Following the adoption of the New Urban Agenda, UN-Habitat's Global Public Space Programme is launching a call for innovative and exciting public space projects which could receive a small grant to support implementation. Local authorities and non-profit organisations are invited to submit proposals which aim to achieve the following expected result:
The effective creation, protection, design and management of public spaces, particularly in disadvantaged communities in rapidly urbanizing cities and towns, as critical preconditions for poverty reduction and the fulfilment of human rights in urban areas.
Proposals must demonstrate that they contribute to the following outcome:
Improved local policies, plans and designs for safe, inclusive and accessible public spaces for all which supports more compact, integrated and connected, socially inclusive cities and neighborhoods in partner cities.
We will assess all proposals on a comparative basis against the following assessment criteria:
o How important is the space for the community
o Accessibility
o Connected, networked and integrated in terms of functions and location
o Multi-functionality
o Safety
o Social inclusiveness and human rights
o Gender equality
o Youth empowerment
o Sustainability of results, management structures and maintenance frameworks
o Financial sustainability and counterpart contributions
o Plan for scaling-up on city-wide level
o Link or potential impact on local/national policy
o Inclusion of design, financial and legal dimensions (UN-Habitat's three-legged approach to sustainable urbanisation)
o Regional balance and type of cities covered will be an additional criteria for final selection, as will be links with existing/ongoing projects.
We will provide an amount of between 20,000 and 100,000 USD over 1 year (depending on the scale of the intervention and the local capacity) to 5 to 10 proposals. In addition to the funds, wherever possible, we will be able to provide direct support (expertise) for a participatory design workshop using Minecraft, under the Block by Block partnership. Block by Block is a collaboration between UN-Habitat and Mojang, in which we use Minecraft as a community participation tool.
Once selected, a process of detailed formulation in collaboration with UN-Habitat's Public Space Programme will be undertaken to establish an Agreement of Cooperation under which the work will be implemented.
Projects should be finalized by early 2018 to be showcased at the World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Entry Format
Proposals must be submitted by 20 January 2017 to cecilia.andersson@unhabitat.org with copy to pontus.westerberg@unhabitat.org and jose.chong@unhabitat.org. We expect a concept note of about 4-6 pages describing the project that you would like to propose, including information about your organisation. Please submit your proposal on A4 either as a Word document or a PDF.
There is no application form.
Please follow the project concept outline as below:
- Project Title
- Problem statement
- Project’s Purpose or Objective
- Expected Outcome's and Indicators
- Planned Activities
- Collaborating Partners
- Main Focus Areas
- Estimated Total Budget (also indicating other possible contributions)
- Links to UN-Habitat's cross-cutting issues (human rights, gender, youth, climate change)
- Key assumptions and Risks