The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’ provides broad approaches, frameworks and goals that gives guidance for cities and communities to improve their livelihoods through innovative and creative solutions. This can be achieved effectively through an elaborate participative design thinking process. To this effect, the UN system coordinates and leads global consensus, through stronger collaboration & communication mechanisms among relevant regional, and national state institutions — including governments, local councils, the private sector, urban social enterprises, and rural community institutions.
Design thinking
Design thinking is a human-centered process that seeks to solve a problem through creativity and collaboration. It promotes empathy and encourages participant beneficiaries to define identified problems and develop innovative solutions. The deeper one gets to the root causes and effects of the problem, the more intuitive and authentic the solutions will be.
The six phases of design thinking are: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test and implement. The problems to solve can include a product, service, communications strategy, processes or experiences; including the experience of city residents. Once identifying the root causes of the problems through extensive research and empathy the next phases include clearly defining the problem and conducting ideation brainstorming sessions, through interactive workshops. The final phrases include developing a prototype based on the insights, testing and implementing the product, service or intuitive experience that solves the users and organizations problems.
This is the first article of a series that will explore the significance of the design thinking process, UX and service design in enhancing the goal to achieve the UN’s SDGs ‘Sustainable cities and communities goal.’ By focusing on specific targets and indicators, I will highlight the crucial role design thinking can play in transforming a city that puts the wellbeing, happiness and the enhancement of its residents at the heart of projects. This includes improving a city’s transport system, public spaces and parks, housing and forming stronger economic, social and environmental ties between urban and rural areas.
Stakeholders and “end users”
The stakeholders of urban development include; residents, tourists, local councils, governments, the private sector, architects, urban planners, social enterprises and sustainability experts.
Each stakeholder has their own problems, needs, concerns and goals. However, the SDG 11 ‘Sustainable cities and communities’ to “make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” undoubtedly center city residents with their health, living conditions and happiness at their heart. For example, Center-city residents’ specific health hazards, safety problems and goals are vital to adopting intuitive and long term solutions that transform cities and communities. That is why it is necessary to enhance meaningful participation of residents and local council officials to get the right support from relevant stakeholders including; public and private professionals.
How do we do this? Well, the emphasized phrase of the design thinking process plays a key role in identifying city residents’ needs, problems and goals. However, including city residents and key stakeholders throughout each phrase, I believe is equally vital to creating intuitive initiatives, products and services. In the upcoming articles, I will explore this participatory design approach.
The four sustainable cities and communities’ UN SDG targets I will be analyzing are:
- a safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all by improving road safety by expanding public transport
- enhancing an inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning
- Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible green and public spaces, in particular for women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities
- Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas
I will investigate the crucial roles that UN partners, such as city residents, local councils and governments, NGOs, urban planners, social enterprises and the private sector play in achieving the SDGs to transform cities and communities globally. Through conducting various interviews with the many stakeholders, I will attempt to explore the impacts of adopting a more inclusive and participatory design thinking process. Putting city residents at the center of the design process to achieve sustainable cities and communities.
Published on Medium, linkedin and Geneva Business News
This is the first article in a series that will explore sustainable cities and communites, city residents, other stakeholders and the role design thinking can play in achieving the UN’s SDG 11 ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities‘
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Zara Tewolde-Berhan 