Spatially Informed Infrastructure Investment Prioritization to Finance Resilient and Sustainable Cities, for practitioners in local and national government and urban specialists.

With urban populations set to increase by 1.5 times by 2045, city leaders must accommodate the needs of their expanding populations. Planning and budgeting processes often lack spatial and cross-sectoral coordination, with investments based on funding ease and politics rather than environmental, economic and social impact.
Better approaches can capture stakeholder demands, prioritize and fit to budgets. Participants will use an evidence-based, spatially informed process to enhance city resilience, promoting SDG achievement. For practitioners in government and urbanists.
The aim of this course is to demonstrate how integrated spatial planning informs capital investment prioritization by engaging participants in:
• Overview of multi-criteria prioritization systems with spatialized criteria to optimize urban economic growth.
• Showcasing the use of the methodology in low- and middle-income contexts in different local governments.
• Planning and budgeting applications utilizing area-based investment portfolios.
• Exploration of the digital tools/platforms for spatial prioritization of investments.
By the end of the training, participants will:
• understand the concepts related to municipal investment planning and how to prioritize investments, integrating resilience and climate objectives into urban and budget planning processes.
• understand the methodologies and learn to use the spatially informed investment prioritization approach.
Methodology and agenda:
1) Introduction of spatially informed approach to investment prioritization
Presentation: Based on materials developed by the World Bank and UN-Habitat, this session provides an overview of capital investment plans, emphasizing the importance of spatial integration. It focuses on how spatial data enhances project prioritization and improves decision-making processes for more effective urban development.
2) Demonstration of Spatially Informed Prioritization Platform and Audience Poll
Short Video presentation: A demonstration of the spatially informed prioritization platform will provide participants with a detailed overview of its proposed features and functionality. Afterward, participants will have the opportunity to discuss it further and offer feedback.
3) Interactive Panel Discussion
Facilitated panel discussion: Three cities highlight real-world examples of how the spatially informed approach has been implemented at the to guide investment decisions at city or community scale.
4) Interactive session: Participants will engage in a hands-on activity, applying the World Bank financed spatially informed prioritization tools. Followed by an in-depth discussion, exploring the practical use of these tools and their impact on improving urban investment decisions and planning.
The target audience will be national and local government officials and practitioners who operate in the urban planning and municipal finance fields. Politicians and decision-makers involved in development budget processes in government. CBOs. Donor organizations and agencies interested in sustainable urban development and project finance. Participants with no experience would find value but experience in an urban development or municipal finance field would be recommended for optimal learning and interaction. Spatial Planning and municipal finance background and experience in the municipal context or government would be advantageous.