UN-Habitat Assembly - Youth Tent Event

Innovations in Urban and Territorial Planning for Healthier Cities

Monday, 27th May, 1.30pm-2.45pm, Youth Tent, UN Compound, Nairobi

Description of the event: Current urbanization trends are negatively affecting human health and well-being of citizens, challenging the development of competitive, inclusive and liveable cities. As recognized in the “Health as the Pulse of the New Urban Agenda” report by the World Health Organization (WHO), key urban stakeholders must incorporate health as a central consideration in their decision-making processes. Governments at all levels, along with United Nations agencies and other important agents of change, must move from a growing recognition of this task to coordinated actions including health considerations and actors in urban planning and development. UN-Habitat, in collaboration with WHO, other urban health organizations and with the support of the Government of Norway, is working on implementing the International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning for improved health and well-being. This initiative is aimed at improving human health and well-being through improved urban and territorial planning and design. This Expert Group Meeting (EGM) aims to bring key actors from this and other initiatives together to discuss, brainstorm and reflect on our contribution to the built environment
Key Objectives: Develop a health-focused planning system assessmentDevelop a framework for urban health determinantsDevelop a “Training Manual” for health actors and planners
Outputs: Health-focused planning system assessment; Training Manual (first approach) – planning and health
Speakers: 1. Dr. Remy Sietchiping, Unit Leader, Regional and Metropolitan Planning Unit, UN-Habitat 2. Sarah Ruel Bergeron, Director, ARCHIVE Global 3. Dr. Franz Gatzweiler, Executive Director, UWHB - Read opening statement4. Pamela Carbajal, Urban Planning and Design Branch, UN-Habitat
Moderator: Dr. Blessing Mberu, Senior Research Scientist and Head of Urbanization & Wellbeing Research Program at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

Online reading