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The complexity of participation: learning from slum dweller mobilisation in Dar es Salaam Putting the practice of resident participation in displacement planning under the microscope, Michael Hooper provides six practical lessons for implementing a participation programme that recognises the differences between residents and makes all their voices count, based on research in Dar es Salaam.

his section contains some practical tools for you to try and work with. They have been used in 70 cities throughout Europe and brought important and innovative results. Have a look at: Future City Game - a team-based process designed to create new thinking and action to improve quality of life in cities Urban Ideas Bakery - builds skills and shares experience on how cities 'bake ideas' - that is turn them into practical solutions, Exploratory events - a series of events to provide a forum for sharing of knowledge and ideas about creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation in urban development.

UN Habitat public Best Practices Database

LSE Cities is an international centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science that carries out research, education and outreach activities in London and abroad. Its mission is to study how people and cities interact in a rapidly urbanising world, focussing on how the design of cities impacts on society, culture and the environment. Through research, conferences, teaching and projects, the centre aims to shape new thinking and practice on how to make cities fairer and more sustainable for the next generation of urban dwellers, who will make up some 70 per cent of the global population by 2050.

The Habitat Exchange is a venue for the dissemination and discussion of best practices, action plans and other tools relevant to the pursuit of ecologically sound and socially equitable urbanization. The Habitat Exchange aims to be a portal for learning and collaboration and we welcome ideas for future partnerships.

World-Class Buildings For The Underserved, At Under $10k INNOVATION BY DESIGN THE EUROPEAN PRIZE FOR ARCHITECTURE HONORS NORWAY'S TYIN TEGNESTUE, WHO SPECIALIZE IN LOCALLY SOURCED, LOCALLY BUILT PROJECTS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD.

In a piece called The Beauty of Urban Planning from Space, the Sustainable Cities Collective highlights views from space of uniquely designed street pattern designs in various cities around the world. There are ten examples that illustrate the zenith of urban planning. As attractive as the street patterns are, they highlight the inevitable inability of designers, or anyone else for that matter, to influence much more than small changes in the overall urban form.

Thirty years ago, Curitiba, Brazil unveiled a master plan to address urban issues with environmentally-friendly public transit and social programs. FRONTLINE/World Fellow Tim Gnatek took to the busses, walkways and streets of the now world-renowned city for a second look at what urban planners and environmentalists around the globe point to as a world model.

THIS blog often makes the argument that Britain's planning laws all too often restrict and prevent investment which might create economic growth. It is worth remembering occasionally that things were once much worse. For proof of that, see this fascinating post on Birmingham's economy in the 1950s and 1960s, by Henry Overman, of the LSE's Spatial Economics Research Centre. It's worth reading the whole thing, but a cut down version of the post is copied below:

Last year, I spent considerable time researching best practices for climate resilient cities--an endeavor that culminated in what I believe was the first ever global ranking of resilient cities. Now, after extensive research on smart cities initiatives around the globe, I have developed what may be the first ever global rankings of smart cities.

In 1991 City Council issued a challenge to create a community that is sustainable: "on the south shore of false creek, develop a neighbourhood that is the model of sustainability, incorporating: forward-thinking infrastructure; strategic energy reduction; high-performance buildings; and high transit access". This webpage highlights the planning policy that responds to Council's direction, and also provides site information, guiding documents, and current planning initiatives.

The report "Innovation and the City" [PDF] is an important addition to our knowledge of urban policy innovation. It summarizes the results of a six-month research effort by policy researchers at New York University's Wagner School of Public Service and the New York-based Center for an Urban Future. The research team interviewed over 200 experts (including our own Emily Badger) and surveyed more than 120 policy innovations. (I should disclose here that I am Global Research Professor for the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies).