About our approach
The combined effects of climate, economic, and social crises are putting considerable pressure on urban environments, which are particularly vulnerable in their historical and heritage dimensions. Faced with the scale of the changes underway, other ways of acting and new urban practices need to be considered by the member cities of the OWHC.
The member cities have therefore decided to act together. They are determined to draw up a “New Urban Project.” This system of common references, based on the shared experience and expertise of member cities, will contribute to the emergence of a new generation of urban development policies, strategies, and projects, nurtured by a heritage approach to sustainable development that reconciles the urban, the human, and the environmental.
To arrive at the proposal of the OWHC's "New Urban Project", a process called the "Québec Roadmap" has been elaborated.
Québec Roadmap
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As part of the 16th World Congress (Québec, Canada, 6-9 September 2022), the member cities of the OWHC adopted the “Québec Roadmap”.
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This Roadmap establishes the general operational framework for an exploration and experimentation phase which began on November 1, 2022. Composed of three steps, it proposes a process of collective effort which introduces and strengthens the concept of learning through actions.
The first "conception" stage will lead to the definition of Thematics that will be explored in greater depth within the framework of "Collaborative Networks."
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The second stage of "implementation" of the work of the Collaborative Networks will explore bold ways of thinking about the city, of planning it differently.
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The third "evaluation" stage will draw lessons from the results obtained and share experiences between all member cities. This raw material will be used to build the concept for the Cordoba Symposium, to be held in September 2024.
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Ultimately, all this work will lead to the affirmation of a "New Urban Project," specific to the OWHC, renewing urban practices in member cities.
The Roadmap serves a political vision. It responds to situations widely shared by the participating cities, which form the framework of the process, a NARRATIVE that specifies the OWHC's original approach and outlines the contours of the original contribution targeted.
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These commitments and ambitions were updated and reconfirmed by the Mayors in a Manifesto (available below) which was adopted by the Roadmap Mayors' Panel on October 13, 2023.