Grant Award:

The Urban Expansion Program was selected to establish a Technical Support Unit to provide support to the Colombia National Planning Department (DNP) under the Program of Modern Territorial Orderly Plans. This program seeks to provide direct assistance to 100 Municipalities as well as indirect support to 1,000 through technical tools and training. The objective is to help Colombian municipalities plan for urban expansion in ways that leave the cities productive, equitable, and affordable. 

For that purpose, The Marron Institute has created an international group of urban experts to develop evidence-based guidelines for the Modern Territorial Plans. A study of the urban footprint of over 100 cities in Colombia will identify a group of base indicators. The studay will use the same methodology that NYU recently used to develop The 2016 Atlas of Urban Expansion, launched in Quito at the Habitat III Conference. In addition to the guidelines, the 100 municipalities will participate in a set of workshops carefully tailored to transfer this innovative planning approach and assure the understanding of this new material. The Marron Institute will also publish an Atlas of Urban Expansion of the more than 100 Colombian Municipalities.