The spaces we live in influence our well-being, economic prosperity, social and cultural life. The quality of this built environment does not result from a single intervention as it is shaped through a complex accumulation of factors, behaviors, and decisions from multiple stakeholders.
A variety of laws, standards, and policies aim to secure basic comfort levels in cities. Indeed, these regulatory tools help avoid building poor projects. But are they effective enough to improve the quality of future developments?

The alternative urban design governance approaches that are softer by nature prove to be more immediate and effective in responding to urban challenges. What can we learn from the experiences of innovative informal practices in Europe? Can these administrative, methodologic, financial modalities be transferred and applied in different contexts?
Is it possible to set up long-term knowledge and experience exchange among urban professionals? How to ensure design quality policy uptake all over Europe?

URBAN MAESTRO is an initiative of a consortium comprising the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), University College London (UCL), and the Brussels Bouwmeester Maître Architecte (BMA), supported by the European Commission. The research project ran from 2019 to 2021.

More information about the project : www.urbanmaestro.org