On 25–27 January 2016, the UNU International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) co-organised an Urban Thinkers Campus — Health and Wellbeing in The City We Need — in the run-up to this year’s HABITAT III conference in Quito, Ecuador.
As part of the event, UNU-IIGH co-led a session exploring the issues and challenges surrounding traditional knowledge, and how it can contribute to healthier cities. Traditional knowledge includes aspects of built, cultural and natural heritage, access to which have positive effects on urban health and well-being.
The session examined a wide mix of indigenous innovations and practices developed over centuries that can contribute to urban resilience and health including traditional remedies, foods and diets, architecture and building materials, social networks and reciprocity agreements.
Exploring some of the challenges that rapid urbanisation presents to traditional knowledge and cultures, the group spotlighted solution entry points including the identification, documentation and preservation of traditional knowledge in relation to cities, the need for traditional knowledge transmission to younger urban generations, and governance that ensures inclusive urban decision-making processes.
To learn more about the session and the Urban Thinkers Campus, visit the UNU-IIGH website.