EVENT: REHOUSE & Atlas of Urban Growth Workshop

August 13-14, 2024 | Two-day workshop

The REHOUSE (Resilient, Equitable Housing, Opportunities and Urban Services) and Atlas of Urban Growth initiatives at World Resources Institute are hosting a region-focused convening in Africa to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders across sectors and levels of decision-making for discussions and hands-on exercises on the opportunities to build resilient cities in the face of climate risks and how data can drive action.

The two-day workshop (with an optional site visit on August 12) will focus on:

1. Improving housing conditions, access to urban services, and climate resilience for vulnerable communities living in existing urban informal settlements and other sub-standard, precarious housing located in places prone to climate risks within cities.

2. Improving planning and land development to accommodate future urban population growth in ways that reduce the formation of new informal settlements, improve access to services, and avoid location of settlements in areas at high risk from climate or other environmental hazards.

Following six years of deep research for the World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City, WRI established the REHOUSE partnership to drive the priority actions identified for more equitable and sustainable cities.

Through the REHOUSE partnership, World Resources Institute (WRI), BRAC, Slum Dwellers International (SDI), Mahila Housing SEWA Trust (MHT), Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) and Build Change aim to improve housing conditions, access to services, and climate resilience of some of the most vulnerable communities living in urban informal settlements, in collaboration with city and national actors, and by directing global and national adaptation finance for this purpose. The REHOUSE agenda also provides an opportunity to demonstrate innovative, affordable, and low carbon ways to deliver housing and other urban services at scale in cities.

The Atlas of Urban Growth aims to provide every city in Africa, and eventually the world, with spatial data and methods to improve planning and land development practices to accommodate anticipated urban population growth in ways that reduce the formation of new informal settlements, improve access to services, and avoid construction in areas at high risk from climate or other environmental hazards. 

Questions?

Please contact Maeve Weston

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Agenda

Optional: Monday, August 12

13:30	Pick-up from hotel
14:00 - 17:00	Introduction by Joseph Kimani, Executive Director, SDI, Kenya, followed by visit led by SDI community leaders to share challenges and interventions in Nairobi’s informal settlements. We will hear about processes by which the city and communities have collaborated, successes and obstacles, how communities deal with everyday lack of urban services and the additional impact of climate change.

Day 1: Tuesday, August 13

Objective: Discussion on enabling policies to strengthen climate adaptation for the urban poor

9:30 - 10:00	Registration and coffee
10:00 - 10:35	Opening remarks on the challenges of urban climate risks, vulnerability associated with existing informality and accommodating for future urban growth
10:35 - 11:20	Panel moderated by: Wanjira Mathai, Managing Director, Africa and Global Partnerships, WRI Panelists: Joe Muturi, President of Global SDI Network and Chair of the SDI Board Debra Roberts, Co-Chair and Lead Author, IPCC; Former Municipal Official, Durban, South Africa
11:20 - 12:20	Panel with government officials, technical experts and community members on the critical role of national and state governments in developing enabling policies and financing to strengthen climate adaptation for the urban poor through resilient housing and urban services.
12:20 - 13:05	Discussion on policy and financing landscape for climate resilient housing and urban services from Ethiopia and Rwanda
13:05 - 13:45	Lunch
13:45 - 15:45	Discussion with REHOUSE partners and others on innovative best practices, challenges they face and ways to scale solutions, followed by hands-on workshop session on: Opportunities to embed climate-resilient urban housing integrated with urban services as a priority in national and state level policies as well as climate adaptation plans and NDCs Opportunities for city level collaboration among urban stakeholders to build climate resilience for communities living in informal settlements
15:45 - 16:00	Wrap up

Day 2: Wednesday, August 14

Objective: Discussion on data and informed decision making to strengthen climate adaptation for the urban poor and integrated, risk-informed planning to accommodate urban growth

9:30 - 10:00	Registration and coffee
10:00 - 10:15	Opening remarks and key points from day one, by Debra Roberts
10:15 - 11:15	Presentation on the need to connect bottom-up and top-down data, including two case studies
11:15 - 12:30	Hands-on workshop session: Integrarted, risk-informed planning to accomodate urban growth Estimating population growth and land needs for participant cities, 2020-2050
12:30 - 13:15	Lunch
13:15 - 15:45	Hands-on workshop session: Integrarted, risk-informed planning to accomodate urban growth Identifying lands for risk-responsive and well-serviced new urban development
15:45 - 16:00	Closing remarks

Banner photo: European Space Agency