Economic flourishing, sustainability and social inclusion should always go hand in hand. This idea has driven the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape of the University of Montreal to organize the 13th edition of the Workshop Atelier Terrain UNESCO (WAT UNESCO) on “Designing an Inclusive and Sustainable Creative Economy in Hanoi”. The workshop will occur from 8 to 19 May 2023 in Hanoi, Viet Nam, member city of the International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities of UNESCO (ICCAR).
In the framework of the city’s affiliation with ICCAR and the Hanoi UNESCO Creative City planning, the workshop addresses the strong but sometimes problematic relationship between the city’s inhabitants and its built and natural environment. To provide tangible and creative paths for inclusive and sustainable development of Hanoi, the activity proposes to establish a new urban dialogue between the city’s creative economy and rich hydrographic network.
The workshop gathers teams of local and international researchers, urban planners, landscape architects, policy experts and students to do so. Together, they collect and analyze urban data and, from this data, conceive a set of spatial planning and design strategies. Using feedback from the local population and authorities, they carefully test and assemble those strategies into competing master plans. At the end of this process, teams present their master plan to the public and local stakeholders.
Organizing institutions of the WAT UNESCO in Hanoi comprise the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape at the University of Montréal, the Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, the Hanoi Architectural University, and the National University of Singapore. In partnership with UNESCO, they also work with the local population and authorities, NGOs, and international organizations to define the best solutions to create an inclusive and sustainable creative economy in Hanoi.
The WAT UNESCO in Hanoi is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Québec Ministry of International Affairs and Francophonie, the University of Montréal, and the Sid Lee Architecture Fund. Organizers of the WAT UNESCO in Hanoi have also received the help of many: the Canadian Embassy in Viet Nam, the Permanent Delegation of Canada at UNESCO, the Permanent Delegation of Viet Nam at UNESCO, the Representant of Québec at UNESCO, the UNESCO Office in Hanoi, the UNESCO Office in Bangkok, the Representation of UN-Habitat in Hanoi, and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
Link to the unesco article