European Urban Summer School

[i]UN Habitat & Aesop[/i] EUSS 2010 Wroclaw University of technology 10-19 september 2010 Nairobi, Kenya It is now widely accepted that the ongoing urbanisation process is unstoppable, irreversible, and is taking place largely in the developing world. Cities in the developing world, therefore, hold the key to sustainable development of our planet. The Nairobi 2010 Congress of ISOCARP, focusing on the theme ‘Sustainable City/ Developing World’ takes its departure from the aforementioned premise. Planning strategies for sustainable development in cities of the global south will be discussed according to the type of intervention through which they can be best addressed, for example, urban policy and financing, urban form and design, urban planning instruments, and urban governance. The workshops will be structured along these sub-themes and are elaborated below. WORKSHOP 1: Effective policy-making for sustainable urbanisation Introduction: Urban policy formulation encompasses not just spatial planning but also issues such as housing and service delivery; economic development, infrastructure and privatisation; environmental and natural resource management; and, social inclusion. Furthermore, policy-making for sustainable urbanisation is not restricted to the urban level alone. National and provincial urbanisation and economic policies, regional development priorities, and strategies to combat climate change, among others, impact significantly on urbanisation and urban development patterns. While urban local governments are powerful actors in many developed countries, in the global South they are often weak and face a battery of constraints, including those of technical knowledge, human and financial resources. There are examples, however, of innovative municipal finance mechanisms and public-private partnerships in the area of infrastructure development and service delivery. How can all these policies and financing arrangements be harnessed to build sustainable cities? The papers in this segment should address the following issues: 1.1 How can infrastructure policy and investments be made more strategic, and more inclusive, so that they benefit as many people as possible, and do not in any way exacerbate existing inequalities (rural-urban, inter-urban, or intra-urban)? 1.2 Examples/case studies from developed as well as developing country cities, where housing/infrastructure provision has benefited the population at large, effectively addressed both formal and informal development, and resulted in not only environmental but also socio-economic sustainability. 1.3 How can the urban economy – both formal and informal – be managed in a manner as to ensure sustainable and inclusive development? 1.4 How do developing country cities contribute to climate change, and how are they affected by the changing climate? What is the impact of climate change on the different population groups in cities of the North and the South, for example the urban poor? What policies that address comparable situations can be shared? What policies could be non-replicable? WORKSHOP 2: The impact of spatial planning, urban design and built form on urban sustainability Introduction: Spatial planning is undoubtedly the main preoccupation of a majority of planning professionals. Indeed, spatial planning and urban design have far-reaching implications for sustainable urbanisation, whether in terms of mitigating spatial fragmentation, avoiding gentrification and social exclusion; supporting environmentally sensitive development, protection of fragile urban lands and eco-systems; or, promoting a built environment which is resilient to the increasingly frequent and intense natural/ man-made disasters. The papers in this segment should therefore address the following issues: 2.1 How can spatial planning contribute to socially inclusive development? How can spatial and strategic planning be effectively combined? 2.2 How can the spatial development pattern, urban built environment, services and infrastructure be improved in order to ensure ecologically sustainable development? City experiences/ best practices would be particularly useful in this regard. 2.3 How do natural disasters, both climate- and non-climate-related, impact urban sustainability? How can the urban pattern/built form help in mitigating the impact of disasters? Are there any experiences/ examples from the cities of the developed world which can be usefully adapted or replicated in developing country cities? WORKSHOP 3: Urban planning instruments for sustainability Introduction: In most developing countries, as well as a large number of transitional and developed nations, urban planning continues to rely on instruments such as master plans which specify in some detail land use, provide for segregation of uses through zoning regulations, and impose (usually rigid) building bye-laws and standards. Although innovative planning approaches are also coming to the fore, and these instruments are also being reformed, yet, there is a long way to go before entire planning systems can be transformed from being control-oriented to supportive of contextually-relevant forms of development. For instance, the predominance of informal housing and economic activity in many developing country cities is illustrative of the contradiction between reality and the ideal urban scenario envisioned by colonial-era legislation. Often, such laws and planning instruments can serve to further exacerbate socio-spatial divisions within cities, sometimes even resulting in violent social unrest (e.g. in Zimbabwe). How can urban planning instruments such as master plans, zoning regulations and building codes be reformed in order to promote social, economic and environmental sustainability, should be the overarching question addressed by the papers in this segment. Specifically: 3.1 How can land use planning, zoning, building and service standards be revised and reformed to enhance urban sustainability in all its dimensions? 3.2 What kind of indicators could be included in urban planning instruments to assess their impact on urban sustainability? 3.3 How can national planning associations and educational institutions be instrumental in bringing about change in outdated planning instruments? What is the role of international bodies such as ISOCARP in this context? WORKSHOP 4: Improving governance for sustainable urban development Introduction: Improvements in the quality of governance, assessed on the basis of principles such as participation and civic engagement, transparency and accountability, subsidiarity and rule of law, among others, can help in improving the decision-making processes in cities and making development responsive to the needs of the people. Urban planning is a central instrument of urban governance, and needs to take into account all these factors. The papers in this segment should address the following issues: 4.1 How can improved urban governance, including (but not restricted to) urban planning processes, procedures and regulations, help in ensuring sustainable and inclusive urbanisation? 4.2 How can disaster and conflict-affected cities and towns be reconstructed and revived in a sustainable manner? 4.3 How can planning education, training and capacity-building be restructured/ adapted in order to build sustainable cities? Visit the official site: http://www.aesop-planning.com/