CAMOC - Museums of Cities : links to other web sites

CAMOC Links

On this page we list a number of organisations which share CAMOC's interests in cities and urban living.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and CVultural Organisation was set up in 1945. To quote from the web site: "Today, UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. In short, UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 191 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication".

2.World Heritage Centre www.whc.unesco.org

The Centre is an integral part of UNESCO's work. Of particular interest is the Cities: World Heritage Thematic Programme. "As cities have a constant need for upgrading or further development of infrastructure, housing and services, the World Heritage Cities Programme aims to address the permanent challenge of how to accomodate the needs for modernization and investment in historic cities and city centres without compromising historic character and identity."

3.UN Habitat www.unhabitat.org

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

4. ICOMOS www.icomos.org

Icomos is an international non-governmental organisation of professionals dedicated to the conservation of the world's historic sites and monuments. It has national committees in a number of countries across the world.

5. CIVVIH www.civvih.icomos.org
The International Committee on Historic Towns and Villages was set up in 1982 in Hungary as an international scientific committee for the protection of historic towns.

6. The Council for European Urbanism www.ceunet.org

"The Council for European Urbanism believes that European cities, their environs, and countryside are threatened by development trends which cause:

waste of natural and cultural resources;social segregation and isolation;the expansion of monofunctional uses/ single use zones;the loss of local, regional, and national uniqueness and cohesion.

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, it has been recognized that the political, economic, and social division of Europe must be overcome. The Council for European Urbanism believes that cities and regions will play a special and integrating role in this process. Their renewal will influence the development of a diverse European Culture."

7. The Future Cities Project www.futurecities.org

The Future Cities Project has a critical take on contemporary attitudes to modern life and the way we live today. The project:

promotes a human-centred approach to nature;
rejects the increasingly bureaucratised approach to architecture and urbanity; challenges risk-aversion and the precationary principle; believes that environmentalism is driving down social aspirations;
criticises the use of politicised solutions to technical problems; encourages debate, argument, critical dialogue and freedom of expression, and fights for development instead of sustainable development.

8. The Arsenal, Paris www.pavillon-arsenal.com

The outstanding Pavillon de l'Arsenal was set up in 1988 as a centre for information, documentation and exhibitions on the urban environment and architecture of Paris. The Arsenal aims to broaden public understanding of the evolution of Paris, explaining the urban reality of the city and how it has developed over the years, its condition today and its prospects for the future. It connects the past, present and future of Paris seamlessly.

En français:

"Créé en 1988, le Pavillon de l'Arsenal, Centre d'information, de documentation et d'exposition d'Urbanisme et d'Architecture de Paris, est un lieu unique où l'aménagement de la ville et ses réalisations architecturales sont mis à la portée de tous.Au moment où les questions urbaines sont au cœur de l'actualité, il est essentiel que ces questions fassent l'objet d'une présentation pédagogique, attractive et génératrice de débats, permettant au citoyen de se situer au cœur du processus de la création architecturale et urbaine."

9. National Building Museum, Washington,USA
www.nbm.org

"We advance the quality of the built environment by educating the public about its impact on people's lives."

10. The World Digital Library www.wdl.org

This UNESCO backed project has now been launched. One of its aims is to promote international and intercultural understanding and narrow the digital divide within and between countries. It has versions in Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and English.

11. City Mayors world-wide www.citymayors.com

City Mayors is a web based organisation which is about "celebrating cities and promoting good government." It acts as an international think tank for urban affairs. It is a mine of information about cities world wide, from Lima to Tokyo.

12. World Association of Major Metropolises www.metropolis.org

"The main goal of the association is to better control the development process of metropolitan areas in order to enhance the wellbeing of their citizens. To do this, Metropolis represents regions and metropolitan areas at the worldwide level and is recognized as a major player by large international organizations such as the UN, WHO, the World Bank and others." The site has good and simple statistics on cities across the world.

13. United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)

www.cities-localgovernments.org

"United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) represents and defends the interests of local governments on the world stage, regardless of the size of the communities they serve. Headquartered in Barcelona, the organisation’s stated mission is:

To be the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government, promoting its values, objectives and interests, through cooperation between local governments, and within the wider international community."

14. Making cities livable www.livablecities.org

"The purpose of the Making Cities Livable movement is to enhance the well-being of inhabitants of cities and towns, strengthen community, improve social and physical health, and increase civic engagement by reshaping the built environment of our cities, suburbs and towns." This is a very informative web site, with an interesting list of recommended reading and details of forthcoming and previous conferences.

15. The Cities Programme www2.lse.ac

"The Cities Programme at the London School of Economcis is an international centre dedicated to the understanding of contemporary urban society. Its

central objective is to relate physical structure to the social structure of cities." It is linked to The Urban Age, a six-year sequence of international conferences held in cities across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe between 2005 and 2010.

16. The Academy of Urbanism www.academyofurbanism.org

Based in the UK, the Academy was set up in 2006 to "expand urban discourse". The Academy brings together people with a diverse range of backgrounds who are concerned with developing villages, towns and cities.

17. Spur www.spur.org

San Fransico's centre for the improvement of urban living.

18. Project for Public Spaces www.pps.org

Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public places that build communities.

19. City Population www.citypopulation

This is a fascinating web site by Thomas Brinkoff where he lists the populations of cities world wide. They do not always accord with figures given by various organisations and by cities themselves, but they are more believable. He also provides a useful glossary.

20. The European Group on Museum Statistics www.egmus

All the statistics on museums in Europe.