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Quito, Ecuador, Will be a Living Laboratory for Urban Innovations

The Habitat III Village will see groups and individuals implement their ideas using the streets of Quito, Ecuador.

At the 2014 World Urban Forum in Medellín, Colombia, many participants were amazed as much by what they saw in the streets as what they heard in the conference halls.

For the event, the city handed out free public-transit passes and guided tours left every hour to see some of the innovative projects in low-income neighborhoods that have made the Colombian city a darling of urbanists — from the famed MetroCable aerial gondola system to the acclaimed “library parks” to the eye-catching outdoor escalators.

This year, at least as many people are expected come to another South American city, Quito. This will not be for the next World Urban Forum but for an even grander affair: Habitat III. Taking place every 20 years, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development aims to come up with a global strategy on urbanization — the New Urban Agenda.

The conference also promises to treat the Ecuadorian capital as a living laboratory for urban innovations.

Quito does not have the same reputation for forward-thinking design interventions as its Colombian neighbour. So, the organizers of Habitat III are now asking the world to bring their ideas to Quito. This month, they released a call for proposals for the Habitat III Village of Innovation and Urban Solutions to run during — and even after — the conference that will take place 17-20 October.

Essentially, conference organizers are looking for individuals, groups or institutions to implement their ideas in the real world, using the streets, neighbourhoods and public spaces of Quito. The call for proposals is intentionally broad, covering public services, technology, mobility, public art, citizen participation and urban revitalization.

For example, a demonstration project could showcase new design ideas for “road diets” from New York City, install the latest in street furniture from Stockholm or construct low-cost urban agricultural projects à la Accra. Installations can be temporary experiments in the vein of “tactical urbanism” or more permanent upgrades to Quito’s urban fabric.

The invitation is open to groups anywhere in the world, representing any sector. Ideas could come from a city planning department, a non-profit citizens group or a multinational corporation’s research and development arm. Conference organizers strongly stress the need for projects to be self-financed.

“The proposals must be innovative and feasible to contribute to the improvement of urban spaces and public services, in order to raise the quality of life of the population, creating a safer, more inclusive and sustainable city that allows Quito to be displayed as an example of the message that the Habitat III Conference wants to convey to the world,” the call states.

“By understanding the city as a place where lives and cultures of many people and social groups intersect, we open the call for these groups to express ideas and proposals, through art or citizen participation,” the invitation notes.

Two neighbourhoods and one public space have been targeted as the settings for these projects. La Mariscal and La Floresta are mixed-use areas adjacent to the main conference complex. The former was developed as a “garden city” in the 1940s and 1950s, and it has evolved into Quito’s entertainment district — jampacked with bars, nightclubs, restaurants, shops and backpacker hostels. A notably vibrant area, the influx of tourists and nightlife traffic can also degrade the quality of place for residents.

La Floresta is more residential. Still, it would like to capture some of La Mariscal’s vibrancy — without becoming overrun.

Finally, Ejido Park is just across from the complex where the Habitat III conference will take place. As the largest public space in central Quito, it will be a very accessible, open platform for conference attendees and everyday citizens alike to interact with demonstration projects selected for the Habitat III Village.

The registration form is available in English and Spanish. The deadline to submit expressions of interest is 15 April. Approved projects will be announced by 15 May.

This article originally appeared at Citiscope.org. Citiscope is a nonprofit news outlet that covers innovations in cities around the world. More at Citiscope. org.