Urban natural assets for Africa handbook series: Handbook 6

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS HANDBOOK

• Involving community members – those individuals who are on the ground and closest to problems – in urban planning processes and in the implementation of practical solutions is critical in order to accurately identify a city’s needs and ensure the success and longevity of development projects.
• Securing community participation can be challenging, and citizens are often only engaged at a fairly superficial level. City officials should be encouraged (and supported) to create enabling environments that facilitate community-led planning and that give residents the opportunity to actively drive processes and guide decisions.
• The UNA programme makes use of a range of innovative tools and approaches to encourage participation and engage residents around nature. These include the Minecraft computer game, an educational song and music video, a mobile application that offers step-by-step guidance on how to implement various nature-based solutions, and a photography initiative aimed at visualising and recording change during a composting project.

WHO SHOULD CONSULT THIS HANDBOOK?

• Funder and donor institutions
• Organisations working on sustainability and development issues in Africa
• City officials (planning, environment, engineers, developers and related disciplines)
• City officials (economists, finance and procurement departments)
• National government officials (planning, environment, engineers, developers, economists, and finance and procurement disciplines)
• Academic researchers (and related organisations)