop for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Additional materials include training program notes, presentations on spatial regional planning, preliminary assessments and case studies.

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2014
Project Type:Local Development Strategy
Geographic Regions:Southern Kurdistan, Iraq (also Baghdad, Iraq; Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Georgia)
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Daniel Tsai; Sheelah Gobar; Maren Larsen; Barbara Summers; Warren Hagist
Sponsors:United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat)
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:2014_06_001

Related I2UD Projects

I2UD Digital Library Study Guide: The Role of Urban Planning and Management in Post-Crisis Reconciliation and Recovery, October 2025

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“Inclusive Cities and Access to Land, Housing, and Services in Developing Countries,” Urban Development Series: Knowledge Papers, World Bank’s Social, Urban, Rural & Resilience Global Practice, 2016

Abstract

I2UD produced a research paper titled “Inclusive Cities and Access to Land: Housing and Services in Developing Countries.” The World Bank-supported project addressed how global disparities in income, wealth, and opportunity, experienced worldwide, have contributed to social exclusion and spatial segregation in cities in the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, Central America, and Western Asia.

The final report—authored by Mona Serageldin and I2UD staff, and published in 2016 by the World Bank—documented examples of successful inclusionary policies, programs, and initiatives by public agencies and NGOs with a special focus on cities in Latin America and the Middle East. The report discussed the difficulty in organizing integrative projects. It underscored the shortcomings arising from acting on one dimension of inclusion while ignoring others.

Documents include a workshop presentation from January 2014, with a final draft from April 2014, along with the final report from February 2016.


[Excerpt: Index for the Final Report: “Inclusive Cities and Access to Land, Housing, and Services in Developing Countries.”]

The Growing Importance of Inclusion in Urban Areas
1.1 Defining Inclusion
1.2 Measuring the Dimensions of Exclusion: São Paulo’s Exclusion/Inclusion Indicator Mapping

2. Trends Affecting Social Inclusion in Urban Areas
2.1 Demographics
2.2 Mobility and Migration

3. Infrastructure and Public Services: A Powerful Tool to Promote Social Inclusion
3.1 Rethinking the Approach to Slum Upgrading and Regularization of Informal Settlements
3.2 South Africa’s Municipal Infrastructure Grant Program (MIG)
3.3 Access to Public Services: Social Missions in the the República Bolivariana de Venezuela

4. Restoring the Social Function of Public Space
4.1 Rio de Janeiro’s Favela Bairro Program

5. Access to Land: A Critical Factor at the Core of Inclusion and Exclusion
5.1 Regularizing Tenure in Informal Settlements: Impacts on Social Inclusion
5.2 Impacts of Property Registration on the Inclusion of Informal Settlers
5.3 Integrated Projects to improve the Living Environment: The Role of State Agencies 16
5.4 Egypt’s Informal Settlements Development Facility (ISDF)

6. The Erosion of Inclusive Options for Affordable Housing
6.1 Affordable Housing and Spatial Segregation in Chile
6.2 Looking to Rental Markets as Instruments of Inclusion

7. Generating Revenues to Finance Urban Improvements: Land-Based Financing
7.1 Cuenca’s Improve Your Neighborhood Program

8. The Right to the City
8.1 Implementing the Right to the City in Brazil
8.2 National Legislation and Local Implementation: Colombia’s Policies of Decentralizing the Improvement of Lower Income Settlements
8.3 An Emerging Urban Agenda in the Middle East
8.4 Recife, Brazil (ZEIS)

9. NGOs and CBOs as Strategic Partners in Driving the Implementation of Inclusionary Programs
9.1 Grassroots Initiatives: A Rights-Based Approach
9.2 SEWA
9.3 CODI, Thailand

Concluding Remarks
References
Appendix 1: Indicators of Urban Exclusion and Inclusion in São Paulo, Brazil
Appendix 2: Property Tax and Registration in Middle Eastern Countries
Appendix 3: Statistical Appendix
Appendix 4: Resources

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2014-2016
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Latin America and Middle East / Venezuela / Recife and São Paulo, Brazil / Chile / Colombia / Mexico / Syria / Egypt / Morocco / Tunisia / South Africa / Thailand
Reports:
—
Authors:Mona Serageldin; Sheelah Gobar; Warren Hagist; Maren Larsen
Sponsors:World Bank
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:2014_04_001

Related I2UD Projects

I2UD Digital Library Study Guide: Understanding Informal Settlements and Slum Upgrading, October 2024

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

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

Gallery 16: Venezuela: Caracas (1989)

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“Belize Municipal Development Plan,” Urban Growth Plans, 2012-2014

Abstract

Between 2012-2014, the I2UD team worked to improve the urban planning capacity of Belize, by developing Municipal Development Plans (MDPs) for seven municipal governments: Corozal, Orange Walk, Benque Viejo, San Ignacio & Santa Elena, Belmopan, Dangriga, and Punta Gorda. The project was sponsored by the World Bank and the Belize Social Investment Fund.

The method of the project was based on the 2015 UN-Habitat Cities and Climate Change Initiative: Planning for Climate Change Toolkit. I2UD’s contributions outlined baseline social and economic data, used to generate cadastral and land utilization databases. The plans supported building urban planning skills among local authorities to upkeep infrastructure development plans over time, with examples from economic capital improvement programs. Key goals included:

  • To Develop comprehensive municipal development plans to improve land use planning and livability within their territories;
  • To Identify strategies that promote the development of local economic activities;
  • To Improve local revenue generation to finance public improvements through an efficient collection of locally based fees and taxes;
  • To Improve the efficiency of local financial management; and
  • To Engage the participation of stakeholders and community groups to ensure that proposed plans and investments targeted priority needs.

Documents include expression of interest, inception reports, strategy reports, workshops and presentations, progress reports, and guidance manual reports from 2012 through 2014.

Project Year:2012-2014
Project Type:Comprehensive Plans
Geographic Regions:Belize
Reports:

Supporting Documents:

Templates:

First, Second, and Third National Workshops:

Progress Reports:
Authors:Marion Cayetano; Lucien Chung; John Driscoll; David Dunbar; James Kostaras; Maren Larsen; Borja Lopez; John McGill; Jan Meerman; Ian Morrison; Juan Pablo Bocarejo; Mona Serageldin; Linda Shi; Elda Solloso; François Vigier
Sponsors:World Bank; Social Investment Fund (Belize)
Categories:Urban Planning; Urban Finance; Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:2012_10_003

Related I2UD Projects

I2UD Digital Library Study Guide: Urban Climate Adaptation and Resilience: Planning for Equitable and Inclusive Cities, March 2026

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“Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Sustainable Cities Initiative,” Local Development Strategy for Durrës, Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Pristina and Skopje, with Co-PLAN Albania, 2012-2013

Abstract

This project was undertaken in 2012 as a joint venture between I2UD and the Albanian firm Co-PLAN, as part of the World Bank-Austria Partnership Program for Strengthening Local Governments in southeastern European countries.

The program featured an assessment of Social Sustainability frameworks of five Balkan cities: Durrës, Albania; Banja Luka and Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Pristina, Kosovo; and Skopje, Macedonia, as part of an effort to increase the knowledge and awareness of social accountability among city stakeholders and to strengthen the integrity of public services. Local teams in each of the five cities worked in close collaboration with the I2UD and Co-PLAN team.

Documents include a Short Proposal, with a Full City Profile report and Inception Report. Following, there are a Focus Group Summary, Social Accountability Note Framework and Index Concept Note. From March 2013, there are City Synthesis Profiles for Sarajevo, Prishtina, Skopje, Durrës, and Banja Luka. Finally, see a Final Reflections Report, a Regional Workshop “ICTs and Social Inclusion” Presentation, and a Regional Workshop Summary from April 2013.

Project Year:2012
Project Type:Local Development Strategy
Geographic Regions:Albania / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Kosovo / North Macedonia
Reports:
—

—

—

—
Authors:John Driscoll; Carolina Morgan
Sponsors:World Bank
Categories:Climate Change and Resilience Building; Urban Planning
  
ID:2012_09_001

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ICLRD Briefing Papers 2012-2016: “Implementation of River Basin Management Plans” and “Applying the Functional Territories Concept: Planning Beyond Borders”

Abstract

The International Centre for Local and Regional Development (ICLRD) published two short Briefing Papers in 2012 and 2016. The articles explored how various forms of urban planning, enacted at different spatial scales, could contribute to better collaboration on the pressing issues facing both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Documents include: “Implementation of River Basin Management Plans: Current Issues and Future Needs” (2012) and “Applying the Functional Territories Concept: Planning Beyond Borders” (2016).

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2012-2016
Project Type:ICLRD Project
Geographic Regions:Ireland / Northern Ireland
Reports:
Authors:Cormac Walsh; John Driscoll; Caroline Creamer; Patricia O’Hara; Karen Keaveney; Caitriona Mullan; Ainhoa González Del Campo; Pádraig Maguire
Sponsors:CroSPlaN, European Union INTERREG IVA
Categories:Reconciliation and Development
  
ID:2012_00_001

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I2UD Digital Library Study Guide: The Role of Urban Planning and Management in Post-Crisis Reconciliation and Recovery, October 2025

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“Technical Assistance to Lesedi Local Municipality,” Design Framework for South Africa’s Neighborhood Development Partnership Grant (NDPG), Gauteng Province, South Africa, 2011

Abstract

In 2011, South Africa’s Lesedi Local Municipality contracted I2UD and engineering firm Worley Parsons RSA to provide technical assistance to the municipality, sponsored by South Africa’s Neighborhood Development Partnership Grant (NDPG).

The technical assistance proposal also developed strategic, sustainable plans and an urban design framework for four economically distressed townships within Lesedi Municipality. I2UD formulated development and urban design strategies to revitalize, upgrade, and take advantage of the strategic locations of communities in South Africa’s Gauteng Province.

Documents include an overview presentation, inception report, field report, and stakeholder meeting notes, and a Turn-Around template for Pre-2011 Priority Areas.

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2011
Project Type:Comprehensive Plan
Geographic Regions:Lesedi Local Municipality, Gauteng, South Africa (Ratanda, Impumelelo, Kwazenzele, and Jameson Park)
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; Carolina Morgan; Alejandra Mortarini
Sponsors:Neighbourhood Development Partnership Programme (Republic of South Africa)
Categories:Climate Change and Resilience Building
ID:2011_08_001

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I2UD Digital Library Study Guide: The Role of Urban Planning and Management in Post-Crisis Reconciliation and Recovery, October 2025

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

Abstract

The “GCC Regional Spatial Strategy” is an urban development plan presented by Mona Serageldin, along with I2UD, as part of a series of regional workshops for high-level municipal officials organized by the Gulf States Regional Office of UN-Habitat.

Serageldin authored another report, “Elements and Considerations,” and a presentation the workshops held in Amman, Jordan in June 2013. Workshops discussed challenges and priorities for regional urban development among GCC countries. Topics stressed the importance of national and regional spatial development strategies for individual member countries, and aimed to utilize growth centers and development corridors to achieve better economic and social integration.

Documents include the general planning process framework from October 2010, a regional summary memo, a presentation on “Regional Spatial Strategy Experiences from China and South Africa,” as well as the “Elements and Considerations” paper by Serageldin.

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2010-2013
Project Type:Regional Report
Geographic Regions:Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates)
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin
Sponsors:UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS)
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2010_10_001

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Gallery 3: Bahrain: Manama and Muharraq (1980s)

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“Technical Assistance to Ezakheni, Ladysmith/Emnambithi Local Municipality,” Urban Development Strategy, South African Government Neighborhood Development Partnership Grant, 2010

Abstract

In 2010, I2UD developed a regeneration plan for Ezakheni, an economically distressed township in Ladysmith–Emnambithi Local Municipality located southeast of Johannesburg, South Africa. The Institute partnered with KV3 Engineers, with funding from the South African Government’s Neighborhood Development Partnership Grant (NDPG). I2UD’s urban development framework focused on renewal, connectivity, and socio-economic integration in the region. Note: In 2016, the Emnambithi Local Municipality and Indaka Local Municipality were regrouped into the new Alfred Duma Local Municipality.

The development strategies presented by I2UD included:

  • Developing an East-West corridor and a North-South spine;
  • Creating a hierarchy of road networks;
  • Improving the two main entrances;
  • Developing unused space in the urbanized areas for parks, housing, commercial and institutional uses;
  • Identifying existing and future nodes where new infrastructure will attract and support private investment; and
  • Providing appropriate setting for the generation of local job opportunities.

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2010
Project Type:Technical Assistance
Geographic Regions:Ezakheni, Ladysmith/Emnambithi Municipality (now Alfred Duma Local Municipality), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Reports:
Authors:KV3 Engineers; Mona Serageldin; Alejandra Mortarini; Natalie Pohlman; Kendra Leith
Sponsors:Neighbourhood Development Partnership Programme (Republic of South Africa)
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2010_02_001

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I2UD Digital Library Study Guide: Understanding Informal Settlements and Slum Upgrading, October 2024

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“Township Development Strategy for Emfuleni Municipality,” Technical Assistance to Sedibeng, Gauteng, South Africa, 2009

Abstract

In 2009, I2UD prepared a township development strategy for the Emfuleni Local Municipality in Sedibeng, South Africa, in partnership with Kwezi V3 Engineers, sponsored by South Africa’s Neighborhood Development Partnership Grant (NDPG).

The development strategy focused on reconnecting the four townships, originally isolated by apartheid spatial planning. The proposed plan linked them to the primary economic centers of Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging. The strategy emphasized three local development corridors linking townships to larger regional routes, and identified five key economic nodes for concentrated investment. It also delineated a tourism route featuring points of interest and historic sites within the four townships.

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2009
Project Type:Local Development Strategy
Geographic Regions:Emfuleni Local Municipality, Gauteng, South Africa
Reports:Township Development Strategy for Emfuleni Local Municipality, South Africa: (August 2009)
Authors:Alejandra Mortarini; Mona Serageldin; Kwezi V3 Engineers
Sponsors:Neighbourhood Development Partnership Programme (Republic of South Africa)
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2009_03_001

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I2UD Digital Library Study Guide: Understanding Informal Settlements and Slum Upgrading, October 2024

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“State of African Cities,” Research for Regional Chapter on North African Cities for UN-Habitat Reports, 2008 and 2010

Abstract

In 2008, a team from I2UD prepared research for regional chapters on Northern Africa for the first UN-Habitat “State of African Cities” report. Topics covered demographics and urban growth, cities as engines of economic growth, urban poverty and housing conditions, environmental challenges in urban areas, and urban governance. Countries addressed in the North Africa regional chapter included Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Sudan.

Documents include I2UD’s North Africa regional report for the 2008 State of African Cities report, as well as two full State of African Cities documents from 2008 and 2010.

Project Year:2008-2010
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:North Africa
Reports:
—
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier; Christa Lee-Chuvala; Erick Guerra
Sponsors:United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat)
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2008_03_001

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“Improvement Strategies for Affordable Housing in Yerevan, Armenia,” Development Strategy, 2008

Abstract

The Institute for International Urban Development (I2UD) proposed a field-study based Development Strategy “Improvement Strategies for Affordable Housing in Yerevan, Armenia” in 2008 to identify affordable housing solutions for the improvement of living conditions in older neighborhoods of Yerevan. The report specifically addressed upgrading strategies for Soviet-era housing estates in Yerevan, Armenia.

The proposal shows an 8-month schedule for the study, as well as overviews of relevant projects undertaken by I2UD.


[Excerpt, Page 1]

“We are proposing to assist the Municipality of Yerevan in addressing the social housing crisis and developing an appropriate response to the challenge of providing housing that is affordable to the majority of its inhabitants. Yerevan’s situation is unique in being the locus of activity of many successful diaspora developers and emerging local contractors and entrepreneurs. The programs developed must reflect the urban dynamics prevailing in the city, its growth patterns and the vision of its future presented in its plan.”

Project Year:2008
Project Type:Development Strategy
Geographic Regions:Yerevan, Armenia
Reports:Improvement Strategies for Affordable Housing in Yerevan, Armenia: (Draft Proposal, January 2008)
Authors:Mona Serageldin; John Driscoll; Elick Guerra
Sponsors:Municipality of Yerevan
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:2008_01_001

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

Abstract

Between 2006 and 2007, I2UD developed a comprehensive urban management plan to safeguard the Walled City of Icheri Sheher in Baku, Azerbaijan, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Icheri Sheher (the Walled City) is the oldest inhabited part of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

The project was accomplished in association with Alstrup & Avnby Architects of Denmark, and supported by The World Bank. The action plan positioned Icheri Sheher in light of the new State Department of the Historic and Architectural Reserve Icheri Sheher (SDHARIS), created in February 2005 by Presidential Order No. 629. The safeguard and development strategy provided:

  • An institutional and operational framework for the new Administration, SDHARIS;
  • Design guidelines and development regulations to preserve the World Heritage site while allowing private sector viability in the Historic Centre of Baku;
  • Strategic interventions to remedy current weaknesses and develop tourism potential;
  • Creation of a citizen participation component to involve stakeholders in the decision making process.

Documents include an executive summary report, Volumes 1-4 of project documentation, and a presentation on Baku’s urban fabric. For more information, see UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention: “Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah’s Palace and Maiden Tower.”

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2006
Project Type:Comprehensive Plan
Geographic Regions:Icherisheher, Baku, Azerbaijan
Reports:
Authors:François Vigier; Mona Serageldin; Samir Abdulac; Freddy Avnby; Tue Avnby; John Driscoll; Cahid Gadirli; Kamil Ibrahimov; Andrey Ivanov; Paulius Kulikauskas; Christa Lee-Chuvala; Ilham Polukhov; Rimas Steponaitis; Agshin Yunussov
Sponsors:World Bank
Categories:Historic Districts
  
ID:2006_04_001

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“Local Authority-Driven Interventions to Improve the Lives of Slum Dwellers,” Mona Serageldin for UN Millennium Task Force 8 on “Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers,” 2003

Abstract

In October 2003, Mona Serageldin participated on “Task Force 8,” a working group for the United Nations Millennium Project, directed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General.

The Task Force 8 sought to recommend strategies to achieve the defined Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adopted by world leaders at the UN Millennium Summit in September 2004. MDGs were targets to reduce global poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and gender discrimination for populations around the world.

Along with authors from the Center of Urban Development Studies (CUDS) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, Serageldin prepared an assessment of 50 best practices worldwide as a background paper for the Task Force 8. The paper highlighted the key features underlying their success–namely, partnerships, strategic priorities, multi-sectoral action plans–and focused on programs targeting vulnerable populations and marginalized informal settlements.

Documents include the October 2003 report, a goal indicators document, a case study on the Tsiganes in Greece, and a presentation titled “Partnerships and Targeted Programs.” See also the UN-Habitat Mandate for the Millennium Development Project initiative, which includes a guide section on “The Do’s and Don’ts of Slum Upgrading.”


[Excerpt: Report, October 2003, 1. Executive Summary – Overview, p. 5]

1.1 Overview

“This background paper is based on an extensive review of local authority-driven initiatives that managed to improve the lives of slum dwellers. The review discusses the growing role of local authorities with reference to the institutional context conditioning government action. The imbalances created by asymmetrical decentralization of powers, responsibilities and resources is a cross cutting theme prompting local authorities to seek strategic partners for their initiatives. The conceptual framework used to define the range of locally driven initiatives that can improve the lives of slum dwellers underscores their breadth and diversity. The review focuses on process, strategy and action, and how these were shaped by the nature of the challenges that local authorities had to cope with and the partnerships they managed to structure in order to access resources, engage poor communities, reach marginalized populations and address vulnerable groups.”

“The performance of these institutional frameworks and decision making processes are assessed with reference to the difficulties encountered and results achieved. The selected initiatives presented in the different sections of the paper are grouped under headings highlighting recent trends and pointing to future directions. The paper focuses on initiatives implemented during the past decade in different economic, social, political and cultural settings. Emerging trends with regard to processes, strategies, and actions highlight the expanding scope of partnerships and the emphasis on empowerment and social inclusion.”

Project Year:2003
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Weihai, China (Conference Location) / Sofades, Greece (Case Study)
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; Elda Sollos; Luis Valenzuela; Peter Stathopoulos
Sponsors:United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat)
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:2003_10_001

Related I2UD Projects

I2UD Digital Library Study Guide: Understanding Informal Settlements and Slum Upgrading, October 2024

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

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

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

Gallery 16: Venezuela: Caracas, 1989

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“Indicators of Performance for Local Development,” Case Study on the LITMUS Programme by the Borough of Southwark, London, 2001

Abstract

Team members at the Center for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, Barry Shaw and Clare Wright, developed a case study in 2001 examining the Local Indicators to Monitor Urban Sustainability (LITMUS) program adopted by the London Borough of Southwark. The report sought to document indicators used to monitor sustainability in urban communities and to encourage involvement in developing improvement efforts. Documents include a final report and presentation slides.

Excerpt:

Case Study: The Litmus Programme: “This paper discusses the use of local indicators beginning with the LITMUS programme developed for the London Borough of Southwark (LBS). It draws on the work of The New Economic Foundation (NEF). The authors acknowledge the assistance of Sanjiv Lingayah and Florian Sommer, both of NEF, and Julie Tallantire of LBS in drawing up this Case Study.

Introduction: “A key feature of UK regeneration projects focused on areas of multiple deprivation is the engagement of the local community in identifying the problems and helping manage the solutions with the aim of creating a more sustainable improvement in their living conditions. It is an approach that brings together the concepts of strategic partnerships and Local Agenda 21. Measuring the effectiveness of the approach has been difficult, especially in the most deprived areas with large numbers of residents from ethnic minority groups.”

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:2001
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Southwark, London, United Kingdom
Reports:
Authors:Barry Shaw; Clare Wright
Sponsors:Center for Urban Development Studies, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2001_09_003

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“Reconnaissance Report: Local Economic Development,” Regional Planning Survey for Bucharest, Romania, 2000

Abstract

In 2000, John Driscoll and Liviu Ianasi produced a survey report on local planning processes in Bucharest, Romania titled “Local Economic Development: Reconnaissance Report.” The report proposed a technical assistance and capacity-building program for the Bucharest region. It includes an overview of the program objectives and a detailed implementation framework, highlighting tools to assist USAID and RTI International in planning, prioritizing, and selecting projects to foster local economic development in Romania.

Excerpt

Table of Contents:

  • Introduction (p. 2)
  • Country and Urban Context (p. 2)
  • Linkages Between Economic Development and Urban Planning and Land Management (p. 3)
  • Legal and Regulatory Framework for Planning and Land Management (p.p.3)
  • Existing Legislation relating to Urban Planning, Land and Economic Development (p. 6)
  • Institutional Context Related to Economic Development and Urban Planning (p. 7)
  • Municipal Finance and Links to Economic Development (p. 9)
  • Proposed Capacity Building Activities (p.10)
  • Key Areas of Focus (p. 11)
  • Capacity Building Approach (p. 14)
  • Next Steps (p. 15)
  • Framework for Capacity Building and Highlighting Changes for Legislative Action (p. 16)
  • Annex 1. Standard Outline for GUP and Regulations (p. 23)
  • Annex 2. Organizational Chart—Municipal Government (p. 27)
  • Annex 3. Meetings and contacts during the Mission (p. 28)
  • Annex 4 NARD Funding by Source (p. 30)
Project Year:2000
Project Type:Technical Assistance
Geographic Regions:Bucharest, Romania
Reports:Local Economic Development Reconnaissance Report: (March 2000)
Authors:John Driscoll; Liviu Ianasi
Sponsors:RTI International; USAID
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:2000_02_001

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I2UD Digital Library Study Guide: The Role of Urban Planning and Management in Post-Crisis Reconciliation and Recovery, October 2025

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“Review of the South African Government’s Grant-Funded Municipal Infrastructure Programs,” Technical Reports on Nine South African Provinces, 1998-1999

Abstract

In 1998, the Unit for Housing and Urbanization reviewed the effectiveness of the South African Government’s grant-funded Municipal Infrastructure Program. The project involved field visits and detailed reports on economic conditions and progress on “Nine Noteworthy Projects” in South Africa’s provinces:

  • Klapmuts, Western Cape
  • Middledrift, Eastern Cape
  • Atteridgeville, Gauteng
  • Mhluzi, Mpumalanga
  • Itsoseng, North West
  • Ndaleni, KwaZulu-Natal
  • Cornelia, Free State
  • Naboomspruit/Mookgophong, Limpopo
  • Ritchie, Northern Cape

Documents include a letter of interest, draft contract, an inception report, multiple intermediate reports, and various supporting reports, data and maps, and presentation notes. The Unit also developed a workshop in 1999 based on this study.

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:1998-1999
Project Type:Technical Assistance
Geographic Regions:South Africa
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; David Cook; John Driscoll; David C. Jones
Sponsors:World Bank; Development Bank of Southern Africa
Categories:Evaluations and Assessments
  
ID:1998_08_001

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I2UD Digital Library Study Guide: The Role of Urban Planning and Management in Post-Crisis Reconciliation and Recovery, October 2025

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Design Studio 1997: “Strategic Planning and Local Development,” Seminar Curriculum

Abstract

The Unit for Housing and Urbanization at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design hosted a Design Studio in Spring 1997, “Strategic Planning and Local Development,” led by Mona Serageldin and John Driscoll. The studio focused on strategies for urban and regional development for less developed nations, within the context of a globalized economy with cities being the engines of growth.

Documents include a workshop overview with objectives and schedule, a reserved materials list, and a bibliography.


[Excerpt: Syllabus Introduction, ‘Strategic Planning and Local Development,’ Spring 1997]

“The seminar will examine strategies for urban and regional development within the context of a globalized economy where cities are the engines of growth. Fierce competition, unavoidable interdependence, fast paced technological change, widening income disparities and environmental degradation are creating new challenges that urban development strategies must address.”

“Concepts and methods of strategic planning as a framework for participation, decision making and resource allocation will be examined focusing on the complementary roles of public and private actors in planning, financing and managing urban development activities in different economic, institutional and cultural settings. Case studies will illustrate proactive strategies to promote urban development, regenerate functionally obsolete areas and revitalized marginalized neighborhoods.

The seminar will examine the expanding scope of public/private partnerships and discuss the changing role of public agencies, private investors, NGOs and community based organizations in the rehabilitation of the built environment and the provision of housing and urban services. Case studies will illustrate sustainable initiatives focusing on the structure of the interface between city, community and the local business sector. The case studies will also highlight critical roles for urban planners and designers in leading and nurturing initiatives relying on empowerment.”

See related I2UD projects below

Project Year:1997
Project Type:Urban Design Studio
Geographic Regions:Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (Seminar Location) / Cairo Metropolitan Area, Egypt
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; John Driscoll
Sponsors:Unit for Housing and Urbanization, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:Design Studios; Education
  
ID:1997_01_001

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

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Design Studio 1996: “Strategic Urban Redevelopment in a Transitional Economy in Gdansk, Poland,” Seminar Curriculum

Abstract

The Design Studio from Spring 1996, “Strategic Urban Redevelopment in Gdansk, Poland,” was led by Professors Mona Serageldin and David Neilson. The Studio examined urban planning, housing, and development in Poland, economic policies and conditions in the Gdańsk Province, and basic construction costs and building typologies in Gdańsk.

Documents include a detailed Studio overview with course schedule and full report, the full report “Urban Regeneration and Housing in a Transitional Economy: Gdansk, Poland,” and a case study summary, “A Foreign Investor’s Perspective on Strategic Planning and Urban Development in Poland.”

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Project Year:1996
Project Type:Urban Design Studio
Geographic Regions:Gdańsk, Poland
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin; Boguslaw Rutecki; David Neilson; Dariusz Knowski; Janne Corneil; Robert Lach; Boguslaw Trondowski; Anna Zietek
Sponsors:Unit for Housing and Urbanization, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:Design Studios; Education
  
ID:1996_01_001

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“Community-Based Urbanization and Favelas Rehabilitation Processes,” Case Study in Academy Editions, Architecture of Empowerment: People, Shelter and Livable Cities, for Fortaleza, Brazil, 1997

Abstract

Specialists at the Center for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, including Mona Serageldin, wrote the report “Community-Based Urbanization and Favelas Rehabilitation Processes” in 1997, published in The Architecture of Empowerment: People, Shelter and Livable Cities.

This housing case study of Fortaleza, Brazil examined the four interlinked urban programs in Fortaleza, which formed a coordinated framework for public and community action to address the human and environmental aspects of rapid urbanization. Programs combined capacity building, participation, civic engagement, and community-based management of local resources.


[Excerpt: Final Report, 1997]

“Fortaleza’s interlinked urban programs (Mutirão 50, Comunidades, Casa Melhor and the Integration Council) created a framework for coordinated public and community action addressing the human aspects as well as the environmental dimensions of rapid urbanization. The programs combined capacity building, participation, civic engagement and community based management of local resources. Fortaleza, the capital of the Ceara State, in the Northern region of Brazil, has a population of 2.5 million inhabitants, over half of whom live in more than 350 irregular settlements, known as “favelas”, lacking infrastructure and services. Rapid demographic growth and sustained migration from rural areas has fueled their proliferation. Since 1973, a new favela has developed every month . . .”
. . . .

“The goal of the Mutirão 50 pilot and the Comunidades programs is to create an interface for coordinated action by the different actors involved in urban development. The process capitalizes on the complementary roles of NGOs that have the capacity to innovate and lead an outreach and mobilization effort, and the public authorities that can foster institutionalization and replication of successful actions. The programs have 3 strategic objectives: to create a setting for self-built mutirões housing; to generate employment opportunities; and to set in motion a process of sustainable development.“

“The programs reinforce citizen participation and the autonomy of community based organizations by building up their capacity to negotiate with public authorities and broadening their vision and understanding of the wider socio-economic context. The Comunidades program is managed by a special commission, referred to as the Integration Council. It includes two representatives of each of the partners involved: the State, the municipalities, the university and the technical school, the NGOs and the community groups. . . “
. . . .

“Close ties to education and research institutions help develop innovative approaches to the three complementary and integrated action lines of the program: Housing construction institutional development and job creation. In light of the importance given to technical training, the collaborative effort with educational institutions is considered critical to the program’s success.”

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Project Year:1995
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Fortaleza, Brazil
Reports:Community Based Urbanization and Favelas Rehabilitation Processes: (Final Report, 1997)
Authors:Mona Serageldin; Boguslaw Trondowski; Sameh Wahba
Sponsors:Center for Urban Development Studies, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:Urban Planning
  
ID:1995_00_006

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Design Studio 1993: “Rabat’s Urban Fringe,” Rabat, Morocco, Seminar Curriculum

Abstract

The Design Studio from Spring 1993, “Rabat’s Urban Fringe,” was led by Professors François Vigier and Mona Serageldin. The seminar focused on informal housing and the fringe region around the old city sections of Rabat, Morocco.

The seminar report includes the following five chapters on urban development in Rabat, Morocco, circa 1992:

  1. National Background
  2. The Process of Urbanization
  3. The Housing Sector
  4. Rabat-Salé: The Capital City, and
  5. The Southern Fringe of Rabat

Section 5 on the Southern Fringe contains an expansive study of squatter settlements, historic regions, and upgrading in Rabat, with details on squatter regions and upgrading activity zones, including an analysis of the social and economic impact of housing projects underway. A final section (5.5) details case studies of Doum and informal housing in Takadoum and La Butte.


[Excerpt: Table of Contents fo Rabat’s Urban Fringe, October 1992]

This document presents an overview of the Design Studio, authored by Vigier and Serageldin in October 1992, for use in the Spring 1993 Design Studio curriculum. This topic was reused from the Design Studio from 1989, “Rabat’s Urban Fringe,”  Urbanization Analysis of Rabat, Morocco, Seminar Curriculum (Project ID: 1989_01_001).

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Project Year:1993
Project Type:Urban Design Studio
Geographic Regions:Rabat, Morocco
Reports:1993 Design Studio: Rabat’s Urban Fringe (Report)
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier
Sponsors:Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Categories:Design Studios; Education
  
ID:1993_00_001

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“Second Urban Project,” Urban Development Study Proposals for Conakry, Guinea, 1990

Abstract

In May 1990, the Unit for Housing and Urbanization (the Unit) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design proposed an urban development study, “Strategies for Sustainable Improvements Through Community Participation,” as part of the “Second Urban Project” for Conakry, Guinea. The Unit’s proposal reflected the need in Guinea for an action program designed to better local neighborhood conditions in 1990. Suggested plans aimed to boost community participation and improve urban health through local planning guidelines, developing strategies for progressive improvements at the neighborhood level and providing analytical tools to support long-term development.

Documents include an annotated final report for “Guinea’s Second Urban Project,” study proposals by the Unit, notes by John Driscoll, and population distribution map.


[Excerpt: Report, February 1990, page 16]

“The Housing and Land Development Component will include the implementation of a first 200-ha land development operation, in Conakry, following the financing and institutional proposals of the recently completed housing policy study (see para. 1.32). That study identified procedures and mechanisms to implement the Government’s strategy to increase formally recognized housing production through subdivision and development of urban land, to rationalize unregulated urban growth through the creation of a regulatory framework for urban planning and land market operations, and to maximize the number of households with access to security of tenure, housing and urban services.

The implementation of this policy is based on replicable land development operations relying on procedures which will limit public sector involvement to construction of secondary infrastructure, whose costs will be fully recovered, and will encourage a variety of public, semipublic and private developers to undertake subdivision and tertiary works within the blocks delimited by the secondary infrastructure network.”

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Project Year:1990
Project Type:Urban Development Study
Geographic Regions:Conakry, Guinea
Reports:
Authors:John Driscoll
Sponsors:Unit for Housing and Urbanization, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:1990_01_002

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