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United Nations World Urban Forum #WUF11

BIDs Belgium had the pleasure to attend the eleventh UN World Urban Forum, held in Katowice, Poland between the 26th and 30th of June, 2022.

Pic: World Urban Forum #WUF11

Events at the International Congress Centre with receptions, events, celebrations and the many panels. Including the 10 years anniversary of the UN Habitat Global Public Space Programme, which was held in the Silesian Museum. Meeting and seeing many of our colleagues, friends and partners from around the globe. Especially good to meet new and old colleagues working across Public Space, Placemaking, Cities and Empowering Women and many more, after the absent period of events during the pandemic.

The theme for this year’s UN World Urban Forum was ‘Transforming our Cities for a better Urban Future,’ had an incredible number of overwhelming related topics with the rountables, panels and events to choose from.

Luisa Bravo and City Space Architecture panel
  • UN Habitat Stand
  • Global Public Space Programm

There is much to share from the many intiatives from our Empowering Women, Public Space and Climate Change partners of Luisa Bravo and City Space Architecture, with the stand in the Expo and many related events on Public Space. Including the launch session of the Public Space Academy, that was organized in conjuntion with Ove Arup Foudation. Another interesting session on the Public Spaces for All: Flipping the script on universal design, inclusion and accessibility, was held on the 27th June. A special issue of the Journal of Public Space ‘Universally Accessible Public Spaces for All’ Vol.7 no.2 (2022 ref City Space Architecture), has also been launched following on from the World Urban Forum. Please do check the website.

Auanda Roji-Adalima of Centre of African Public Spaces

Contacts from Placemaking US, Placemaking ‘X’ and Placemaking Europe, Placemaking India and Placemaking Mexico amongst many others in our network were present. It was also excellent to be in the launch of Placemaking Africa as part of the Centre on African Public Spaces, with their session and presentations from local and international partners, that included City Space Architecture and Placemaking ‘X’. An inspiring session, interactive session that seen the hard work of many realized in launching this initiative for Africa.

There was also a session from Brussels Region with Pascal Smet, State Secretary of Brussels Region (feature image), explaining the transformation of Brussels. As sharing in his social media and at the event: “From grey to green space; from demolition to renovation; from monofunctional to multifunctional: from empty to active roofs; from cars to people,” emphasising the ‘Cities for People’ aspect. The panel included . Sharing the initiatives around public space from Brussels and the work of the Region he represents.

Rozina Spinnoy, Director BIDs Belgium at WUF11

Please do check out social media and website of #WUF11 and our partner’s and colleagues website and social media links above to see more detailed information of the events. Also the offical World Urban Forum website.

The next World Urban Forum will take place in Cairo, Egypt and BIDS Belgium will be looking forward to attending!

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URBAN MAESTRO LAUNCH

BIDs BELGIUM ATTENDS URBAN MAESTRO launch


UN Habitat HQ – Dr. Shipra Narang Suri

BIDs Belgium attended the launch of the an exciting new project ‘Urban Maestro’ at the Brussels United Nations offices in mid February. A cooperative project between the European Commission and UN Habitat. With partners of Perspective Brussels and UCL.

The project is to work together to discover with strategy, research, tools and methods that can further assist on the ‘Urban Design Governance’ that can better shape and cities and human settlements.

Each of the partner gave presentations to the mixed crowd on the 14th of February 2019. EU policy makers, Networks and NGO’s filled the room and listened intently to the intentions to build on the knowledge of not only the partners, yet the wider community involved Urbanism, Cities and those managing the built environment.

Here at BIDs Belgium, we are incredibly excited to see how this project evolves. Especially as we value the importance of Design not only on the practical level, yet very much within the process of how we manage our spaces across Cities and extended territories.

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