1

THE ROLE OF URBAN PLANNING IN

PREVENTING SLUMS AND ADDRESSING
EXISTING SLUMS
MAKING SLUMS HISTORY:
A WORLDWIDE CHALLENGE



Business as usual >>> Sustainable Urban Development



Urban Sprawl > Compact



Segregation > Integrated



Congestion > Connected





Plan in advance (several decades)
Plan at scale (numbers that make a difference)
Plan in phases (of public investment)
Plan for social integration (pro-poor policies)
Plan for density (incremental)
Plan for connectivity (focus on public realm)
Plan for energy efficiency and risk reduction


Urban Planning: Back to the Basics
Essential components of a National Urban Policy



National
Framework and
instruments
National territory
(a-spatial)
Structuration of
system of cities
National/Regional
spaces
Localised specific
interventions
Spatially targeted
areas
1
2
3
What ? Where ?
Criteria for
sectorial policy
Multi-scale
+
National Urban Policy
1) Urban trends analysis:
Growth in population
Differentiation of patterns by type of city (very large cities,
large cities, medium sized cities)
Sprawl and land consumption (declining densities)
Major infrastructure investments (i.e. major demographic
shifts)
2) Planning responses:
Containment model
Infrastructure guided model
Expansion planning through various approaches: large
super-plots, piecemeal subdivisions, masterplans
3) Imperatives (global and local level):
Affordability
Economic viability (and revenue creation for municipalities)
Ecological footprint, carbon emissions reduction
Assessing demand
Addressing Urban Growth and Extending Urban Space:
5 approaches
Urban extension
areas
Intermediate
cities/Market cities
Infill and
Densification
Large cities with low
density (inefficient
land uses)
Peripheral poles
Metroplitan and city-
regions with very large
population
1
2
3
What ? Where?
Connectivity and
public spaces
All badly planned
cities
Extension through Planning
Individual cities : from
125pha to 150 = +20% pop
can be absorbd
Metropolitan level decision
No new population
Supports densification
Individual cities or national
policy , 60% of urban
population growth
New towns
Non urbanised
regions
National level decision
4
5
Who decides?
Planned City Extension
1
2
3
4
5
Containment + densification and redevelopment
Curitiba Transit oriented densification; FAR
Portland growth boundaries
Holland Randstad
Medellin Valley plan

Growth poles and new cities
Shanghai Satellite cities
Delhi various new cities
Cairo New Cairo (2001), 6
th
October (1979), Heliopolis (1905)

Extension
Site & Services in Nairobi small scale
Ouagadougou - large scale extension (lotissement commando)
Shanghai Pudong
New York Commissioner Plan
Extension initiatives - examples
Basic Principles
Sustainable Urban Planning

1. Adequate street network; street network takes at least
30% of the land, and at least 18km street length per km.
2. High density - at least 15,000 people per km, i.e. 150
people/ha or 61 people/acre.
3. Mixed land-use - at least 40% of the floor space is
allocated for economic uses in any neighborhood.
4. Social mix; 20 to 50 % of the residential floor area for
low cost housing, each tenure type should be not more
than 50 % of the total.
5. Limited land use specialization - single function blocks
covering less than 10% in any neighborhood.
RESHAPING THE ROLE
OF URBAN PLANNING

Shift away from original objectives
of control towards inclusive,
productive and livable cities
Redefine the relationship between
the planning system and the
market
Planning with, and for informality:
formalizing the informal
Revisiting both directive and
regulatory aspects of the planning
system
Planning processes embedded in
good governance principles


INSTITUTIONAL CHANGES TO MAKE URBAN
PLANNING MORE EFFECTIVE

Review planning legislation
Decentralize urban planning functions
Institutional integration within municipalities
Monitoring and evaluation of urban plans
Relevant urban research and data
Strengthening city planning networks
Output and quality of planning education


Geographical Scope
UN-Habitats Urban Planning and Design Branch
is working with its UN-Habitat Regional Offices in
37 countries in all major developing regions:
Africa (14): Benin, Burkina Faso, Cap Verde,
Chad, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria,
Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, South
Africa, Uganda
Arab States (5): Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Occupied
Palestine Territories, Somalia
Asia and Pacific (13): Cambodia, China, Fiji,
India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua
New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka,
Vanuatu, Vietnam
Europe (1): Kosovo (within its context of UN
Security Council resolution 1244 of 1999)
Latin America and the Caribbean (4): Brazil,
Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador

Ongoing
Portfolio
Development

DRC
Liberia
Malawi

Jordan
Lebanon

Bangladesh
Pakistan

El Salvador
etc.
Recent UN-Habitat Results: Urban Planning
Urban Planning system reviews conducted in Colombia,
Philippines and Tanzania
Urban Plans developed for 50 small urban centres and
strategic development plan for greater Cairo region in Egypt
Spatial planning framework prepared and urban planning
capacity built in Kosovo
Neighbourhood reconstruction and planning supported in Haiti
New urban planning principles being applied through focused
interventions at different scales in Colombia, Egypt,
Mozambique, the Philippines, Rwanda
Support to urban planning for city of Kisumu, Kenya through
Rapid Urban Planning Studio



Support to GOPP to develop
methodology and administer the
planning of 50 small towns (up to
30,000 inhab)
Methodology development (ToRs
and Tools)
Selection and Training of
consultants teams
Supervision and Quality control
Follow-up on approval
Implementation support
Support to National Planning Agency
50 Towns planning in Egypt
Case: Rapid Urban Planning Studio (1)
Kisumu, Kenya, February 2012
Depressed development; New vision;
population may increase from 1 to 2
million in next 20 years
Euro 40m support from AFD - France
Urban Economy, Urban Planning, Urban
Legislation (People, Stones, Rules)
Developing Scenarios; Rapid Urban
Planning Studio; Support during
Structure Planning Process
3 days, 50 participants: Kisumu City,
local development actors, Kenyan and
international urban planning experts
Case: Rapid Urban Planning Studio (2)
Kisumu, Kenya, February 2012
Spatial articulation of economic
scenarios; legislative challenges
Densification and Extension;
Connecting City to the Lake;
Highlands and Wetlands; Airport
and Lake Port
Specialized studies to fill gaps on
urban planning, urban legislation
and urban economy
Expansion to 9 other towns in
Kenya with SIDA and WB support
Essaouira,
Morocco
Essaouira, Morocco
Agenda 21 Local: Medina, Mellah, Parc urbain
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The Future We Want Rio+20 Outcome Text
CITIES PARAGRAPHS (Paragraphs 134-7)
Emphasizes urbanization as a key driver of sustainable development and
the need to provide affordable housing and infrastructure and
prioritize slum upgrading.
Commitment to integrated approaches to planning for mixed use,
non-motorized mobility and inclusive social services
Calls for strengthened cooperation mechanisms, platforms and
partnership arrangements
Recognizes the need for adequate and predictable financial contributions
for the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation


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Next Steps
Sustainable Development Goal
(SDG) on Cities
Develop UN Guidelines on
Urban and Territorial
planning
Further support National
Urban Policies.
Expand work on Planned City
Extensions in collaboration
with Development Banks.
Strengthen linkages with Urban
and Regional Planning
Associations at Global,
Regional and National level.





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