Nights for the homeless and poor in the capital Dhaka are spent out in the hot and humid tropical weather conditions. Bangladesh, July 2007. The country is one of the poorest in the world. A large percentage of the vast population is young and living below the poverty level. Photo: © Manoocher Deghati/IRIN
Making Cities Work Urban Strategy: USAID. USAID’s Urban Programs Team is dedicated to increasing economic prosperity, democracy and security in the world’s rapidly growing cities. The Team works across sectors to advance the Agency’s Making Cities Work Strategy in the following areas: City Management and Governance; Municipal Finance; Housing; Infrastructure and Services; Local Economic Growth; Urban Health and Environment; Urban Security.
Urban Health Resource Centre [UHRC] is a non profit Indian organization which aims to address health issues of the urban poor through a consultative and knowledge-sharing approach in partnership with the government and civil society. UHRC develops innovative urban health programs in diverse cities. Experiences from these programs are used to influence larger health initiatives such as the Urban Health component of National Rural Health Mission and similar programs of Non-Government stakeholders through proactive information dissemination and advocacy.
The International Society for Urban Heath [ISUH] is an association of researchers, scholars, and professionals from various disciplines and areas of the world who study the health effects of urban environments and urbanization. Membership in ISUH is open to anyone who is interested in the health of urban populations. The goals of ISUH are to encourage research, interventions, and program evaluations that lead to healthier cities in the 21st century.
Center for Research on Inner City Health [CRICH] is Canada’s first and only transdisciplinary and hospital-based research centre dedicated to reducing health disparities and improving the health of socially and economically disadvantaged urban populations. Our research agenda is intervention-oriented, patient and population-focused and policy-sensitive. Our overlapping population foci include: homeless and underhoused groups, urban aboriginals, women and children at risk, immigrants and refugees, people living with HIV/AIDS and people living with severe and persistent mental illness.
The International Healthy Cities Foundation. The term Healthy Cities was coined in 1985. It was the title of a speech given at an international meeting in Canada. The theme – health is the result of much more than medical care; people are healthy when they live in nurturing environments and are involved in the life of their community, when they live in Healthy Cities.This presentation offered a new view of the interactions that affect people’s lives. It took into consideration the influence of the context – the place, surroundings, relationships and opportunities on the individual. It began to highlight the interconnections among what seem to be diverse elements and problems in society. And finally, it suggested the solutions to both community and quality of life problems also may be interwoven.
Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute is a collaboration and a vital connection with East Baltimore, a community that has long struggled with an all-too-familiar list of persistent urban health woes. The Institute is the starting point for forging true University and community partnerships in health care, education and community planning, with all partners working to change the trajectory for the children, youth and families of East Baltimore. As it seeks to build a “learning community,” the Institute draws on the expertise of neighborhood residents, educators, philanthropic organizations, elected representatives and community leaders, in addition to the wealth of intellectual resources that Hopkins can offer. The past year has been one of refining and broadening the Institute’s mission to serve as a bridge between the University and the community through innovative partnerships designed to better the health and well-being of East Baltimore.
The Urban Health Program at University of Illinois Chicago improves the quality of health care services for medically underserved urban populations, especially those in Health Professions Shortage Areas of Illinois, by expanding health professions education opportunities for underrepresented groups (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Mainland Puerto Ricans, and Native Americans).
The Brookings Institution: Metropolitan Policy Program. Redefining the challenges facing metropolitan America and promoting innovative solutions to help communities grow in more inclusive, competitive, and sustainable ways.
Where did they go? The Decline of Middle-Income Neighborhoods in Metropolitan America by Jason C. Booza, Jackie Cutsinger, and George Galster, June 2006 [The Brookings Institution] Although middle-income families have declined considerably as a share of the overall family income distribution, it is noteworthy that middle-class neighborhoods have disappeared even faster in metropolitan areas, especially in cities. This trend suggests increased sorting of high- and low-income families into neighborhoods that reflect their own economic profiles, and increased vulnerability of middle-class neighborhoods “tipping” towards higher- or lower-income status. The resulting disparities among neighborhoods create new challenges for policies to enhance household mobility, improve the delivery of key public services, and promote private-sector investment in struggling locales. Report
Asset-based, Resident-led Neighbourhood Development / Développement communautaire fondé sur les actifs du milieu et la prise en charge citoyenne [Caledon Institute of Social Policy] In February 2005, Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) was launched with funding from the Government of Canada. Its purpose is to explore and assess approaches to strengthening neighbourhoods that are resident-led and can enhance the capacity of individuals and families to build and sustain strong, healthy communities. This paper presents insights derived from the initiative’s first 14 months of operation. It highlights the asset-based, resident-led approach pursued on the ground in the five participating neighbourhoods. It also considers the roles that government and voluntary sector partners at the national level can play in support of such initiatives. Report
Orienteering Over New Ground: A Neighbourhood Theory of Change/ S’orienter en terrain inexploré : Pour une théorie du changement relative aux quartiers [Caledon Institute of Social Policy] In February 2005, Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) was launched with funding from the Government of Canada. Its purpose is to explore and assess approaches to strengthening neighbourhoods that are resident-led and can enhance the capacity of individuals and families to build and sustain strong, healthy communities. “>Report
Atelier Parisien d’Urbanisme (APUR) — APUR was created by the Council of Paris in 1967. Its mission is to follow urban evolutions, participate at the elaboration of definitions of urban and land use planning policies and at the preparation of projects for Paris and the region of Ile de France.It observes and analyses demographic, economic and social data of the French Capital and other big cities in order to engage and elaborate action plans proposals, and prepare urban studies.
European Centre for Vulnerability of Industrial and Lifeline Systems/Centre Européen sur la Vulnérabilité des Réseaux et Systèmes Industriels (ECILS), Skopje (Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia)–It promotes programmes for theoretical and applied research of urban vulnerability.
Growing better Cities: Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Development–Farming in the city — urban agriculture — is too often seen by municipalities as a problem to be eradicated rather than as a part of the solution to making the city and its environment more sustainable. This In_Focus Web site assembles a variety of resources on urban agriculture (UA). Including slide presentations, short stories, case studies, research reports, books, etc., the site presents an overview of UA, results of IDRC-supported research, and the important lessons that have been learned.
Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning and Research, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Washington. The objective of the Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning and Research is to encourage the incorporation of hazards mitigation principles into disaster preparedness, response and recovery practices through planning programs, community involvement and research to support the creation of more disaster-resistant and sustainable communities in the Pacific Northwest.
