The Public Space Assessment, Design and Management Methodology

Since 2018, UN-Habitat under HAYA Joint Programme worked on decreasing harmful practices and attitudes that perpetuate and validate violence against women and girls within targeted communities through building the capacity of local authorities and municipalities to undertake comprehensive interventions for prevention and response on EVAW. The “The Public Space Assessment, Design, and Management Methodology” provides s local government units with a comprehensive roadmap towards the creation of safe, accessible, and inclusive public spaces for all.

This methodology serves as a guidebook, illustrating public space creation processes into easily understandable steps. It empowers municipalities to embark on transformative urban design tools, enhancing the livability, inclusivity and safety of their cities while adhering to international standards and best practices.

The guidebook is structured to address both city-wide strategies and site-specific interventions. From the establishment of a public space inventory for all the open spaces in the city, with their physical and social characteristics reflected spatially in a qualitative and quantitative manner, to the introduction of urban planning and design recommendations, finally exploring management modalities of public spaces. The methodology is contextualized and tailored to the Palestinian context, based on an on-ground testing of the tools with targeted municipalities across the West Bank and Gaza Strip.