Penn IUR to Exhibit its Work at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Urbanization

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – October 4, 2016 – The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) is pleased to announce its participation in Habitat III, the United Nations premier conference addressing sustainable urban development, to be held in Quito, Ecuador on October 17-20, 2016.

As part of its engagement in Habitat III, Penn IUR will exhibit urban –focused research projects and publications undertaken at Penn IUR and by faculty across the University of Pennsylvania. These projects and publications aim not only to generate new knowledge, but also to facilitate the exchange of best practices related to sustainable urbanization across the globe. 

Penn IUR’s Co-Director Eugenie Birch is the president of The General Assembly of Partners (GAP), a civic engagement platform recognized by the UN General Assembly, which has played a key role in the preparation process for Habitat III. By involving 16 groups of diverse of stakeholders— including city policymakers, women, academics, indigenous peoples, foundations, farmers, and the media—GAP has worked to develop a consensus for Habitat III’s outcome document, known as the New Urban Agenda.

The following resources are available for those interested in learning more about Habitat III and Penn IUR’s role in the historic conference.

• Highlights of Penn IUR’s upcoming Habitat III exhibition are available in our just-published Habitat III Exhibition Catalogue.
• Visit Penn IUR’s Global Urban Commons (GUC), an online global directory of urban research organizations and Habitat III General Assembly of Partner (GAP) organizations, to get more information about GAP organizations and the New Urban Agenda.
• On October 4, join Perry World House and Penn IUR for Media and Habitat III: How You Can Be a Part of It, a discussion about Habitat III, the role media will play, and how you can follow the conference. Speakers include Eugenie Birch, Co-Director, Penn IUR; Neal Pierce, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Citiscope; Mythili Sampathkumar, US editor for Cities Today; and Ariella Cohen, Editor-in-Chief, Next City.
• To learn more about Habitat III, read Eugenie Birch and Jane Vincent’s recent article in Cascade titled Habitat III: The Quest for Sustainable Urban Development, or Eugenie Birch’s recent article in the Journal of American Planning Association titled Will Habitat III Make a Difference to the World’s Urban Development?

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