Towards Interactive and Sustainable Public and Green Spaces. "Participatory and Community Driven Initiatives from MُENA Region"

Public spaces are where people meet and interact; socialize and discover common desires; and where they affirm their shared rights to the city. They are vital to the concept of a livable and human environment. Today, 56% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. During the rapid process of urbanization priority was not given to the planning of public and green spaces. As a result, residents of disadvantaged areas have little access to green public open spaces. Often, inhabitants of these areas are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In this event examples from Palestine and Jordan  will showcase public space as an influential instrument of social inclusion. It’s a place made, owned, and managed by the public, it’s not just a place. Ms. Bosayna Abu Eisheh from  the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) in Palestine will present how they successfully implemented and institutionalized  participatory and community driven initiatives in designing public spaces by introducing new tools and approaches. The presentation will include some implemented projects for the revitalization of public spaces inside the historic centers and other projects in the marginalized areas as part of promoting an active, sustainable lifestyle for the residents with consideration to the socio-economic and environmental aspects.Because of the severe impacts of climate change on Jordan, the city of Amman has initiated several climate-relevant processes. Ms. Sajida AlNsour from Greater Amman Municipality(GAM) will raise awareness on the social, environmental, and economic benefits of green infrastructure to rehabilitate public spaces and how this contributes towards Amman’s urban resilience and climate change mitigation strategies. The presentation gives an insight on several pilot projects in Amman that illustrate practical examples of participatory designed green infrastructure. It will show, how their environmental features are set up to counteract the degradation of urban spaces and create recreational areas that enhance quality of life; focusing especially on greening concepts, walkability and maintenance of existing infrastructure.