City Experiment Fund 📍Stepanavan (Armenia), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Prizren (Kosovo), Pljevlja (Montenegro) and Skopje (North Macedonia)

Author: Niklas Mischkowski & Nayla Saniour

Redesigned by: Carla Álvarez Gonzålez

Can systems thinking unlock sustainable urban transformation?

Five cities from across South-Eastern European and Central Asian region embarked on an exploration of a new approach to problem solving, which is rooted in systems thinking. The city councils began designing what are called systems thinking portfolios for urban transformation with the support of UNDP Europe and Central Asia.

Cities in South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia face a range of challenges, including urban governance inefficiencies, environmental degradation, and socio-economic disparities. Recognizing the need for innovative approaches, the UNDP launched the City Experiment Fund to explore systemic solutions. Each participating city utilized the AgorĂ  Urban Transformation Portfolio Framework, focusing on unpacking and reframing complex problems, identifying leverage points, and designing impactful interventions. Examples include shifting from air pollution to alternative livelihoods in Pljevlja and narrowing the focus to circularity in biowaste in Skopje.

The city of Skopje e.g. identified 6 Zones of Experimentation (Municipal back office functions, Well-being, Arts, science and power, Digital and platform economy, New Urban Infrastructure, Redefining and Restructuring the Commons) where actions shall be taken, funded under UNDP’s City Experiment Fund.

A concrete impact to climate neutrality cannot be shown, even though many measures hold the potential.

Challenges addressed

  • Urban Governance, Policy Development, CCC
  • Peer to peer learning, and replication, upscaling

An innovative approach

UNDP’s City Experiment Fund activities aim at innovating organisational models for public administrations towards a more open and citizen-centric governance mode that also uses data and IT.

Main positive lessons

  • Systems thinking enables cities to reframe and tackle complex challenges.
  • Citizen-centric governance fosters inclusive and impactful solutions.
  • The AgorĂ  framework provides a replicable structure for urban transformation.

Main barriers found

  • Lack of immediate, measurable outcomes for climate neutrality.
  • Dependence on sustained political and institutional support.
  • Challenges in aligning diverse stakeholders and maintaining momentum.
Source: https://publicfinance.undp.sk/en/2019/02/20/city-experiment-fund/

Potential for reapplication and scale-up

Potential for replication

UNDP - City Development Fund

All images on this site are sourced from UNDP. Video content is sourced from Creative Bureaucracy Festival and UNDPKAZ YouTube channels.

Created By
Carla Alvarez