Urbanising Middle East and North Africa (Mena) in the Age of Climate Change

Urbanisation in the MENA region has been rapidly transforming the urban landscape. The region is seeing typical models of urbanisation:
- Regeneration and revitalisation of existing city centres and downtowns: This model focuses on urban renewal to bring new life and functionality to aging cities. It risks gentrification, potentially displacing long-term residents and altering the social fabric.
- Development of new towns and cities: Located at commutable distances from old centres, this model aims to alleviate urban density issues. However, these often lack integration with broader regional planning efforts.
- Extensions to existing towns: These extensions are frequently characterised by poor planning and coordination, leading to inefficient use of resources and services

Urbanisation in the MENA region should be sustainable, resilient and inclusive. It needs to be a) resource efficient, maximizing the use of local materials and sustainable practices, b) encourage emissions reduction and minimal dependence on fossil fuels c) resilient against extreme weather conditions, including heatwaves and flooding and d) inclusive, ensuring that development benefits all segments of society equally.

The event will be panel discussion that will engage experts from various fields, including urban planning and design, policy making, and climate change, to explore concepts like polycentric urbanism, 15min city, retrofitting, Transit-Oriented Development, as well as emerging new concepts that are appropriate to the region. Discussions will focus on:
- The key climate-related challenges that existing and new cities in the MENA region face
- How different practitioners and partners are responding to the changing patterns of urbanisation in MENA in light of climate change
- To what extent and how these models of urbanisation consider climate change as a factor in the design