As part of the provision of technical assistance, ISOCARP has deployed experts to Recife, Brazil, and Panaji, India for assignments related to the development of Urban Low-Emission Development Strategies (Urban LEDS). The experts provided inputs of 4-4.5 weeks, both home and field-based, in each location. Other assignments in the pipeline were located in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nagpur, India. These assignments are a win-win arrangements as they provide an opportunity for ISOCARP members to deliver paid consultancy services to UN-HABITAT, while at the same time allowing UN-HABITAT access to a large pool of expert planners from the ISOCARP membership.

If you are interested in such a collaboration we would need to know your expertise and skills and therefore kindly ask you to regularly update your ISOCARP CV in the Members Area.

Other examples of the fruitful collaboration between UN-HABITAT and ISOCARP can be found below.

World Urban Forum

ISOCARP has been actively engaged in successive sessions of the World Urban Forum since 2008 (Nanjing 2008, Rio de Janiero 2010, Naples 2012 and Medellin 2014). The theme of WUF 7 in Medellin, Colombia, in April 2014, was “Urban Equity in Development: Cities for Life”. ISOCARP was the leading strategic partner in the Dialogue titled “Spatial Fix – Urban Planning and Design for Social Cohesion”, which was led by the Urban Planning and Design Branch of UN-HABITAT.  The outcomes of Dialogues are very important in terms of shaping the urban agenda, and UN-HABITAT’s focus within that, for several years ahead. ISOCARP Vice-President Shipra Narang Suri moderated the exciting and lively event, which witnessed the participation of nearly 1000 people. Watch the recorded event online here

Finally, WUF7 hosted some critical (closed) meetings such as those of the Habitat Professionals Forum and the World Urban Campaign. ISOCARP had a leading role in these. See ISOCARP_flyer_for_WUF7.

All these activities made WUF7 a very exciting prospect for enhancing ISOCARP’s visibility and reputation, and ensuring that we play an important part in influencing the post-2015 development agenda, as well as the elements of the New Urban Agenda which is to be drafted by 2016 and adopted at the HABITAT-III conference the same year.

Leading the way towards HABITAT III

During the seventh session of the World Urban Forum in Medellin, ISOCARP was elected to lead two important groupings related to UN-HABITAT. ISOCARP Vice President Shipra Narang Suri was elected co-Chair of the World Urban Campaign, a platform that brings together a wide range of organisations representing professionals, civil society, the private sector, and other groups interested in urban issues. This is also the primary forum to carry the views of these actors into the New Urban Agenda to be drafted by, and adopted during, the HABITAT III conference in 2016.

At the same time, past President Ismael Fernandez Mejia was elected to chair the Habitat professionals Forum, which is a platform that provides a voice to organisations and networks of professionals who work in areas relating to human settlements development, such as architects, planners, landscape architects, housing planners, surveyors etc.

In addition, ISOCARP member and urban planner at ARCADIS, Bert Smolders is also co-chair of the UN-HABITAT Private Partners Group, the group of private companies who sponsor UN-HABITAT. ARCADIS is also the main financial sponsor of the World Urban Campaign and Bert is member of the Steering Committee.

Leading these bodies at this critical juncture puts ISOCARP in the enviable position of being able to directly influence global agenda-setting in the quest for sustainable and inclusive urban development, and the development of several documents which will guide urban planning, management and governance processes globally over the next two decades.

Keynote Address the 2012 World Habitat Day celebration in Kosovo

ISOCARP Vice-President Shipra Narang Suri delivered the Keynote Address at UN-HABITAT Kosovo’s World Habitat Day celebration in Pristina on the 1st of October 2012. Organised on the first Monday of October each year, the theme for WHD2012 was “Changing Cities, Building Opportunities.”

Addressing a gathering of nearly 75 professionals and policymakers from across Kosovo, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo and the Minister for Environment and Spatial Planning, Dr. Narang Suri observed that while cities are often called the engines of economic growth or magnets of hope, the question to be asked is – what kind of cities can be such positive forces? And what is the type of planning that can build such cities, where the battle for the MDGs and that of climate resilience can be won. She also highlighted ISOCARP’s main areas of work, and called upon Kosovar planners to join ISOCARP and engage actively with the global community of planners.

A day before the event, Dr. Narang Suri also participated in a cycle tour of Kosovo – Tour de Culture – organized jointly by UN-HABITAT and Cultural Heritage without Borders.