With less than a month to go before Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador, the Global Urban Futures Project (GUFP) together with the Ford Foundation and the Observatory of Latin America (OLA) hosted an Urban Breakfast on September 15, 2106 to reveal the findings of the Habitat Commitment Project (HCP). The HCP is a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the UN’s Habitat II Commitments made in 1996.
The presentation at the Ford Foundation was well received with opening statements from Ana Marie Argilagos, Senior Advisor of Equitable Development at the Ford Foundation; Tim Marshall, The New School Provost; and Michael Cohen, Professor of International Affairs. The opening statements gave insight to how unique the HCP is in bringing together theory and practice to create knowledge and question how we can better influence the discussion of our urban future.
The presentation by Lena Simet and Maria Carrizosa, coordinators of the GUFP and OLA respectively, made clear that the HCP’s qualitative and quantitative analysis have two distinct purposes. First is to show how best to evaluate the success of nations in fulfilling their commitment to the Habitat II agenda and second, is to underscore the importance of data in monitoring development at the city level.
During the open discussion with panelists, many in the audience of academic and professional backgrounds in urban development expressed concerns in what was needed to identify successful trend of urban development. However, it was made clear by Michael Cohen and Ana Marie that development is a balance that is unique to each country and their cities. We must first create the means to empirically identify successful development trends which will hopefully contribute to the success of the New Urban Agenda.
