IHC Weekly Update
April 1, 2016
In this Update 
 

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Ford Foundation and OECD Launch Inclusive Cities Campaign

This week, the Ford Foundation, in partnership with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), launched a new campaign on Inclusive Growth in Cities. The campaign aims to "increase awareness of rising inequalities, refocus the debate on concrete solutions, and empower local governments as leaders," in their regions. 

The campaign has created a network of mayors, who have pledged to become Inclusive Growth Champions, supporting an inclusive policy agenda in their cities and countries. They also will endorse a New York Proposal for Inclusive Growth in Cities

IHC is tremendously excited and encouraged about the level of interest in inclusiveness - economic and otherwise - that is emerging. We are particularly pleased to see inclusive housing, neighborhood development, and basic services included  within the New York Proposal, which align with IHC's policy focus on  key drivers of inclusive growth. 

Working to achieve sustainable inclusive growth around the world provides varied opportunities for grassroots, civil society, and the local private sector to partner with local governments and other constituencies, and leverage funding support from philanthropists, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors and investment flows. IHC will continue to play our part advocating for greater urban equity as one of the major global challenges of the 21st century. We look forward to following the progress of this campaign. 

Watch the webcast of the launch event here. Learn more about the campaign here
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Community Finance for Upgrading and Inclusive Development
 

Please join the New School's Global Urban Futures program for a discussion with  Somsook Boonyabancha, the  founder and secretary general of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights entitled "Community Finance: The Key to City-Wide Community Driven Upgrading for Inclusive and Sustainable City Development."

Through the Coalition she has brought forward many innovations including "urban land sharing" as well as uniting many organizations working for better housing conditions all across Asia, including new approaches to land and housing management, evictions and other issues that are barriers for poor people to access adequate housing and services in the region.  

In this talk she will discuss the important issue of finance for community-led upgrading in support of inclusive city development. The event will also feature Ana Marie Argilagos, Senior Advisor at the Ford Foundation and Robert Buckley, Global Urban Futures Fellow. 


WHEN: Monday April 4th, 2:00 - 4:00 PM
WHERE: The New School, Wolff Conference Room
6 East 16th St, New York City

Find more information and RSVP here
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Brookings and JP Morgan Chase Partner on Urban Security

Discussions around cities as both complicating global security challenges, while simultaneously presenting opportunities for increased growth, cooperation and prosperity have   increasingly become an important component in the global dialogue of our urbanized world

Addressing this global interest, the Brookings Institution in partnership with JP Morgan Chase have launched a new program on "Security Global Cities." The year-long program acknowledges the scale and complexity of cities, and their critical role in the success or failure of many global security initiatives. The partnership will focus attention on issues such as the crosscutting nature of urban security, natural disasters in cities, and the positive and negative role of technology for cities and it's connection to criminal activity. 

The partnership is based on the idea that greater collaboration is vital to finding solutions to the underlying problems facing cities. Finding solutions and equally importantly, disseminating these best practices is a critical step   for strengthening urban security and economic development across the globe.

View a webcast of an event launching the partnership here. Read an article highlighting the partnership's priorities here

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REMINDER: Call for Papers: Urban Poverty Research Competition

To encourage a new generation of urban policy makers and promote early career research, IHC is thrilled to announce the topics of the 7th annual Reducing Urban Poverty Paper Competition for graduate stduents. In partnership with USAID, the  World Bank, the Wilson Center, and Cities Alliance, the competition aims to support emerging scholars and research on critical topics relating to urban poverty in the developing world.

The grand prize winner will attend the United Nations Habitat III Conference in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016. Winning papers will be published, and selected authors will be invited to present their work in a policy workshop at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

Papers must be linked to one of the following sub-topics: 
  • Climate Change
  • Arrival Cities: Responding to Migrants and Refugees
  • Innovation in Urban Planning 
  • Financing Sustainable Urban Development
Abstracts are due May 15, 2016. You must be an enrolled masters or PhD student to apply. Find more information on the topics and how to apply here
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In the News and Around the Web
  • Read more about the upcoming Habitat III Thematic Meeting on Public Spaces in Barcelona Spain here
  • Listen to a World Bank podcast on community resilience and inclusive strategies to reduce urban violence here
  • Read a recent report from the International Committee of the Red Cross on providing urban services during protracted armed conflict here

IHC Global - A Coalition for 
Inclusive Housing and Sustainable Cities
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