Global Communities Partners with American University to Research the Landscape of Urban Programming

Global Communities Partners with American University to Research the Landscape of Urban Programming
 

Tschuna Gibson, Suria Lloyd, Nadine Schelling, Nora Winstead, and Hrach Gregorian, Ph.D. Contribute to Research on Urban Issues
As urbanization continues to rise globally, international donors, NGOs and the private sector actors are increasingly focusing attention on urban policy and urban programming. Cities face significant challenges that threaten human development, particularly among marginalized communities. At the same time, cities are centers of social, economic and political activity, providing tremendous opportunities for growth and innovation.
Global Communities participation in the seventh World Urban Forum in 2013 gave impetus to the organization’s Urban Development Strategy, which aims to maximize the impact of Global Communities’ urban programming and enhance the organization’s capacity to operate in urban areas. To support this initiative, Global Communities invited a team of American University (AU) School of International Service Master graduates, to research donor priorities and competitor approaches to urban programming within four selected thematic areas.
In the course of 2014 fall semester, the AU team researched the donor and competitor landscape in order to identify potential funding sources as well as strategies employed by competitor organizations. The team also assessed past and current Global Communities urban programming to draw lessons and recommend ways to move forward. The report on this project highlighted innovative practices and addressed core issues within each of research sub-areas (1) humanitarian emergencies, (2) violent extremism, (3) climate change, and (4) weak government capacity. The report also explored synergy among the sub-areas as well as opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration.
In describing their contribution to the research project, Tschuna Gibson remarked, “Working with the staff at Global Communities on this project gave us insight into the world of urban development beyond what we could have acquired in a classroom setting. We’re grateful to have had this opportunity to gain real world experience in consulting as we prepare for our post-graduate careers.”