City Space Architecture was selected to be as an exhibitor in the 10th World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi, on 8-13 February 2020. The World Urban Forum (WUF) was established in 2001 by the United Nations to address one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanisation and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies. The Forum is a high-level, open and inclusive platform. This was the first time that an Arab country hosted the world’s most important conference on cities and human settlements. The theme of WUF10 in Abu Dhabi was ‘Cities of Opportunities: Connecting Culture and Innovation’.
City Space Architecture partnered with 16 global institutions to promote the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, with a specific interest on target 11.7 – By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
The title of the exhibition was: PUBLIC SPACE IS VITAL FOR AN EQUITABLE URBAN FUTURE, and highlighted the following keywords: care, belonging, inclusion, diversity, innovation, culture, safety, prosperity, health, well-being, universal accessibility, entrepreneurship.
City Space Architecture partnered with The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Healthbridge Foundation of Canada, Block by Block, Project for Public Spaces, University of Auckland, Columbia University, Federal University Rio de Janeiro, Auckland City Council, KTH Centre for the the Future of Places, IHC Global, Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization, Sustasis Foundation, Global Utmaning, Public Space Research Group (PSRG), Ukrainian City and Regional Planning Research Center, General Assembly of Partners (GAP) Older Persons.
Read a report on The Journal of Public Space here.
City Space Architecture’s exhibition space at WUF10: we received the visit of Dr Joan Clos, former Executive Director of UN-Habitat, while screening an interview he gave to Michael W. Mehaffy in 2018 at the 9th World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur.
BACKGROUND STORY
A few months before, in August 2019, City Space Architecture launched a global campaign to support public space. We invited global stakeholders to join forces to ask the WUF Secretariat to include a clear reference to public spaces in the Concept Note. The Concept Note has since been revised to include public space, and that is a great achievement. However, we believe that it should be addressed more strategically, given that the main theme of WUF10 is ‘Cities of Opportunities’. As part of this, we believe that public space should also be discussed to promote inclusion, equity, resilience and sustainability, in line with the UN’s commitment to ‘leave no one behind’.
IMPACT
As an outcome of our efforts, The Journal of Public Space and City Space Architecture have been included in the Abu Dhabi declared actions, the official outcome of WUF10 to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. We have made a commitment to work on universal accessibility, in partnership with World Blind Union.
https://unhabitat.org/the-abu-dhabi-declared-actions-one-year-of-implementation
(pagg. 12, 24, 38):
/// World Blind Union (WBU) in partnership with UN-HABITAT agrees to implement an agreement to accelerate UN-Habitat’s work towards mainstreaming disability inclusion, universal design and accessibility within its strategies, policies, programs and operations in line with the Agenda 2030, the New Urban Agenda, United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy. WBU commits to contribute to awareness raising and learning on universal design by publishing a special issue of The Journal of Public Space in partnership with City Space Architecture prior to World Urban Forum 11 ///
This is an amazing achievement for us! And an important recognition of our role in shaping the New Urban Agenda at the global level in regard of public space!
City Space Architecture’s exhibition space at WUF10 with: (from left to right) Dr Luisa Bravo (Founder and Editor in Chief of The Journal of Public Space, Founder and President of City Space Architecture), Benjamin Dard (Global Advisor for Accessibility and Universal Design, CBM International) and Hannes J. Lagrelius (Program Officer, Global Program for Inclusive and Accessible Urban Development 2020-2023, World Blind Union).
LAUNCH OF A NEW INITIATIVE
At the 10th World Urban Forum, we also officially launched our new project, the Public Space Academy, an innovative educational programme and a transformative learning experience aimed at establishing a new approach to urban complexity built around public space. The Public Space Academy was selected and included in the Local Project Challenge, a project developed as a partnership between the Center for Sustainable Urban Development, The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the Faculty of Architecture, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and builds on Global Studio and People Building Better Cities.
Read more here: https://localprojectchallenge.org/public-space-academy/.
