CONSULTANT VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Issued on: 01 December 2014ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION:UN-Habitat, Urban Planning and Design Branch in Nairobi, KenyaDUTY STATION:UN-Habitat in Nairobi, KenyaFUNCTIONAL TITLE:Urban Planning ExpertUrban Environment and Planning Branch (UEPB) of UN-Habitat supports countries in developing urban planning methods and systems that address current urbanization challenges. It promotes urban planning and environmental management approaches to address climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban areas, as well as urban biodiversity, urban mobility and energy in the context of sustainable urban development.Cities face an enormous backlog of services and housing. There is indeed an urban planning crisis: the unplanned city is largely inefficient and requires increasing resources to make it more functional and liveable. In an era of growing oil prices and climate change challenges, low-carbon development also needs to be envisaged. 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, which is increasingly represented by developing cities and fast-growing centres. The Vancouver Declaration of 2006 provided a new charter for urban planning: 1) promote sustainable development; 2) achieve integrated planning; 3) integrate plans with budgets; 4) plan with partners and stakeholders; 5) meet the subsidiary principle; 6) promote market responsiveness; 7) ensure access to land; 8) develop appropriate planning tools; 9) be pro-poor and inclusive; and 10) recognize cultural diversity.In order to further advance innovations, five principles of sustainable urban planning are being promoted by UN-Habitat:Plan in advance of population increase, with the view to remain basic but relevant and comprehensible but not necessarily comprehensive, and to leverage plans for revenue creation through value capture.Plan at the scale of the problem, particularly the projected growth of the urban population.Plan incrementally, starting with streets and following with water and sanitation, drainage, energy and lighting, transport, etc. This gives priority to improving the proportion of land allocated to streets and in turn supports service delivery and progressive taxation.Plan for density and mixed land use, aiming at vertical features that lower transaction costs, positively impact the economies of scale (and economies of agglomeration), and improve revenue from taxation.Provide for urban networks for sustainable mobility and sustainable energy.In view of the above, UN-HABITAT has recently initiated the implementation 2 global programmes (Achieving Sustainable Urban Development and Urban Planning for Sustainable Development) which envisage the development of innovative urban planning tools for physical and strategic planning at the city-region, intermediate city and city-extension scales. It has also initiated their application in selected countries over the next 2 to 4 years. The programmes act in synergy and aim at 1) helping cities develop practical, feasible approaches to implementing urban planning interventions and 2) assisting national governments to scale up successful local-level approaches, build the capacities of planning and facilitating institutions (cadastres, development control, construction plan scrutiny, etc.), and reflect the resulting lessons in national policies.
In addition, the UPDB is launching a Planning Laboratory to be operational in its premises in Nairobi to provide direct support to projects in the field through development of plans and designs.Given the relative new focus provided to urban planning work of UN-Habitat and the need to strengthen its planning capacity, a consultant is required to provide technical support to UPDB and its field activities.The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical inputs on basic planning for city extension, provide access to international good practices and lessons learnt and to contribute to development of a new generation extension plans for the project cities.The consultant will work under the supervision of the Coordinator of the Urban Planning Component of the ASUD Project and she/he will contribute to the implementation of the Project Component by performing the following tasks:Provision of planning support to city level activities in Philippines and Mozambique before the end of the year (1 month)In addition, the consultant will provide inputs as requested on planning documents and initiatives, undertaken by the Unit and develop presentations related to the above outputs.The consultancy will focus on 1) helping cities develop practical, feasible approaches to implementing urban planning interventions and 2) assisting national governments to scale up successful local-level approaches, build the capacities of planning and facilitating institutions (cadastres, development control, construction plan scrutiny, etc.), and reflect the resulting lessons in national policiesReport on planning support in Mozambique and PhilippinesOutputs production will be documented through interim reports and one final report.Monitoring and Progress ControlsFinal report to be submitted at the end of the consultancy comprising final version of the 3 reports above mentioned (Planning Support; Compiled Report and Scenario Planning Report)DELIVERABLES, TIME REQUIRED AND CALENDARThe remuneration for this consultancy is US$ 6,500 for a total of 1 work month. Payment will be made on submission of a final report. Post is home based.QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
The Consultant will possess:Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Architecture or Urban/Regional Planning, or related field that is relevant for sustainable urban development. 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 ten years of experience in urban planning or sustainable urban development, of which at least three at the international level with substantial recent work experience in developing countries, a significant part of which should be directly related to different aspects of urban planning such as settlements infrastructure, community development, urban geography, cities and climate change, strategic planning or land management. Experience in activities of the United Nations, both in field projects and policy dialogues with member states of developing countries are desirable.English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in oral and written English is required. Although not a requirement, knowledge of a second UN official language will be an advantage and in particular good working knowledge of Spanish or French would be a definite asset.Technical knowledge
Technical knowledge of urban planning contemporary approaches.
Research and analytical skills combined with good drafting and drawing skills, manipulation of graphic materials and production of complex urban planning documents. Writing skills, in English and possibly another UN language
Able to work independently and as part of a team and to deliver on time under pressure.LANGUAGE SKILLS
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in oral and written English is required. Although not a requirement, knowledge of French will be an advantage.
Applications should include:
• Cover memo (maximum 1 page)
• CV in the PHP format, accessible through the INSPIRA website (inspira.un.org) Please note, if using INSPIRA for the first time, you need to register in order to activate your account, which will allow you to log in and create a personal History Profile.
• The PHP should be attached to the application as a PDF file.
• Summary CV (maximum 2 pages), indicating the following information:Educational Background (incl. dates)Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months)Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignmentsExpectations regarding remuneration
• Cover memo (maximum 1 page)Please also 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:
Mr. Geoffrey Oluoch
UN-HABITAT
P.O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Email: geoffrey.oluoch@unhabitat.org
Deadline for applications: 08 December 2014UN-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
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