Nairobi, 11 April 2022 – UN-Habitat’s Global Public Space Programme, in partnership with the Block by Block Foundation, has announced the selected candidates for the 2022 fund on implementing small-scale public space projects,

The Global Public Space Programme has been running since 2012. Each year, UN-Habitat calls for nominations from local governments, non-profit organisations and community-based organizations based on certain criteria.

This year, the Planning, Finance and Economy Section launched a call for the implementation of small-scale public space projects on 23 February. After review, applicants from Brazil, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo,  Niger, Nigeria and South Africa were invited to submit proposals which aimed to achieve the following expected results:

• Increase public participation in public spaces’ planning and design processes.
• Influence cities to recognize the importance of maximising public spaces in urban areas
• Build partnerships and networks to advance the public space agenda locally and regionally.
• 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.

An internal UN-Habitat team reviewed the eligibility of all received proposals and assessed them on a comparative basis against the assessment criteria outlined in the call. Upon careful consideration and within the budget available, the Block by Block Foundation selected the below five projects: