“The workshop, in which 58 local and international organizations participate, will review the experiences, targets, and concepts of urban observatories with a focus on human resources training,” a spokesman of Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) told Arab News Sunday. ADA is HCDA's executive arm.
On the first day, the workshop evaluated the experiences of urban observatories in the Kingdom, including those of the ADA, in issuing indicators to the Arriyadh Urban Observatory (AUO). The criteria in issuing indicators, the city's developmental priority projects, and the targets of the Global City Indicators Facility of Toronto University in Canada, were also discussed on Sunday.
Today, the workshop will deal with the UN Program for Human Settlements and include concepts of human indicators.
The workshop will also discuss challenges and problems urban observatories might face as well as urban development priorities and the best ways of applying indicators.
The HCDA organized similar workshops in 2009 and 2010, which focused on concepts and importance of urban observatory, the Madinah urban observatory experience, and the comprehensive strategic plan of Riyadh.
