Abu Dhabi, 6 March 2020 – On the sidelines of the Tenth Session of the World Urban Forum, UN-Habitat’s Global Public Space Programme and The Centre for Future of Places launched two publications: City-Wide Public Space Strategies: A  Compendium of Inspiring Practices and its complement, City-Wide Public Space Strategies: A Guidebook for City Leaders.

The compendium offers summaries and assessments of 26 strategies from cities around the world. It also proposes a set of typologies and a framework with which strategies can be evaluated. The guidebook offers three guides in one: a process-based guide with 12 steps for developing a strategy; an output-based guide with 13 essential ingredients for a strategy; and an outcome-based guide with six important norms that every strategy should adopt.

During this launch Cecilia Andersson, Manager of UN-Habitat’s Global Public Space Programme, described her decade long work with cities to improve public spaces while also outlining the difficulties in mapping city-wide systems.

Puvendra Akkiah, Senior Manager for Policy for eThekwini Municipality, followed by citing the increasing demand from municipal governments for advice on city-wide approaches. Then Andrew Rudd from UN-Habitat’s City Planning, Extension and Design Unit outlined the purpose and scope of the two publications. Joy Mutai from the Global Public Space Programme conveyed a number of cities’ constraints and successes.

Lastly, Michael Mehaffy, Senior Researcher for the Ax:son Johnson Foundation and Centre for the Future of Places spoke about the need for intergovernmental agencies need to disseminate inspiring practices and outline concrete patterns that can be adapted and replicated in different contexts.