With over half the worlds population living in cities and this figure set to swell to 70% by 2050, sustainable urbanisation is the greatest design challenge of our generation. Sustainable Cities is the topic that brought together over 12,000 professionals, government delegates and NGOs for the World Urban Forum and the World Urban Youth Assembly, global events organised by the UN-Habitat from March 22-26 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Lucinda Hartley, [co]design studio director and 2009 Young Social Pioneer, attended the forum as an invited speaker on youth, urbanisation and climate change, arguing that emerging designers need to become actively involved in shaping the future of their cities, and that designers can play a key role as partners in development.
As part of the World Urban Youth Assemble, [co]design launched it’s inaugural emerging designers program WE BUILD, a collaborative design project that will bring together design leaders from Australia and India to create a sustainable living precinct for migrant workers in Bangalore, India. WE BUILD is an initiative of Global Citizen’s for Sustainable Development and is also part of the UNESCO Observatory’s Cultural Villages Project at the University of Melbourne. For further information on [co]design’s programs please email codesignstudio@gmail.com or become a fan on Facebook: codesign studio.
Photo: Lucinda Hartley with Dr Anna Tibajuka, Under Secretary General of the UN and Executive Director of UN-Habitat
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