UN World Habitat Day seeks public spaces for city dwellers

Public space is a vital component of a prosperous city. Well designed and managed public space is a key asset for a city’s functioning and has a positive impact on its economy, environment, safety, health, integration and connectivity.

GIVEN the new trends globally and particularly in developing countries that promotes inadequate public spaces, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) has called for the creation of gender-equal public spaces in cities, which will enhance its quality, access and benefits.

The agency made the call in a message by its Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos to mark this year’s World Habitat Day, reflecting on Public Spaces for All. Nigeria is also joining the global community in observing the 2015 occasion of World Habitat Day. The event is marked on the first Monday of October every year as designated by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The event is conceived to present a platform to reflect on the state of the world’s towns and cities and the basic right of every citizen to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

Essentially, the Global Observance of World Habitat Day will be held today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event format will be a high-level discussion covering key developments in the area of public space design. This event is organized by UN-Habitat, the Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization, the American Institute of Architects New York, UN Women, the Institute of Global Homelessness, the United Cities and Local Governments and the Permanent Mission of Grenada to the United Nations.

The event will comprise of three main panel discussions. Among the invited guests, panelists and moderators include the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, the Deputy Executive Director of UN Women Ms. Lakshmi Puri, the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations Mr. Antonio Patriota, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Mr. Orhan Pamuk among others. This event is an outcome of a partnership with UN Women’s global initiative, the HeForShe campaign.

Clos said: “The character of a city is defined by its streets and public spaces. From squares and boulevards to neighbourhood gardens and children playgrounds, public space frames city image. The connective matrix of streets and public spaces forms the skeleton of the city upon which all else rests.

Good public spaces enhance community cohesion and promote health, happiness, and well-being for all citizens as well as fostering investment, economic development and environmental sustainability.
” Where public space is inadequate, poorly designed, or privatized, the city becomes increasingly segregated. The result can be a polarized city where social tensions are likely to flare up and where crime and violence rises. A mixed and diverse public space (use, users, design, state, time, etc.) provides a place that is vibrant and busy automatically reducing insecurity.”

According to him, many cities are developing policies that promote compact, liveable areas, with adequate public space that facilitate public transport, encourages walking and cycling, thereby reducing carbon emissions.

Ban Ki-Moon

Public space is critical for environmental sustainability. Green and open public space brings many important environmental benefits such as, the cooling of air and the absorption of atmospheric pollutants.
“The significant increase in hard surfacing and the reduction in green spaces lead to higher temperatures in towns and cities. Vegetation in the public space can help to redress this imbalance,” he said.

He noted that public space provides room for social and cultural interaction and can foster a sense of belonging and pride in an area. “A public space that is open to all, regardless of ethnic origin, age or gender, provides a democratic forum for citizens and society. Public space can bring communities together, provide meeting places and foster social ties.
“These spaces shape the cultural identity of an area, are part of its unique character and provide a sense of place for local communities. Sharing common spaces is the soul of the city.”

He said: “Although a good city performance is not only about the amount of public space; we see successful urban grids when public space is in balance with buildable plots. Like in a perfect yin and yang, a city should allocate to open spaces, parks, squares and plazas at least the same proportion as to private space.

Public space is a vital component of a prosperous city. Well designed and managed public space is a key asset for a city’s functioning and has a positive impact on its economy, environment, safety, health, integration and connectivity. The quality of life for people in cities is directly related to the state of its public spaces.