UN-HABITAT Second Regional Conference on Creativity and Development Initiatives in Arab Cities,Amman-Jordan 27-29 April 2009

URBAN URBAN OBSERVATORY:OBSERVATORY:

GENERAL GENERAL OVERVIEWOVERVIEW

WHAT IS AN URBAN OBSERVATORY?

Urban Observatory is a network of Global/National/Local

stakeholders responsible for producing, analyzing and

monitoring urban indicators and disseminating information.

WHY URBAN OBSERVATORY?

1. Lack of urban information at National, Regional and City level.

3. Lack of systematic connection between data producers

4. Disconnection between data, information and policy formulation

2. Distorted assessment of city potentials and problems

URBAN OBSERVATORY OBJECTIVES

• Increasing urban knowledge.

• Linking the knowledge to policies

• Monitoring urban trends

URBAN OBSERVATORY: UN HABITAT RESPONSE TO

THE “URBAN ERA”

- Assist Governments and Partners with the Collection and Analysis of urban data to improve urban management.

- Enhance the use of knowledge and urban indicators for policy formulation. - Synthesize and disseminate information.

UN HABITAT aims at:

URBAN OBSERVATORY: BETTER INFORMATION FOR BETTER

DECISIONMAKING

GUO

RUO RUO RUO

NUO

LUO LUO LUO

• Monitoring Global Progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda.

• Global Urban Observatory Network.

FUNCTIONS

GLOBAL URBAN OBSERVATORIES:FUNCTIONS AND PRODUCTS

• Monitoring Global urban conditions and trends.

PRODUCTS

• Global Urban Observatory Database.

• Global report “State of the World’s Cities”.

• Monitoring Urban Inequities Programme.

GUO: PRIORITY SECTORS AND

INDICATORS

SHELTER

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

AND ERADICATION OF POVERTY

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

GOVERNANCE

20 KEY INDICATORS

9 CHECK LIST INDICATORS

13 EXTENSIVE INDICATORS

FROM DATA TO LUO/NUO

Priority Sectors Identification

Refer to Habitat Agenda

Indicatorsand to other international

and local indicators .

Formulate indicators and create indicatorsdatabase

Indicators analysis

Visualize indicators

( GIS based maps,

tables and graphics)

Reviewing data

Indicators Monitoring System

Information products

Dissemination of information and

networking

updating

UN-HABITAT Second Regional Conference on creativity and initiatives in Arab Cities,Amman-Jordan 27-29 April 2009

URBAN URBAN OBSERVATORY OBSERVATORY

IN ARAB REGIONIN ARAB REGION

BAHRAIN

NATIONAL URBAN OBSERVATORIES

EGYPT

YEMEN

JORDAN

SYRIA

LEBANON

TUNISIA

SAUDI ARABIA

NUOs IN ARAB REGION: SECTORS

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

HOUSING

LOCAL GOVERNANCE

YEMEN NUO – Housing and informal settlement

JORDAN NUO – Poverty, Health , Education, Environment, Water and Shelter

HABITAT AGENDA SECTORS

PRIORITY SECTORS

EGYPT NUO – Housing and land development

NUOs IN ARAB REGION: COMMONCARACHTERISTICS

Indicators – from 20 to 50 HABITAT AGENDA and locals.

Products – City/Country Profiles, Website, brochures.

GIS – All NUOs use GIS. Some need to strengthen their capacity.

Networking – All NUOs are in the process of strengthening the network with the existing LUOs and supporting the establishment with additional LUOs.

LOCAL URBAN OBSERVATORIES

AMMAN

SWEIDA (Syria)

TYRE, BINT JBEIL , MARAJAAYOUN AND SIN

AL FYL (Lebanon)

ALMEDINAH(municipality and

8 cities within Medina Region)

TRIPOLI

JEDDAH

SANA’A, ADEN AND TAIZ

KHARTOUM

MECCA ALEPPO

GASSIM

TAIF

ABHA

LUOs IN ARAB REGION: SECTORS

1. HABITAT AGENDA SECTORS

2. SPECIFIC FOCUS

JEDDAH LUO – Environmental planning, urban pollution, Jeddah Strategic Plan and MDGs

TRIPOLI LUO – Environment and sustainable development TYRE, BINT JBEIL AND MARJAAYOUN LUOs – Post war reconstruction activities mainly in urban planning and

infrastructure needs ALMEDINAH – Regional Planning, Child Protection, Education.

LUOs IN ARAB REGION: COMMONCARACHTERISTICS

Indicators – from 20 to 110/ HABITAT AGENDA, MDG and locals.

Products – City/Country Profiles, reports, Website, brochures.

GIS – All LUOs use GIS. Some need to strengthen their capacity.

Networking – All LUOs are in the process of strengthening the network with NUOs and other urban observatories.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Conditions for creating a sustainable urban observatory:

1. Proper Institutional Framework and appropriate skills

2. Sense of ownership at decision making level

3. Systematic updating and monitoring of data and indicators

4. Strengthening the network between National and Local Urban Observatories

URBAN OBSERVATORY IN ARABREGION: FUTURE STEPS

- Review the list of indicators for each Urban Observatory and their monitoring system.- Create a common platform, a network between Urban Observatories in Arab Region.- Create Regional Urban Observatory to be connected to the Global Urban Observatory

- Monitoring Urban Trends in Arab Region- Develop the State of Arab Cities Report.

……THANK YOUTHANK YOU