The Urban Guru Website


Cities are undoubtedly one of the most complex human creations. They are places where density meets diversity, order meets chaos, innovation meets tradition, communication meets anonymity, change meets inertia, fight for liberation meets economic oppression. They are places where women and men meet to try and realize their dreams. Cities are the cradle of urbankind, our eternal youth, ourselves.

Les villes sont incontestablement l'une des plus complexes créations humaines. Ce sont des lieux où  la densité rencontre la diversité, l’ordre fait face au chaos, l’innovation affronte la tradition, la communication se conjugue à l’anonymat, le changement se mêle à l’inertie, la lutte pour la liberté va de pair avec l’oppression. Ce sont les lieux où femmes et hommes se rencontrent pour tenter de réaliser leurs rêves. Les villes sont le creuset du genre urbain, notre éternelle jeunesse, nous-mêmes.

La ciudad es sin duda la más compleja creación humana. Es lugar de densidad y de diversidad, donde el orden y el caos pueden convivir. Es allí donde la innovación se mezcla con la tradición, la comunicación compite con el anonimato y el cambio enfrenta a la inercia. La ciudad acoge la lucha por la libertad cuando confronta la opresión. La ciudad es el lugar donde hombres y mujeres se encuentran cuando construyen sueños. Es la cuna de la urbanidad, nuestra fuente de eterna juventud. Las ciudades somos nosotros mismos.

 

Daniel Biau
Nairobi - Kenya

 +254 728 651005

biau.daniel@gmail.com

Twitter: @DanielBiau

 

Daniel Biau is a former Director at UN-Habitat, the United Nations City Agency, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. 

He shares his time between his country of residence, his country of birth (France) and the rest of the world.


Cities of the World

24/05/2020 09:00

The Post-COVID-19 Urban Challenges in Africa

COVID-19 is very much an urban disease. What does this mean for the world’s fastest urbanizing region, Africa? African governments and citizens are today facing head-on the risks posed by the pandemic in African cities (slums as potential transmission hotbeds) as well as the consequences (reduction...

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01/04/2020 00:01

Towards Sustainable African Cities

In the aftermath of the 10th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF10), held in Abu Dhabi on 8-13 February 2020, Daniel Biau was interviewed by the President of “Urbanistes sans Frontières” (Urbanists without Borders) and Founder of Global Urban Think Tank, Maggie Cazal, regarding the evolution of...

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01/04/2020 00:00

Vers des Villes Africaines Durables

Au lendemain de la 10eme session du Forum Urbain Mondial (FUM10), qui s’est tenue à Abu Dhabi du 8 au 13 février 2020, Daniel Biau a été interviewé par la Présidente d’Urbanistes sans Frontières et Fondatrice du Global Urban Think Tank, Maggie Cazal, à propos de l’évolution des idées sur les défis...

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01/11/2019 12:00

Sustainable Cities at the age of the Digital Revolution

The 3rd International Conference on National Urban Policy took place in Nairobi on 28-31 October 2019.  Daniel Biau delivered the attached keynote speech at the opening session. Keynote Address ICNUP3.pdf

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01/07/2019 23:59

What Governments could and should do

Today the world counts 7.7 billion inhabitants of which 4.3 billion live in cities (56 % of the total population). In 1980 there were 4.4 billion people of which only 1.7 billion lived in cities (39 %). In 2050, the projections predict 9.8 billion people including 6.7 billion urban dwellers (68...

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07/10/2016 08:00

What did we learn from Habitat I and II?

The UN Conferences on « Cities and other Human Settlements » take place every 20 years (Vancouver 1976, Istanbul 1996, Quito 2016). They constitute important landmarks, identifying urban challenges, opportunities, problems, and proposing principles and solutions applicable all over the...

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01/10/2016 18:45

Re-inventing African Cities

In October 2016, "The Thinker", the South African quarterly magazine, published the attached analysis which summarizes the challenges facing African Cities and proposes a Plan of Action for re-inventing these troubled cities. TheThinker on African Cities.pdf (802058)

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06/07/2016 10:09

De Vancouver 1976 et Istanbul 1996 à Quito 2016, La continuité des défis urbains et des engagements politiques

PCM N⁰ 879 - Août/Septembre 2016   De Vancouver 1976 et Istanbul 1996 à Quito 2016,  La continuité des défis urbains et des engagements politiques   Les démographes prévoient une stabilisation de la population mondiale autour de dix milliards d’humains vers 2070 dont une large...

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10/05/2016 18:33

Reinventing Urban Planning in Africa, Rabat, May 2016

As part of the preparation of the third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development – Habitat III (Quito, October 2016), the Kingdom of Morocco, represented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Policy, has organized in Rabat on 11-12 May 2016, in cooperation with...

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10/05/2016 18:27

Réinventer l'urbanisme africain, Rabat, mai 2016

Dans le cadre de la préparation de la troisième Conférence des Nations Unies sur le Logement et le Développement Urbain Durable – Habitat III (Quito, octobre 2016)  le Royaume du Maroc, représenté par le Ministère de l’Habitat et de la Politique de la Ville, a organisé à Rabat les 11 et 12 mai...

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