Weekly Urban News Update
In This Update

NextCity reports that Pittsburgh- a member of the Rockefeller Foundation 100 Resilient Cities network since 2014- has followed through on its pledge for sustainability. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto announced a strategy for resilience on Wednesday this week. The strategy will address the city's "most pressing and interconnected challenges that weaken the fabric of the city on a day-to-day and long-term basis." Pittsburgh has adopted this strategy at a time when the city is on the rise, after decades of population and economic decline and a troublesome industrial legacy. The city's adoption of this resilience strategy will breathe new life into the campaigns against Pittsburgh's greatest challenges, among them climate change, aging infrastructure and economic and racial inequality.

Read more here.
EThe challenges of measuring cities' progress on the SDGs

Cities play a key role in adopting the Sustainable Development Goals, and efforts to achieve these ambitious objectives depend inherently on the use of data. But "data" in this case is a large, complicated spectrum of information, and adoption of the SDGs can only go forward once important questions are answered, like how progress will be measured so cities, governments, NGOs and the private sector will be able to adequately use the information. Citiscope correspondent Brendon Bosworth sums up the major questions and issues in data, including why data is important and if all the information actually exists (yes and no), and explains what these challenges will mean for all involved parties.

Read the full article here.
FJeffrey Szuchman: the USAID urban champion

The USAID Urban Blog has conducted an interview with the proclaimed "urban champion" Jeffrey Szuchman, who is a Senior Policy Analyst in USAID's Policy Office in the Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL), where he leads a team that works to ensure that development perspectives and USAID equities are incorporated into a number of inter-agency and other external policy discussions. In the interview, Szuchman answers questions on why USAID's urban policy is significant, the organization's role in the future of urbanization, how their work fits into the broader global development agenda and more.

Read the full interview here.

In honor of International Women's Day, IHC Global Communications Officer Rebekah Revello and Assistant Director for Global Programs Karly Kiefer collaborated with the Solid Ground Campaign, our partner in creating equal access to land and shelter for all, on a blog discussing the progress in and challenges facing women's access to land and tenure security, and the ambition to make it an urban priority.
 
Read the full blog  here.
BRecap: IHC Global Urban Research Roundtable

IHC Global and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) held an urban research roundtable to discuss challenges and opportunities of urban field-based research on March 6 as part of IHC Global's priority to increase policy and practice focus on urban, housing and land issues.  The roundtable was designed to engage young scholars and practitioners in an active discussion on research in the urban space.  Dr. Robin Rajack of the IDB kicked off a discussion on the current gaps in urban research, noting the importance of expanding the conception of 'urban' to include peri-urban areas, and of recognizing that often one urban metropolis represents multiple municipalities. Dr. Rashmi Sadana of George Mason University then led the group into a discussion about the greatest challenges inherent in planning and conducting field research projects, urging young scholars to balance having a strong focus and specific research goals with remaining open to the flexibility that field work demands. Dr. Tazreena Sajjad of American University opened a discussion on the applicability of field research, reminding of the importance of asking not just the "how" questions but the "why" questions, and recognizing that the goals of research often extend beyond having an immediate impact, to helping to change ways of thinking. The roundtable was an important reminder of the multi-faceted nature of urban-based research and the importance of multi-disciplinary approaches.

IHC Global member the International Real Property Foundation (IRPF) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) are hosting an upcoming panel discussion: "The Role of Property Rights and Property Markets in Sustainable Urbanization and Economic Growth." The discussion will center on global reform priorities for secure property rights, and how to achieve the SDGs through private property markets and the institutes that support them. The panel will feature Secretary General of the International Real Estate Federation Bill Endsley; Habitat for Humanity Director of International Affairs and Programs Jane Katz; IRPF Managing Director Sylvia Luchini; Landesa Chief Program Officer Dr. Jolyne Sanjak and CIPE Director of Multiregional Programs Anna Kompanek.

When: Friday, March 24, 2017
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
Where: Center for International Private Enterprise
1211 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036

Register for the event here.
GEvent: The Muse of Urban Delirium book release

The Wilson Center is holding a release party for Blair Ruble's new collection of essays,  The Muse of Urban Delirium; How the Performing Arts Paradoxically Transform Conflict-Ridden Cities into Centers of Cultural Innovation.  The collection of essays "seeks answers to the challenges of urban diversity, conflict and creativity by examining the emergence of musical and theatrical originality-to include opera, dance, theater and music-in a series of specific cities at particular times." The program will feature three speakers; the author, Director of the Urban Sustainability Laboratory and Senior Advisor for the Kennan Institute Blair Ruble  (also Senior Technical Advisor to IHC Global) ; Associate Professor of History and African American Studies and Affiliated Professor of Performing Arts at Georgetown University Maurice Jackso n;  Director of The Trust for Mutual Understanding Barbara Lanciers and a special musical performance by D.C. Legendary Musicians Band with David Akers.

When: Thursday, March 16, 2017
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Where: Woodrow Wilson Center, 6th Floor
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004 

Learn more about the event here.
NewsIn the news and around the web
  •  The Atlantic reviews Peter Moskowitz's How to Kill a City here.
  • Follow the history of the sanctuary city here.
  • What can our bones tell us about urbanization? Find out with Citylab here.
  • Read about the last village among Kuala Lumpur's skyscrapers here.

In Copenhagan, Denmark, bikes now outnumber cars- a major victory for the city's campaign to become a cycling city. Can other cities join the green transport revolution?
Source: Guardian Citiesuardian Cities
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