1. Title: Peer-reviewed Case of Urban Innovation

2. Time: 13:15-14:45, May 29 (Wednesday) 

3. Venue: Conference Room 9

4. Description of the event 

The Guangzhou Award for Urban Innovation，which is jointly launched by UCLG, Metropolis and City of Guangzhou, is an award system dedicated to city-o-city cooperation and the sharing of lessons learned from experience. It just recently completed its fourth cycle (2018) where cities and regions submitting initiatives to the Award were asked how their respective initiatives were contributing to the implementation of the NUA and the SDGs. Of the 300 submissions, 45 were selected as deserving initiatives, 15 were shortlisted as outstanding initiatives and 5 won the Award. 

The event will focus on two areas of lesson learned:

(a) What were some of the salient trends and issues emerging from the analysis of the 45 initiatives;

(b) A deep dive into four case studies from four different regions will be presented illustrating how cities and regions are implementing the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs. The case studies represent very different social, economic and environmental contexts as well as cities of different size. The case studies have all qualified as finalists for the Guangzhou Award for Urban Innovation.

5. Thematic relevance:

Each of the case studies represents innovation in one or more of the following areas: new policies, new strategies, new partnerships, new business models, new governance structures, and the use of new technologies.

6. UN-Habitat Domains of change:

The case studies address collectively all of the domains of change namely: reducing spatial inequalities and poverty, stimulating local economic development and promoting shared prosperity, undertaking climate mitigation and adaptation, and responding to new challenges and potential crisis.

7. Opening remarks:

Ms. Emilia Saiz, Secretary General, United Cities and Local Government

Mr. Liu Baochun, Director General, Guangzhou Municipal Government, Foreign Affairs Office

Moderator: Nicholas You, Executive Director, Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation

Speakers:

Speaker 1: Prof. Eugenie Birch, Professor of Urban Research and Director, Penn Institute for Urban Research

Speaker 2: Mr. Greg Budworth, CEO, Compass Housing, Australia

Speaker 3: Mr. Didier Vancutsem, Secretary General, ISOCARP

Speaker 4: Ms. Jane Katz, Habitat for Humanity

8. Short bio of moderator and each speaker:

Eugenie L. Birch (PhD), FAICP, is the Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research and co-director, Penn Institute of Urban Research at the University of Pennsylvania. She co-leads Penn's Lab on Urban Informality and is co-editor of Penn Press's City in the 21 st Century series. Her latest book is Slum, How Informal Real Estate Markets Work, co-edited with Susan Wachter and Shahana Chatteraj. She is president of the General Assembly of Partners (GAP), a platform of 17 constituent groups supporting the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the urban-focused SDGs.

Jane Katz is Director of International Affairs and Programs in Habitat for Humanity International's Office where she focuses on global housing policies, advocacy issues, including HFHI's "Solid Ground" land campaign, and manages the Global Housing Indicators initiative. Previously, Ms. Katz worked in the public and private sectors at Fannie Mae and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She serves on a variety of advisory boards, including the International Advisory Board of the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) and was elected Co-Chair of the General Assembly of Partners Civil Society Group towards Habitat III; and represents CSOs on the standing committee of UN-HABITAT's World Urban Campaign.

Greg Budworth is the Group Managing Director of Compass Housing Services Co Ltd (Compass) an organization that has been delivering community housing since its inception in 1994. Under Greg's management since 2004, Compass has emerged as one of the leading Community Housing Providers in New South Wales, Queensland,New Zealand and project delivery in Vanuatu. Greg is currently Vice President of the General Assembly of Partners and previously served as Co-Chair Civil Society Partner Constituent Group for Habitat III.

Didier Vancutsem serves ISOCARP, the International Society of City and Regional Planners as Secretary General since 2013. He is a Landscape Architect and Urban Planner and is Professor at the Brussels University Faculty of Architecture (ULB) / Belgium. As international consultant, Didier has gained professional experience worldwide, is currently advising the European Commission and other partners in urban innovation, land management, and elaboration of national and regional strategies for urban development in Middle East, Africa, Russia, Asia. He is also involved in European and international research projects. 

Nicholas You is the founder and honorary chairman of the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign Steering Committee, former chairman of the Assurance Group for Urban Infrastructure of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, former Chairman of the Urban Strategy and Innovation Council for ENGIE and former co-President of the Global Cities Business Alliance. He is currently the Executive Director of the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation; Adjunct for the Center for Liveable Cities, Singapore; and co-Chair of the Open Green City Lab in Shenzhen.