Each 31 October is celebrated as United Nations (UN) World Cities Day.
The Thammasat University Library collection includes many books about different aspects of urban studies and urban communities.
As the UN website observes,
When urban communities are engaged in policy and decision making, and empowered with financial resources, the results are more inclusive and durable. Let’s put our communities at the heart of the cities of the future.
Adapting Cities for Climate Resilience
Cities worldwide are increasingly suffering the effects of climate-related disasters, such as floods, droughts, sea level rise, heatwaves, landslides and storms. At least 130 port cities with over one million inhabitants are expected to be affected by coastal flooding and the one billion people in urban informal settlements are particularly at risk.
Creating more sustainable, climate-resilient societies involves addressing a range of issues including poverty reduction, ensuring basic services livelihoods, the provision of accessible, affordable and adequate housing, investing in infrastructure, upgrading informal settlements and managing ecosystems. Successful, well-governed cities greatly reduce climate-related risks for their populations.
Events
World Cities Day will represent the culmination of the month-long celebration of Urban October, which this year promotes ambitious climate action in cities. Create your own event!
Background
The United Nations General Assembly designated 31 October as World Cities Day, by its resolution 68/239. The Day is expected to greatly promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities addressing challenges of urbanization and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.
Urbanization provides the potential for new forms of social inclusion, including greater equality, access to services and new opportunities, and engagement and mobilization that reflects the diversity of cities, countries and the globe. Yet too often this is not the shape of urban development. Inequality and exclusion abound, often at rates greater than the national average, at the expense of sustainable development that delivers for all.
Urban October was launched by UN-Habitat in 2014 to emphasize the world’s urban challenges and engage the international community towards the New Urban Agenda.
Sustainable Development Goal 11, which formulates the ambition to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable – underlying the relevance of UN-Habitat’s mission. Inequalities in cities have grown since 1980. The world largest cities are also often the most unequal, and this year’s theme is embraced by the action and implementation of the New Urban Agenda, which is putting the topic of inclusive cities as one of the main pillars for the urban shift.
In October 2016, the HABITAT III Conference, held in Quito, adopted a new framework, which will set the world on a course towards sustainable urban development by rethinking how cities are planned, managed and inhabited. The New Urban Agenda will set the pace on how to deal with the challenges of urbanization in the next two decades, and is seen as an extension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, agreed on by the 193 Member States of the UN in September 2015.
The weight of cities
Cities should be encouraged to innovate and experiment, and also to learn from one another in order to hasten this transition, for instance through “twin town” initiatives or city networks. Moreover, the report says it will be necessary to replace a “competitive cities” governance approach to urban economies with a “well-grounded cities” approach that serves the interests of all citizens.
TU students are aware of the TU Urban Design and Development International (UDDI) program.
UDDI’s aim is to set the agenda for what urban design is and could be.
The UDDI program director is Dr. Pongpisit Huyakorn, who is also founder and director at Urban Studies Lab Bangkok.
Urban Studies Lab’s website notes that its mission
is to build bridges between urban research and action to uncover new solutions to city challenges. We utilize deep knowledge of cities as a living lab through research, education, and data.
Our Story
Urban Studies Lab is a Bangkok-based, private research institute and consultancy that was founded in 2018 by a group of urban practitioners and academics from some of Thailand’s top higher education institutions. USL draws on its broad range of experience and expertise in the fields of urban planning & development, architecture & design, community engagement, project management, communications, and the environmental and social sciences, to offer a unique and holistic approach to urban studies and consulting. We are a young, passionate, and progressive organization, and proud Stewards of the Ford Resource and Engagement Center (FREC) located in the historic neighborhood of Nang Loeng.
Our Approach
The nearly limitless permutations of all things related to people, places, products, and processes create what we call unique city perspectives. Urban Studies Lab exists to help navigate these perspectives and find, test and deliver integrated solutions to urban challenges. We subscribe to the Urban Living Lab model. We view USL clients and projects as part of an ecosystem that should be supported by five entities, all working together to make collective impact. These are Locals, Corporate, Government, NGOs, and Academics. We invite these to become partners and work on appropriate research, analysis and design tasks based on the expertise needed to meet project goals. USL then utilizes thoughtful and engaging communication methods to build shared understanding and inspire action that enriches the lives of the people we work with.
Civic Contribution
No civic project is too small. We believe in the effectiveness of projects of all sizes, from the block level to the global. We’re committed to making positive impacts in the communities we work.
Our Core Values
Finding solutions to the complex urban challenges facing our cities requires collaboration and a transdisciplinary approach. This cannot be accomplished without a strong network of trust. To this end, our work is guided by six core organizational values. Honesty Build trust through open, authentic communication and transparency. Empathy Openminded and welcoming approach allows us to understand needs and challenges of our partners, employees, and residents. Fairness Promote fairness in our cities, believing that boosting effective use of resources will improve the lives of all city users. Passion We are driven by our motivation to create more healthy, just, and resilient cities. Raising Awareness Making urban data and information readily available and easily understood to introduce people to new possibilities to improve cities and lives. Integrity Follow through on commitments while focusing on completing projects from end-to-end with the highest level of quality at all times.
The international organization UN-Habitat
works in over 90 countries to promote transformative change in cities and human settlements through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance and collaborative action.
Its sustainable development goals include better quality of life for all in an urbanizing world
UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty.
UN-Habitat’s new strategic plan 2020-2023 adopts a more strategic and integrated approach to solving the challenges and opportunities of twenty-first century cities and other human settlements.
Our mission embodies the four main roles of the organization, which can be summarized as: think, do, share and partner.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)