Urban planning and city development
We work with partner governments to prepare strategic plans for sustainable cities and urban development such as through the use of the City Development Strategy methodology which encourages wide participation, enhances governance capacity and encourages coordination across different sectors. We undertake research that brings integration across economic, social, institutional and environmental domains, including the use of Strategic Environmental Impact assessment in urban planning.
Example of projects in this area:
City Development Strategies in Vietnam
Client: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
The Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation(SDC) contracted with ISF to undertake to develop projects to continue its support for City Development Strategies (CDS) in Vietnam. The projects were:
1. Support for Strategic and Cross-sector Planning in Nam Dinh Province
2. Extending CDS to Multiple Cities Through a Vietnamese Training and Coordinated Network
3. Piloting an Innovative Tool Combining CDS and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
City Development Strategy for Thanh Hoa City in a regional development context
Client: United Nations Habitat
ISF assisted UN Habitat in an assessment of the potential for a city and regional development strategy to contribute to the sustainable development of the City and Region of Than Hoa in northern Vietnam.
Providing mentoring and quality assurance to the Philippine-Australia Local Sustainability Program (2006-2010)
Client: Cardno Acil Pty Ltd
ISF has been supporting the AusAID funded Philippine/Australia Local ISF is ISF is supporting the AusAID funded Philippines Australia Sustainability Program (PALS) through its Quality Assurance Panel (QAP). PALS is a long term program which helps communities and Local Government Units plan and manage activities that improve the livelihoods of the rural poor in the province of Misamis Occidental in the Southern Philippine island of Mindanaor. Participatory planning and development is occurring at community as well as local , municipal and provincial government levels. A Program Development Facility funds activities identified by communities through these planning processes. Typical community activities include agricultural sector livelihoods activities and small-scale infrastructure, especially basic water and sanitation.The QAP, chaired by ISF’s Mick Paddon, comprises three international and one national expert, who provide mentoring for the local teams running the program and ensure that all the outputs from the project meet its overall development objectives. See also AusAID’s PALS program (opens an external site) and details of PALS on the web site of the managing consulting group
Assessing the experience of and providing guidance on sustainable city development in Vietnam
Client: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
The Institute was commissioned by the Swiss Government Development agency (SDC) to assess the experience of cities in Vietnam which have developed City Development Strategies (CDSs) with a particular focus on the CDSs funded by SDC, in Dong Hoi and Nam Dinh. ISF worked with local and international partners to review the experience of preparing CDSs. The Institute ran local workshops to assess and confirm this experience with local participants then synthesised this experience into a Guide to developing CDSs in Vietnam. ISF also provided policy advice to SDC on how it might proceed in with supporting sustainable development strategies in Vietnam at city and provincial levels and potentially in other countries in South East Asia.
City Development Strategies for medium-size cities in Vietnam: Can Tho and Ha Long
Client: World Bank
The project prepared City Development Strategies (CDSs) for the Cities of Can Tho and Halong in Vietnam. ISF led and supervised a team of Vietnamese researchers based at the National Institute of Urban and Rural Research which undertook a systematic analysis of the economic, social and environmental status of each city and the existing plans for their development. The team synthesised this analysis into a consolidated development strategy through extensive consultation with stakeholders. The completed CDSs provide a framework for the sustainable development of the cities to 2020.
Assessment of impact of Cities Alliance activities in Vietnam: City Development Strategies
World Bank
Institute researchers undertook a comprehensive review of the experience in Vietnam of preparing City Development Strategies (CDS) as part of an overall review of Cities Alliance activities in the country, including urban upgrading.
Monitoring and Evaluation System in Support of Management in Agriculture and Rural Development (MESMARD), Vietnam 2007
In 2006, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development commenced implementation of a three year project entitled Monitoring and evaluation in support of management in the agricultural and rural development sector (MESMARD) with support from the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) The overall objective of the project was to strengthen the feedback from monitoring and evaluation to formulation of improved policies, planning, and implementation of programs. The project has three specific objectives in the 3 year period of implementation: MESMARD will commissioned the Institute of Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney to organize and deliver a study tour in Australia for a selected group of senior staff from the national ministry MARD on current, relevant monitoring and evaluation approaches and techniques
Australia Indonesia Partnership Climate Change and Environment Sector Strategy and Adaptation programme design - methods of monitoring and evaluation in Indonesia
AusAID
ISF researchers were involved in developing theories of change and new and innovative approaches to monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for AusAID’s climate change and environment strategy and its climate change adaptation program in Indonesia.
