Urban Fabric Week 2024 : a week of exchange and collaboration between old and new generations of UFI
The Urban Fabric Week 2024 took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 03 to 07 June. Bringing together some thirty professionals from nine countries, the event gave UFI teams and partners an opportunity to share their experiences and discuss the challenges they face in the field. It was a convivial and studious occasion, bringing together old and new generations of UFI.
A week to get to know each other, share experiences and best practice
Each year, the UFI week is a landmark event that enables participatory urban planning experts from different countries to work together and exchange information on local initiatives.For the 2024 event, participants came from Abidjan, Dakar, Ouagadougou, Madagascar, Rwanda, Tunisia, Kenya and France to share their collaborative planning practices and build on the knowledge acquired through their projects.
One of the flagship projects presented was that of KOMB GREEN SOLUTIONS in Korogocho, an initiative that has restored the banks of the Nairobi River by mobilising local residents. The project is a perfect example of the positive impact that participatory planning can have on local communities, by breathing new life into previously neglected areas.
The week's workshops focused on the transmission of knowledge between the network's pioneers and newcomers, ensuring a transfer of skills between generations.
Towards a shared vision: characterising, innovating and structuring UFI
A unique opportunity for urban nurseries to share ideas, several sessions were held during the week, with different objectives:
- Characterising UFI Build a common understanding of the UFI by identifying their characteristics, similarities and differences across different urban contexts. Develop a shared vocabulary around the concept.
- Identify and share intervention methodsIdentify the practices and intervention methods developed by each UFI and enrich them with feedback from the other participants.
- Measuring impact and planning for the futureDiscuss impact indicators and consider future developments for the programme. Share and reflect on the methodologies to be adopted to measure the effects of the UFI in their specific contexts.
- Discovering the sites and achievements of the Nairobi UFISite visits enabled all participants to discover the areas where UFI Nairobi is active.
- Structuring the UFI networkStrengthening links between nurseries and structuring a sustainable network to support the sharing of knowledge and resources.
- Share the results of the discussions, formulate recommendations for the future, and close the workshop with a shared vision of the next steps.
