Kategorie: Pre-2020

  • Secure tenure and slum dwelling in Bangladesh

    A project that has resettled slum dwellers and given them security of tenure is being hailed as a model to be followed in the Indian sub-continent. The number of slum dwellers in Bangldesh has been increasing sharply over the past 20 years. The urban slum population is 60%, a higher figure than for India or Pakistan.…

  • Afghanistan celebrates World Town Planning Day

    World Town Planning Day (8 November) was celebrated in Kabul by a national urban conference addressed by the President. Minister for Urban Development, Sadat Naderi,  highlighted the Urban National Priority Programme as Afghanistan’s new framework for urban sustainability and planning according international planning standards, building upon the country’s first ever ‘State of Afghan Cities 2015 Report’,…

  • What is a just city and how do we make it?

    A free downloadable book explores the idea of a Just City. The Just City Essays: 26 Visions for Urban Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity aims to inspire ideas and practices to tackle the deep inequalities that mark our urban settlements. The team behind the venture invited 24 authors to address two questions: What would a just city look…

  • New ESPON programme kicks off with focus on refugee migration

    The ESPON programme gets going again with a seminar in Luxembourg in December focusing on refugee migration. As border fences are being erected once more in Europe, ESPON – the European Observatory Network on Territorial Cohesion and Development – will hold a seminar on 8-9 December in cooperation with Luxembourg’s EU presidency on the theme…

  • Sweden sets out to become fossil-fuel free

    Sweden has announced a big jump in spending (US$546 million) on renewable energy and climate change action in their 2016 budget,   The aim is to become one of the world’s first nations to end dependence on fossil fuels.  Significantly, Sweden’s boost for renewables comes in the run-up to the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP21) that will be held…

  • No cars bridge boosts transit oriented development

    A new bridge in Portland, Oregon carries pedestrians, cyclists, buses, trams and light rail metro – but no cars or trucks. The Tilikum Crossing over the Willamette River opened on 12 September 2015. Perhaps not surprisingly, it is in Portland, Oregon, one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the USA. In connecting and extending the public…

  • Governance in metropolitan regions

    A new publication that can be downloaded for free sets guidelines for how to plan and manage metropolitan development. Unpacking Metropolitan Governance for Sustainable Development  argues that new governance structures are needed in metropolitan areas. It looks at at how and why metropolitan regions work – or not – and how effective metropolitan governance can be…

  • Sri Lanka plans „Megapolis“ to boost growth

    The Sri Lankan government recently created a new ministerial post – Minister of Megapolis and Western Province Development. The brief is to oversee the creation of a huge urban area roughly 95 kms long with the capital Colombo at its heart. The $300billion project will involve new development and urban renewal on a scale never…

  • Local economic development lessons from US

    Working together to achieve a common vision for change is a key requirement for urban economic regeneration, argues a new report based on research in 4 US cities. The report is published by the UK-based Centre for Local Economic Strategies. The research looked at Cleveland, Pittsburg, Philadelphia and Providence, all cities that have faced major economic challenges…

  • Does your city want to host a major European planning conference?

    The European Council of Spatial Planners is inviting nominations from cities interested in hosting the 12th Biennial of European Towns and Town Planning in 2017. this year’s event will be held in Dublin in October. Host cities Candidacies must provide: ECTP-CEU and its members offer support to the organisation with: The deadline is 7 October.…