My Neighbourhood, From Global Policies to Urban Design Interventions

Driven by the need to bridge global urban policies to local projects, UN-Habitat has developed “MY Neighbourhood”, a multidimensional urban design guideline that contextualises the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contributes to achieving five key city-wide objectives: compact, connected, inclusive, vibrant, and resilient cities.

Rather than providing rigid recommendations, “My Neighbourhood” presents an integrated framework to urban design, emphasising a multi-scalar approach that views the city as a continuum, extending from the neighbourhood to the broader urban and city-region scale. These design principles strengthen connections to local economy, place identity and climate change, ensuring the adaptability of recommendations across diverse cultures and regions.

By providing a synthesis of key design recommendations, “My Neighbourhood” aims to assist urban practitioners as well as relevant stakeholders in achieving transformative action through inclusive policies and integrated projects following a people-centred approach.

Furthermore, "My Neighbourhood" includes a range of participatory methods and tools designed to engage diverse stakeholders throughout the planning process. This collaborative approach is essential for fostering idea generation and co-production of knowledge, making it a key element in driving collective action and ensuring that the planning process is inclusive and community-driven.

The event will provide an overview of the UN-Habitat normative workstreams on urban design, emphasising their multi-scalar approach. In addition, it will be an opportunity to establish a network of partner cities, academic institutions and civil society organisations around the promotion, development and implementation of “My Neighbourhood” guidelines. This will prepare the ground for further dialogue and exchange among the urban professionals about their experience applying “My Neighbourhood” in their cities.

The event will also feature the launch of "My Neighbourhood Digital Platform," an interactive space designed to facilitate knowledge exchange and the collection of innovative, context-sensitive urban design practices. This platform aims to foster collaboration and provide a dynamic resource for sharing best practices and insights across diverse urban contexts.

This dialogue will spark debate with the following questions:
- How MYN can be used by practitioners to develop interconnected urban design projects for a greater impact?
- How can city authorities improve their capacity using MYN framework?
- How does MYN framework strengthen the engagement of diverse communities and groups in the planning process?
- How does MYN adapt to different contexts or themes?
- Which urban design principles within MYN can be further researched and developed?
- What is the value of knowledge exchange between the partners using MYN?
- How can MYN platform be used to enhance partnerships to develop and implement good urban design practices?