 Delegates at the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) this week congratulated UN-HABITAT on the launch of its new Urban Gateway social media site which enables urban actors worldwide to share knowledge and work together in the quest for sustainable cities.
The Urban Gateway provides a knowledge repository of urban best practices, case studies and research on urban development in multiple languages, provides a collaboration hub for stakeholders and urban experts on all aspects of urban development and is a market place for urban jobs, funding opportunities, competitions and awards worldwide.
Strategic networks and forums hosted on the gateway include the Global Network on Safer Cities, the Habitat Partners Universities Initiative, the Sustainable Urban Development Network, the World Urban Campaign and the World Urban Forum. The Gateway also supports more informal groups and local networks.
Participants at the Summit made several recommendations on the use and features of the Gateway including encouraging cities to publish practical information for citizens, placing special emphasis on developing countries where cities are growing the fastest, using the Gateway to develop and maintain both horizontal and vertical networks and enhance city to city cooperation, citizen blogs, embedding e-government services, and using Geographical Information Systems for better city planning and management. The Gateway could also be used as means for strengthening human solidarity within and across cities where 50 per cent of the world population lives |
