Not all cities are built the same but too often, they’re planned as if they are. Blueprints overlook bus stops that don’t exist, green spaces that were never planted, or health risks that never made it into a zoning code. The reality on the ground is messier and more interconnected than any single plan can capture.
That’s where the newest evolution of Our City Plans comes in.
In the quiet coastal commune of Tam Thanh, nestled within the city of Tam Ky, something new is unfolding. A testing ground for how community and design can reshape public space together.
UN-Habitat, through the ISCB program in Vietnam and with support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, has chosen Tam Thanh as one of two pilot locations. And it’s not by chance. This village holds a unique place in Vietnam’s cultural landscape. It’s where river and sea meet, where murals and community spirit already live side by side.
Imagine a world where cities truly belong to the people who live in them, where urban expansion is guided by data, not guesswork, and where every citizen, from a street vendor in Nairobi to a student in São Paulo, has a voice in shaping their city’s future. This is the world we move toward if we save SDG 11.3.2, the global indicator that measures the extent to which urban planning includes public participation.
If 2024 were a city, it would be buzzing with the energy of possibility, streets everywhere coming to life with collaboration, creativity, and bold ideas. At the heart of it all was Our City Plans, that turned visions of inclusive and participatory urban planning into tangible actions that resonated across borders. The results achieved held testament to our purpose, Our City Plans is not just about planning cities, but about empowering people to shape the spaces they call home.
The 12th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF12) in Cairo served as a global stage for groundbreaking discussions on inclusive and sustainable urban development. Among the highlights was Our City Plans, which played a central role in multiple events, showcasing its transformative potential to encourage enhance inclusive urban planning, localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda.
Cities are increasingly recognized as hubs where culture, art, and design can drive inclusive and sustainable urban growth. The New Urban Agenda emphasizes the need for urban areas to promote social cohesion, resilience, and livability by embedding these elements into planning and governance processes.
Culture as a Catalyst for Inclusion
