Urban Fabric Initiatives came into being in 2018, following the launch of two pilot projects in Ouagadougou and Tunisia by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to test participatory and agile approaches to (re)creating the city. Building on the success of the initiatives and the interest generated, the AFD has replicated these projects in other African cities.
To facilitate this deployment, identify new opportunities and facilitate exchange within the network of stakeholders, AFD has set up the Urban Fabric Initiatives Network (UFI Network), led by GRET in collaboration with urbaMonde and Cabanon Vertical.
The Urban Fabric Initiatives Network
The Urban Fabric Initiatives make up a network of practitioners run by the Urban Fabric Initiatives Network (UFI Network).
The UFI Network is responsible for :
- coordinating and developing the network ;
- supporting project operators in the implementation of projects ;
- sharing and systematizing results and lessons learned from project experiences.
The UFI Network facilitates peer-to-peer exchanges and the sharing of experience, knowledge and skills, through the organization of exchange and capacity-building activities, as well as events with a focus on capitalization.
It also ensures the identification of models of practice containing invariants and particularities, [HC1] facilitating the deployment of new Urban Fabric Initiatives and encouraging the development of new, more inclusive urban projects.
Agence française de développement
Agence française de développement (AFD) implements France's development and international solidarity policies. Through its financing of activities for the public sector and NGOs, its research and publications (Editions AFD), training in sustainable development (Campus AFD) and awareness-raising in France, it finances, supports and accelerates transitions towards a fairer, more resilient world.
AFD works with its partners to build shared solutions, with and for the residents of the Global South. AFD teams are involved in over 4,000 projects in the field, in the French Overseas Communities and in 115 countries and in territories in crisis, for the common good - climate, biodiversity, peace, gender equality, education and health. In this way, we are contributing to France's and the French people's commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For a world in common.
Visit the website: www.afd.fr
Gret
Founded in 1976, GRET is an international solidarity organization dedicated to improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable populations and promoting social justice, while preserving our planet. To find sustainable, well-adapted solutions, GRET places action research at the heart of its approach. Our applied research projects enable us to test solutions on a local scale and adapt them on a larger scale. Working in partnership with national and international research organizations, we produce and share the knowledge gained from our experience to improve development practices and influence public policy[HC1] . GRET relies on qualified in-country teams and mobilizes its network of partners in Europe and overseas territories, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. Our local presence enables us to develop in-depth knowledge of local contexts and build lasting partnerships with civil society, public authorities and local economic players.
In Burkina Faso, Senegal and Madagascar, GRET also operates the Urban Fabric Initiatives in Ouagadougou, Dakar and Antatananarivo.
Visit the website: https://gret.org/
UrbaMonde
UrbaMonde is an association created in 2005 in Switzerland and in 2015 in France with the aim of promoting collaborative housing at local and international level and empowering residents. The association leads the Cohabitat network of grassroots community organizations through CoHabitat, which includes Slum Dwellers International (SDI) and the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR). In all the countries represented by this network, slum dwellers are federated and mobilized for data collection, collective savings and political advocacy. They manage urban funds and carry out restructuring and service access projects in collaboration with public authorities.
Since 2007, urbaMonde has been working in Senegal, supporting participatory urban planning, flood risk management and housing improvement in close partnership with urbaSEN and the Fédération Sénégalaise des Habitants. These three organisations worked together to set up the Dakar UFI.
Visit the website: https://www.urbamonde.org
Cabanon Vertical
Cabanon Vertical orchestrates projects that combine art and design. For over ten years, it has been initiating and developing transitional urban planning projects in France, using a designer-builder approach. An expert in participatory urban planning, Cabanon Vertical assists local authorities and cultural stakeholders in the various phases of creating unifying public spaces. This practical experience has been shared in the form of a guide to encourage replication. Cabanon Vertical tested the training-action system in Burkina Faso as part of the Ouagadougou UFI. Cabanon Vertical also played an active role in the deployment of the completed Abidjan UFI. GRET and Cabanon Vertical are currently working together to implement the Antananarivo UFI.
Visit the website: http://www.cabanonvertical.com