UN-Habitat has devised the Habitat Partner Universities Initiative as a means of promoting cooperation between UN-Habitat and institutions of higher education, as well as facilitating exchange and cooperation between universities in developing and developed nations.
Habitat Partner Universities are seen by UN-Habitat as institutions willing to promote the social and environmentally sustainable development of towns and cities in accordance with the UN Millennium Development Goals. The aim of the Habitat Partner Universities Initiative is for universities to become closer partners of cities, actively engaged in problem solving and collaborative learning, focusing on the education, research and training components of the Sustainable Urban development Network (SUDNet).
In January 2011 the Habitat Partner Universities Initiative launched an e-forum in preparation for the Global Habitat Partner University Initiative meeting, to be held later in the year. The purpose of the e-forum is to define the way forward for the initiative. In four stages, the e-forum will explore key questions relating to the institutional structure, priority areas in the field of urban education, urban research and knowledge management.
Please click here to access the e-forum homepage.
The e-forum focuses on four moderated topics:
1. Institutional structure and membership (17 January - 28 January 2011)
- Membership criteria and levels
- Governance structures
The discussion will inform the institutional aspects and governance of the Habitat Partner University Initiative, membership criteria and levels will be discussed in the context of associated responsibilities and benefits.
2. Education (31 January - 11 February 2011)
- Strengthening urban education, curriculum development and improvement
- Strengthening climate in urban development and urban planning education
- University exchanges
Advance and define the Habitat Partner University Initiative’s approach to education and curriculum development for teaching in the field of sustainable urbanization. Definition of being an Habitat Partner University in terms of education and proposed agenda of activities, defining the systematic approach of the Habitat Partner University and concrete actions and outputs.
3. Setting up the urban research network (14 February - 25 February 2011)
- Opportunities for global urban research networks
- Strengthening existing networks, involving researchers that are not adequately internationally linked up
- Bridging the gap between research and practice
- Key areas of urban research to be considered
The aim of this discussion is to explore ways and means of strengthening urban research, better define the urban research agenda, to create better linkages between researchers globally and to strengthen the link between research and practice on global, national and local levels.
4. Knowledge management: function and potential of Habitat Partner University website (28 February - 11 March 2011)
- Needs of academia, students and practitioners
- Identifying potential of partnership for knowledge management
- Functionality of a website as a key tool for knowledge management
Identifying functions of a virtual platform and identifying key needs of its potential users, objectives and expectations of the Habitat Partner University initiative through utilizing a Habitat Partner University website.
5. Final discussion and summary (14 March - 18 March 2011)
- Reviewing outcomes of the previous discussions
The forum provides a venue to explore the key themes of the Habitat Partner University Initiative. It will provide guidance for the next steps by defined expectations, concrete approaches, activities and methods for the Habitat Partner University Initiative.
