
A Blueprint for Post-disaster Recovery
Join us on February 27 at 9:00AM ET for the discussion, Disaster Response and Recovery: Beirut, New York, and Beyond. Register above by clicking on the "Events" tab.

Columbia World Projects Issues Report on Responsive Government
Renzo Piano on Inclusive Cities


Sir David Adjaye OBE on Architecture and Ethical Cities
Shaun Donovan and Kate Orff Discuss Rebuild by Design

Overview and Background
Columbia World Projects’ (CWP) research and engagement work on inclusive urbanism explores the conditions under which communities throughout cities achieve social, economic and political inclusion.
By developing a comparative understanding of the ecological, social and political forces that shape urban space, our work encourages effective problem-solving, participatory approaches, and fresh collective-thinking among experts. We work in partnership with government, civic organizations, nonprofits and academic researchers to produce reports and develop communities of practice that advocate for and, in some cases, implement recommendations that emerge from our work. To that end, we organize both working groups and initiatives (clusters of several working groups focused on a single theme). These groups meet regularly and bring together researchers, policymakers and practitioners to address pressing issues facing municipal governments and city residents. On occasion, we organize standalone working groups to explore issues of immediate concern. Details on work underway, and plans for future activity, are below.
Beirut Recovery
This initiative examines questions about how to center the needs of local communities in the reconstruction of Beirut following the port explosion on August 4, 2020. The blast exposed and amplified already existing vulnerabilities present in the areas affected, including increased displacements of residents, uncontrolled gentrification, growing inequality, neglected infrastructure and an absence of effective public agencies and public spaces. In a series of working group meetings organized in partnership with local institutions, global experts and leaders from international organizations, the initiative outlines priorities and principles to underlie reconstruction. It then identifies and recommends concrete interventions that should be taken up by international organizations involved in reconstruction efforts, by the government of Lebanon, and by NGOs working on reconstruction efforts. Read the report, Rebuilding Beirut: A Roadmap for an Equitable Post-disaster Response. The report is available in Arabic here.
Working groups within this initiative focus on particular topics related to the recovery, including reconstruction of heritage sites, housing and land use, the port and economic priorities, the management of recovery funds and the activation of public space. These working groups, meeting throughout 2020 and 2021, are organized in partnership with the Beirut Urban Lab at the American University of Beirut. Reports detailing participants’ recommendations will be released in the coming months.
Heritage and Reconstruction
This working group focuses on how to involve residents in historic preservation efforts, what counts as heritage and how to memorialize the disaster. Participants also explore how to unlock funding for these efforts.
- Heritage and Reconstruction Working Group Participants add
Participants’ listed affiliations are current as of November 23, 2020
Amr Al-Azm, Shawnee State University/ATHAR
Howayda Al-Harithy, American University of Beirut
Thomas Asher, Columbia World Projects
Erica Avrami, Columbia University
Zainab Bahrani, Columbia University
Hiba Bou Akar, Columbia University
Fadlallah Dagher, Beirut Heritage Initiative; Dagher Hanna & Partners Architects
Brian Daniels, University of Pennsylvania
Chiara de Cesari, University of Amsterdam
Mona Fawaz, American University of Beirut
McGuire Gibson, University of Chicago
Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj, Architect and Development Consultant
Piphal Heng, Northern Illinois University
Khaled Hiatlih, Leiden University
Emmanuel Kattan, Columbia University
Premesh Lalu, University of the Western Cape
Yasmine Makaroun, Lebanese University
Lorraine Mangonès, FOKAL
Lynn Meskell, University of Pennsylvania
Ratish Nanda, Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Rita Padawangi, Singapore University of Social Sciences
Philippe Peycam, International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden University
Michèle Pierre-Louis, Fondation Connaissance et Liberté, FOKAL
Yenny Rahmayati, Prince Sultan University
Omar Sirri, University of Toronto
Jad Tabet, Order of Engineers and Architects Beirut
Bastien Varoutsikos, Turquoise Mountain
Serge Yazigi, Yazigi Atelier
Housing and Land Use
This working group examines strategies for rebuilding and repairing damaged housing stock, increasing housing affordability and limiting the displacement of residents whose homes were affected by the blast. The working group explores these issues in the context of high vacancy rates, the financialization of housing and land and how innovative land use strategies, including land banking and land value capture, can provide increased funding for social housing and good housing stock.
- Housing and Land Use Working Group Participants add
Participants’ listed affiliations are current as of December 8, 2020
Hitoshi Abe, University of California, Los Angeles; Atelier Hitoshi Abe
Howayda Al-Harithy, American University of Beirut
Amale Andraos, Columbia University
Alejandro Aravena, ELEMENTAL
Thomas Asher, Columbia World Projects
Bernadette Baird-Zars, Columbia University
Karima Ben Bih, World Bank Group
Clarisa Bencomo, Columbia University
Hiba Bou Akar, Columbia University
Diane Davis, Harvard University
Leilani Farha, The Shift
Mona Fawaz, American University of Beirut
Rony Lahoud, Public Corporation for Housing, Beirut
Deepak Lamba-Nieves, Center for a New Economy
Zhi Liu, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Lorraine Mangonès, FOKAL
Josie McVitty, Actis
Michèle Pierre-Louis, FOKAL
Maysa Sabah, AECOM Middle East
Abir Saksouk, Public Works Studio
Saskia Sassen, Columbia University
Seteney Shami, The Arab Council for Social Sciences
Enrique Silva, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Diane Singerman, American University
Omar Sirri, University of Toronto
Delia Wendel , Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Weiping Wu, Columbia University
Serge Yazigi, Yazigi Atelier
Dima Zogheib, Arup
The Port and Economic Priorities
This working group explores the reconstruction of the Port of Beirut, modes of financing the rebuilding, and long-term management strategies that might govern the operation of the port in the future. Participants highlight possible scenarios including total or partial reconstruction of the port, and take into account existing geopolitical and economic challenges. They outline methods of reconstruction that would make the port competitive and support the public good while also enhancing environmental and economic sustainability for communities.
- The Port and Economic Priorities Working Group Participants add
Participants’ listed affiliations are current as of December 1, 2020
Thomas Asher, Columbia World Projects
Hiba Bou Akar, Columbia University
Vince Beiser, Journalist and Author
Debjani Bhattacharya, Drexel University
Sachin Bhoite, Arup
Taina Christiansen, UN-Habitat Lebanon
Dilip Da Cunha, Columbia University
Jatin Dua, University of Michigan
Mona Fawaz, American University Beirut
Rania Ghosn, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Hercules Haralambides, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Hafeez Ahmed Jamali, Government of Balochistan
Laleh Khalili, Queen Mary University of London
Zelda Liang, Columbia World Projects
Mami Mizutori, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Henk Ovink, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Yenny Rahmayati , Prince Sultan University
Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Hofstra University
Nisreen Salti, American University of Beirut
Nisrine Samara, Embassy of the Netherlands
Rami Semaan, TMS Consult
Omar Sirri, University of Toronto
Satya Tripathi, United Nations Environment Programme
Serge Yazigi, Yazigi Atelier
Management of Recovery Funds
This working group asks how recovery funds can be distributed effectively, while minimizing corruption and maximizing accountability. Because of the absence of robust leadership from the state, distrust in government is rampant, and international and local non-governmental organizations have assumed responsibility for much of the provision of social and urban services in the wake of the explosion. Participants seek to understand to whom resources should be distributed, and how they should be coordinated and evaluated to best serve those affected by the blast, rather than sectarian agendas or regional and global interests not in line with the most pressing needs of local residents.
- The Port and Economic Priorities Working Group Participants add
Participants’ listed affiliations are current as of January 14, 2021
Lisa Anderson, Columbia University
Bernise Ang, Columbia World Projects
Thomas Asher, Columbia World Projects
Sami Atallah, Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
Henk-Jan Brinkman, United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Ishac Diwan, Paris Sciences et Lettres, École normale supérieure in Paris
Roula El-Rifai, International Development Research Centre
Mohamad Faour, University College Dublin
Mona Fawaz, American University of Beirut
Florence Gaub, European Union Institute for Security Studies
Mona Harb, American University of Beirut
Steven Heydemann, Smith College; the Brookings Institution
Nino Karamaoun, United Nations Development Programme
Jonathan M. Katz, Journalist and Author
Mona Khechen, American University of Beirut
Rami G. Khouri, American University in Beirut
Dima Krayem, University of Cambridge
Marc Lynch, The George Washington University
Stephan Massing, World Bank Group
Scott Morris, Center for Global Development
Lamia Moubayed Bissat, Institut des Finances Basil Fuleihan
Dipali Mukhopadhyay, Columbia University
Jonathan Papoulidis, Columbia World Projects; World Vision
Michèle Pierre-Louis, FOKAL
Tamer Qarmout, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
Sibylle Rizk, Kulluna Irada
Pallavi Roy, SOAS University of London
Nisreen Salti, American University of Beirut
Natacha Sarkis, United Nations Development Programme
Halim Shebaya, Arab Association of Constitutional Law, Beirut
Omar Sirri, University of Toronto
Shoshana Stewart, Turquoise Mountain
Sameh Wahba, World Bank Group
Heiko Wimmen, International Crisis Group
Serge Yazigi, Yazigi Atelier
Marie-Joëlle Zahar, Université de Montréal
Activating Public Space
This working group, composed primarily of artists and urbanists, considers bottom-up strategies that could be deployed to generate vibrant public spaces given the erosion of such spaces in Beirut, a condition exacerbated by the explosion. The group explores how to create places that are accessible and livable through the design of urban forms, landscaping and the establishment of public art spaces in order to involve communities in the improvement of their built environment.
- Activating Public Space Working Group Participants add
Participants’ listed affiliations are current as of January 27, 2020
Amanda Abi Khalil, Temporary Art Platform
Howayda Al-Harithy, American University of Beirut
Amale Andraos, Columbia University
Thomas Asher, Columbia World Projects
Mia Atoui, Embrace
Mohammad Ayoub, NAHNOO
Aude Azzi, Columbia University
Carol Becker, Columbia University
Minouche Besters, STIPO
Joana Dabaj, Catalytic Action
Habib Debs, American University Beirut
Vishakha N. Desai, Columbia University
Mohamad Hafeda, Leeds Beckett Univesity
Mona El Hallak, American University of Beirut
Ola El Hariri, Saida's Observatory for Social Impact
Makram El Kadi, LEFT
Anastasia Elrouss, Anastasia Elrouss Architects
Sergi Fajardo, Compromiso Ciudadano
Mona Fawaz, American University of Beirut
Rana Haddad, American University of Beirut
Mona Harb, American University of Beirut
Nathalie Harb, Nathalie Harb Studio
Alfredo Jaar, Artist, Architect, and Filmmaker
Basil Jones, Handspring Puppet Company
Adrian Kohler, Handspring Puppet Company
Premesh Lalu, University of the Western Cape,
Maud Le Floc’h, POLAU-Pôle Arts et Urbanisme
Joy Mboya, The GoDown Arts Centre
Kamal Mouzawak, Souk El Tayeb
Phloeun Prim, Cambodian Living Arts
Abir Saksouk, Public Works Studio
Rana Samara Jubayli, Rana Samara Jubayli Architects + Design; Nusaned
Richard Sennett, United Nations Committee on Urban Initiatives
Omar Sirri, University of Toronto
Nadine Touma, Dar Onboz
Michael Uwemedimo, CMAP (Collaborative Media Advocacy Platform)
Serge Yazigi, Yazigi Atelier
Maya Zbib, Zoukak Theatre Company
Civic Technology
This initiative explores the role that technology platforms that connect citizens to government — civic technology — can play in deepening civic life, increasing trust in government and building social infrastructure. The initiative works to map the field of civic technology and explore both gaps and opportunities for adoption, advise New York City's newly-created Civic Engagement Commission and contribute to a series of reports that detail how government agencies can increase civic trust and leverage digital tools to enliven civic engagement.
An initial working group within this initiative met in April 2020 and brought together leading researchers in digital platforms and civic engagement alongside donors, practitioners and policymakers. In summer 2020, the research and engagement team assembled two additional working groups, one that brought together participants from across Europe to discuss local experiments with digital civic engagement efforts, and another that focused specifically on the use of Decidim, a platform adopted by New York’s Civic Engagement Commission in December 2020. Read the report on these conversations.
- Civic Technology Initiative Participants add
Participants’ listed affiliations are current as of July 22, 2020
Victòria Alsina, New York University
Julien Antelin, City of Los Angeles
Melissa Appleton, Participatory Budgeting Project
Pablo Aragón, Eurecat; Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Thomas Asher, Columbia World Projects
Alice Barbe, SINGA Global; Columbia World Projects
Joseph Bateman, Luminate
Kirsten Brosbøl, Columbia World Projects
Leslie Brown, NYC Civic Engagement Commission
Judit Carrera, Centre for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona
Lilian Coral, Knight Foundation
Marian Cramers, The Democratic Society
Michaël V. Dandrieux, Eranos; Sciences Po Paris
Shari Davis, Participatory Budgeting Project
Daniella Eras, NYC Civic Engagement Commission
Ester Fuchs, Columbia University
Justin Garrett Moore, Columbia University; New York City Public Design Commission
Keesha Gaskins-Nathan, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Alejandra González, Digital Agency for Public Innovation, Mexico City
Anne Vest Hansen, ITK Lab; Center Innovation in Aarhus
Noel Hidalgo, BetaNYC
Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul
Edna Ishayik, Obama Foundation
Merit Janow, Columbia University
Gayatri Kawlra, Columbia University
Ariel Kennan, Sidewalk Labs
Eric Klinenberg, New York University
Maya Kornberg, InterParliamentary Union
Miguel Lago, Columbia University
Thomas Landrain, Just One Giant Lab
Panthea Lee, Reboot
Bruce Lincoln, Silicon Harlem
Pier Luca Marzo, Università di Messina
Maggie Ollove, Center for Civic Design
Kathryn Ott Lovell, City of Philadelphia
David Park, Columbia University
Desmond U. Patton, Columbia University
Tiago C. Peixoto, World Bank Group
Clémence Pène, Direction Interministérielle de la Transformation Publique, Government of France
Eve Plenel, Vers Paris sans sida
Whitney Quesenbery, Center for Civic Design
Jason Rhody, Social Science Research Council
Oscar J. Romero Jr., New York City Mayor's Office of the Chief Technology Officer
Hollie Russon Gilman, Columbia World Projects
Neelam Sakaria, Civic Signals
Sarah Sayeed, New York City Civic Engagement Commission
Adrienne Schmoeker, New York City Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics
Jose Serrano-McClain, HR&A Advisors
Micah Sifry, Civic Hall
Matt Stempeck, Civic Hall
Alistair Stoddart, Committee Engagement Unit, The Scottish Parliament
Wendy Trull, New York City Civic Engagement Commission
Christian Vanizette, Makesense.org; Columbia World Projects
Kitty Von Bertele, Luminate
Stephanie Wade, Bloomberg Philanthropies
Clarence Wardell, Results for America
Maia Woluchem, Ford Foundation
Laura Wood, Office of the Mayor of New York City
Southern Urbanisms
This initiative brings together leading practitioners, policymakers and researchers from across the world - particularly urbanists located in the Global South, to arrive at a more adequate understanding of urban governance, social cooperation and economic strategies visible in cities in Africa, Asia and the Americas. The initiative also examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped cities, giving rise to new coalitions related to housing and infrastructure, service provision and advocacy. Members of the initiative first met in July 2020 and gather on a recurring basis.
- Southern Urbanisms Initiative Participants add
Participants’ listed affiliations are current as of November 16, 2020
Steve Akoth, Kenyatta University; Pamoja Trust
Amale Andraos, Columbia University
Nausheen H. Anwar, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
Thomas Asher, Columbia World Projects
Gautam Bhan, Indian Institute for Human Settlements
Hiba Bou Akar, Columbia University
Teresa Caldeira, University of California, Berkeley
Mariana Cavalcanti, State University of Rio de Janeiro
Amy Chazkel, Columbia University
Mamadou Diouf, Columbia University
Mona Fawaz, American University of Beirut
Kelly Gillespie, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
Rupali Gupte, School of Environment and Architecture, Mumbai
Alcinda Honwana, London School of Economics
Malo Hutson, Columbia University
Caroline Wanjiku Kihato, Wits University
Marco Kusumawijaya, Rujak Center for Urban Studies
Premesh Lalu, University of the Western Cape
Deepak Lamba-Nieves, Center for a New Economy
Loren Landau, Oxford University; Wits University
Brian Larkin, Barnard College
Anant Maringanti, Hyderabad Urban Lab Foundation
Winnie Mitullah, University of Nairobi
Rohit Negi, Ambedkar University Delhi
Flávia Neves Maia, Agenda Teresina 2030; Columbia World Projects
Edgar Pieterse, African Centre for Cities; University of Cape Town
Anupama Rao, Columbia University
Vyjayanthi Rao, Public Culture; New York University
Prasad Shetty, School of Environment and Architecture, Mumbai
AbdouMaliq Simone, University of Sheffield
Elisa Sutanudjaja, Rujak Center for Urban Studies
Urban Ecology
This working group, held in November 2019, probed how we understand urban landscapes at water’s edge, especially along rivers and deltas. Participants included a range of academics and professionals from around the world whose work centers on the particular challenges facing delta and river cities in the era of climate change. They explored prospects for restoring resiliency to both the natural and built environment in places of dense habitation, enormous inequality and extreme fragility.
Participants drew from both the physical and social sciences, as well as from areas of professional specialization, including law, urban design and planning. They thought creatively about how to shape more just landscapes, green infrastructure and inclusive societies.
The convening included discussions about the common challenges that delta cities need to overcome in order to build resilience and adapt in an era of rapid environmental and climate change.
- Urban Ethics Working Group Participants add
Participants’ listed affiliations are current as of November 23, 2019
Thomas Asher, Columbia World Projects
Grga Basic, Columbia University
Vince Beiser, Journalist & Author
Debjani Bhattacharyya, Drexel University
Lindsay Bremner, University of Westminster
Kirsten Brosbøl, Columbia World Projects
Patricia J. Culligan, Columbia University
Shannon Cunniff, Shannon Cunniff Consulting
Dilip da Cunha, Columbia University
Harry den Hartog, Tongji University
Marc Goichot, World Wildlife Fund
Carrie Grassi, New York City Mayor’s Office of Resiliency
Ania Grobicki, Green Climate Fund
Hoàng Hoài Thanh, 100 Resilient Cities
Hong Hoang, CHANGE; Columbia World Projects
Ira Katznelson, Columbia World Projects
Annet Kempenaar, University of Groningen
Andrew S. Lewis, Author
Johanna Lovecchio, Columbia University
Philip Minderhoud, Utrecht University; Deltares Research Institute
Alastair Morrison, Independent Consultant on Water & Climate
Henk Nieboer, EcoShape
Tomoyuki Okada, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan
Kate Orff, Columbia University; SCAPE
Henk Ovink, Kingdom of The Netherlands
Thaddeus Pawlowski, Columbia University
Sandra Schoof, Netherlands Enterprise and Development Agency
Adam Sobel, Columbia University
Terry van Dijk, University of Groningen
Kim van Nieuwaal, Delta Alliance International
Geoffrey von Zastrow, Columbia University
James L. Wescoat, Jr., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Urban Ethics
This working group, held in November 2019, probes what an ethics of the city might mean. An ethics of the city aims to draw together disparate communities to encourage exchange and prompt recognition of the fundamental fault lines that emerge among communities of strangers. Participants studied how the most vulnerable city residents live as citizens making claims, asserting rights and seeking dignity in the face of structures of wealth, power and hardened inequalities.
- Urban Ecology Working Group Participants add
Participants’ listed affiliations are current as of November 8, 2019
Amale Andraos, Columbia University
Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York University
Thomas Asher, Columbia World Projects
Barry Bergdoll, Columbia University
Homi K. Bhabha, Harvard University
Tatiana Bilbao, Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO
Akeel Bilgrami, Columbia University
Benjamin Bradlow, Brown University
Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, Princeton University
Ana Maria Gonzalez Forero, FEM; Columbia World Projects
Toni L. Griffin, Harvard University
Malo Hutson, Columbia University
Ira Katznelson, Columbia World Projects
Caroline Wanjiku Kihato, University of Johannesburg
Laura Kurgan, Columbia University
Reinhold Martin, Columbia University
Ceasar L. McDowell, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Saskia Sassen, Columbia University
Elaine Scarry, Harvard University
Richard Sennett, United Nations Committee on Urban Initiatives
Van C. Tran, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Lawrence Vale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology