Organization: UN Human Settlements Program
Country: Spain
Closing date: 26 Feb 2017
i. Project:
Making Cities Sustainable and Resilient
ii. Duty station of assignment
Barcelona (Spain)
iii. Functional Title:
Urban Planner
iv. Contract type:
Individual Contract (Consultancy Assignment)
v. Duration:
Four months
vi. Closing date for applications:
26th February 2017
BACKGROUND
Fast growing cities and urban areas of the world are engines of growth and wealth accumulation. This growth can have positive social, cultural and educational impacts. On the other hand, evidence demonstrates that fast economic growth, combined with fast population expansion in urban areas, also increases disaster vulnerability and exposure. The level of urbanization[1] is far higher in the developed world; however, the annual ‘urbanization rate[2]’ is much faster in the developing world. The primary urban agglomerations with the highest concentrations of people and economic activity mostly overlap with the areas of extreme or high risk related to disasters such as coastal areas, along rivers and in flood plains. This joint initiative with UNISDR, UN-Habitat and the European Commission aims at improving understanding of, and capacity to, address disaster risk at the local level in crisis-prone cities. UN-Habitat will focus on supporting local capacities from crisis-prone cities, and humanitarian partners, in measuring their resilience status and have an action plan in order to build resilience.
The action builds on the achievements of the Hyogo Framework for Action – Building the Resilience of Nations 2005-2015, and paves the way toward the implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 at the local level. The Action will also contribute to the European Commission’s Action Plan for Resilience in Crisis Prone Countries 2013-2020 and The EU Approach to Resilience: Learning from Food Security Crises.
The project will work with local government institutions, to plan, coordinate, implement and support the various outlined activities. The primary and most direct beneficiaries will be local stakeholders, city authorities and civil society. Women, children and other at risk groups, as local level stakeholders, often disproportionately affected by crises situations, will be engaged and receive additional attention.
Furthermore, there is indeed an urban planning crisis: the unplanned city is largely inefficient and requires increasing resources to make it more functional and liveable. Only those cities able to embrace different patterns of growth and address inequalities and inefficiencies will be able to provide better lives for their residents, while limiting ecological damage.
Urban Planning Frameworks have changed very little in the past 50 years, despite huge changes in the urban world, and a new approach is required which links planning to legal instruments and a sound financing and economic rationale.
In relation to the above, UN-Habitat is providing technical expertise to several partners, including the local government of Chengdu, China[3]; the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia[4] and with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)[5],
MAIN OBJECTIVE
The overall objectives of this project are:
• to build more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient cities, by strengthening the capacity of key public, private and civil society stakeholders to measure, make decisions, plan and develop actions for building resilience to ensure that public and private investments are risk-informed and that early interventions in crisis-prone cities are linked to longer-term development goals in line with the actions of the New Urban Agenda. This joint initiative aims at improving local government and stakeholder understanding of, and capacity for, developing and implementing resilience action plans.
• to translate UN-Habitat planning principles in relevant and sound technical and advisory inputs and capacity building to UN-Habitat partners engaged in urban planning activities and in other urban development work in close collaboration with UN-Habitat UPDB and Regional Offices.
The expected results are:
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Increased commitments to build local-level resilience,
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Local Resilience and investments measured,
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Key issues and challenges identified in linking early interventions in crisis-prone cities to long-term sustainable development inputs,
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Capacity is built in cities and local governments to develop and implement integrated local climate and disaster resilience action plans and
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Crisis-prone cities have enhanced capacity to develop and implement plans to increase their resiliency.
Urban Planning and Design LAB
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Technical capacity of counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Chengdu is enhanced
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Technical inputs related to the Future Saudi Cities Programme (FSCP), Kalobeyei New Settlement Plan and Shaocheng District Urban Renewal are available and relevant
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Local plans in the partner cities and countries incorporate UN-Habitat planning principles and better support sustainable urbanization and more connected, compact and inclusive cities.
For the City Resilience Profiling Programme component, UN-Habitat will work in coordination with the Commission and EU Delegations in each city to ensure consistency with the EC programming documents and complementarity between thematic and geographic actions; this will also ensure complementarities of activities funded by other programmes and initiatives undertaken by other partners operating at the local level and globally.
With the Urban Planning and Design Lab projects, UN-Habitat is working in close relation with its Regional Offices and local projects, and with the respective projects teams.
MAIN TASKS OF THE ASSIGNMENT
Under the direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor of Risk Reduction and Rehabilitation Branch, Urban Risk Reduction Unit, City Resilience Profiling Programme and the City Planning, Extension and Design Unit the candidate will provide substantive professional support to the Programme and will undertake the following outputs and tasks: the direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor of the Programme, the candidate will provide substantive professional support to the Programme and will undertake the following tasks:
Output 1:
Report and Recommendations for Build Environment Urban System Element
Tasks:
· Support the development and calibration of the indicator diagnostic and reference tables for the built environment element of the CRPT
· Create and run a workshop to contribute to the built environment indicators of CRPT
· Source and invite relevant experts to Built Environment Workshop
Output 2:
Document Template for Resilience Action Plan
Tasks:
· Develop a universal template for the Resilience Action Plan (RAP) including:
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data maturity gaps;
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integrated programming recommendations and priorities for urban resilience; connections between humanitarian and sustainable urban development actions;
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connections to existing policy frameworks;
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methodologies for integrated resilience in local government and relevant stakeholders;
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monitoring and evaluation mechanisms;
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the identification of media platforms;
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and the identification of future funding and investment streams.
Output 3:
Map of interagency resilience-based programming and report on potential synergies:
Tasks:
· Advise, develop and support connections and synergies across all UN-Habitat resilience based programming.
· Analyse existing CRPP research as a basis for engagement.
Output 4:
Analysis and map of global resilience-based platforms in local governments
Tasks:
· Examine existing connection with Resilience Platform in the Ayuntamiento of Barcelona
· Advise and support CRPP in the work with the Ayuntamiento of Barcelona
· Analyse similar resilience platforms in various municipalities in geographically diverse locations.
· Include findings as a proposal for programme long-term sustainability and as a methodology for resilience programming within the RAP for local governments.
Output 5:
Technical support to Future Saudi Cities Programme, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Tasks:
· Support UPDB LAB in providing technical, advisory and capacity building to city leaders, technical staffs and consultants and planning services related to the Future Saudi Cities Programme (FSCP)
· Preparation of tailored materials for different workshops and participation to these in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
· Participation to technical meetings related to output 5 accomplishment.
Output 6:
Technical support to the Kalobeyei New Settlement Plan
Tasks:
· Provide technical inputs and advise to UPDB LAB for the Kalobeyei New Settlement Plan.
· Participation to technical meetings related to output 6 accomplishment
Output 7:
Technical support to the renewal plan for Shaocheng District in Chengdu.
Tasks:
· Support UPDB LAB in providing technical, advisory and capacity building to city leaders, technical staffs and consultants and planning services related to the Shaocheng District Renewa
· Support Urban Planning and Design LAB in the development of first concept guidelines, criteria and urban renewal scheme for Shaocheng District Renewal Plan.
· Participation to technical meetings related to output 7 accomplishment.
DELIVARABLES AND TIMELINE
Monthly progress report to be submitted at the end of each working month, detailing the outputs, key observations, and work plan for the following months. Work plans will be agreed with the Chief Technical Advisor in advance on a monthly basis subject to the main tasks of the assignment (above) and in consideration of the workload priorities at that time. All documents will be prepared in English.
N°
Outputs
Timeline
(working weeks)
1.
Report and Recommendations for Build Environment Urban System Element
1 w/week
2.
Document Template for Resilience Action Plan
1 w/week
3.
Map of interagency resilience-based programming and report on potential synergies
0.5 w/week
4.
Analysis and map of global resilience-based platforms in local governments
0.5 w/week
5.
Technical support to Future Saudi Cities Programme, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
4 weeks
6.
Technical support to the Kalobeyei New Settlement Plan
5 weeks
7.
Technical support to the renewal plan for Shaocheng District in Chengdu
4 weeks
DUTY STATION
The work shall be performed from the CRPP Barcelona office.
PROGRESS CONTROLS AND PAYMENT INSTALLMENTS
Payment will be done in installments on a monthly basis upon completion and acceptance of monthly progress report. A time sheet must be submitted by the individual contractor, duly approved by the Chief Technical Advisor, which shall serve as the basis for the payment of fees. Final payment amount will be based on actual man-days worked for that month.
TRAVEL
If UN-Habitat determines that the individual contractor needs to travel outside the UN-Habitat CRPP Barcelona office in order to perform his/her assignment, that travel is provided by the organisation. When travel is authorized for the individual contractor, economy class shall be the standard of accommodation for air travel in all cases and irrespective of the duration of the journey.
COMPETENCIES
Professional: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to donor relations, public-private partnerships and private sector fundraising. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods. Conceptual, analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and the use of a variety of research sources. Ability to organize seminars, consultations, training workshops and special events. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently. Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients ” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view. Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect. Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions. Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems. Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects. Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
EDUCATION
• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree) in Urban or Regional Planning, Architecture, Development Studies, Engineering, or similar fields deemed relevant to the subject areas covered by the CRPP Terms of Reference.
• A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree
WORK EXPERIENCE
A minimum of 5 years of experience in
• Demonstrated experience in developing strategies, guidelines, toolkits or policies for effective shelter planning and neighbourhood integration programmes.
• Demonstrated experience working in participation, good governance and liaising with governmental authorities, other national/international institutions and NGOs.
• Demonstrated experience working within fragile urban environments.
• Demonstrated experience in urban planning or design, a significant part of which should be directly related to different aspects of urban planning such as city-wide planning, urban extension plans, urban redevelopment, land management, landscape and public space design.
• Knowledge of humanitarian and development fields particularly around environment, climate change, disaster risk reduction, reconstruction, recovery and monitoring and evaluation techniques.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and with good sense of initiative to keep the supervisor regularly informed of progress.
• Good communications, reporting and representation skills
• Good team-work and drive for results.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
• Fluency in verbal and written English is required.
• Knowledge of Spanish and French will be considered an asset.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The candidate should be:
• Familiar with, and committed to the goals of UN-Habitat
• Willing to take responsibility, act professionally at all times, and make sure tasks are fully completed
• Able to work under pressure in diverse environments with minimum supervision
• Sensitive to gender issues and issues of concern to vulnerable groups
• Able to meet deadlines for reporting and all project work
• Express enthusiasm and willingness to continue learning new skills and share experiences with other members of the team
Evaluation criteria
Applicants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications, work experience and financial proposal. The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: responsive/compliant/acceptable having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (70%) and financial criteria (30%) specific to the solicitation.
CV Review:
• Educational qualifications as defined in the ToR (15 points);
• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience as defined in the ToR (25 points);
• Language proficiency in spoken and written English (10 points)
Competency based interview max points (20 points)
Maximum available technical score points: 70.
Incomplete proposals may not be considered. The fees might be subject for changes and negotiations starting from the proposed fee of the consultant. All consultants are required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org. General Conditions of contract for the services of Individual contractor can be downloaded from:
http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=7879
How to apply:
Interested candidates must submit an email quoting the post title and the duty station to the following email address: office@cityresilience.org
with the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:
• Cover letter explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
• Completion of a CV in P11 Form which can be downloaded at
http://mirror.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=24&catid=435&id=3867 ·
Financial Proposal. The offeror’s letter including form for the financial proposal can be downloaded at
http://unhabitat-kosovo.org/repository/docs/Financial_proposal_IC_6631.docx
The CV shall include information on the past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references.
Please be advised that since April 15th 2010, applicants for consultancies must be part of the UN-Habitat e-Roster in order for their application to be considered. You can reach the e-Roster through the following link: http://e-roster.unhabitat.org
All applications should be submitted to:
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
City Resilience Profiling Programme
Email: office@cityresilience.org
Deadline for applications: 26th February 2017
UN-Habitat does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org » 3t
