Corrado
Minervini
Ad-Hoc Expert
Generic Skills
B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development:
− Master degree in Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Florence in 1982
− Second Level Master (PHD equivalent) in 1991 at the Polytechnic of Turin (“Technology of Architecture and Cities in developing countries”).
I have been working on urban development issues for twenty-five years as a consultant for international organizations, ngos, and development agencies in 20 different countries. At the same time I had the opportunity to keep a short course at the Polytechnic of Turin on the issues tackled in the professional field. I have often taken my students with me training them whilst doing.
My first urban planning exercises date back to the 2001 while working as Housing Coordinator for UNMIK in Kosovo. I found the reconstruction process unsustainable without the appropriate urban planning.
From 2004 to 2006 I worked as an urban planner and trainer on a Capacity Building project addressed to Local Government Officers and aiming at creating decentralized self-government institutions.
As a team leader I dealt with Strategic Urban Development Plans in the Balkans, Africa and Middle East.
I have always applied a Participatory Approach to identify key urban development issues, to define the characteristics of the housing market, to suggest housing affordability measures and to propose urban development schemes.
B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level:
− High level of management and coordination of all available human resources for the achievement of urban planning objectives and building the capacity of the new generation of urban planners through innov
B.3. Proficiency in English:
Proficiency in English and French demonstrated by
- years of professional work in English and French speaking areas,
- successful lectures in several Universities in developed and developing countries,
- reports and articles published on the web, in international magazines and conference proceedings.
Thematic expertise:
Theme / Policy:
Urban Strategic Planning
Summary Thematic expertise:
High level of management and co-ordination capabilities acquired through several years’ experience as project manager, co-ordinator, technical assistant, team leader and trainer in Development Co-operation Programmes (European Union, UN-Habitat, World Bank, UNDP, European Agency or Reconstruction, ECHO, NGOs, local governments) in relation with local administrations, national counterparts, partner and contractors.
Key qualifications:
• Expert in urban development and local development with more than 20 years of international professional experience,
• Multidisciplinary activities in, urban planning and development, cultural heritage preservation, land development and local building regulation, sanitary infrastructures, water supply, health, and trainer in several municipalities affected by the economic transition.
• Deep knowledge of participatory technologies, practices and management.
• In depth knowledge of project evaluation methods and techniques: DAC (Development Assistance Criteria), ROM (Result Oriented Monitoring), Global Quality Evaluation Method (Delphi), Background Conclusion sheets (for ex-post evaluation), PRAM (Participatory and Reflective Analytical Mapping), Cost–Effective Analysis
• Very good knowledge of the principles and working methods of project cycle management
Expertise support to local authorities and other stakeholders in designing & delivering integrated and participatory policies
E.1. Knowledge on participatory methods and tools for co-production and implementation of local polices :
- Deep knowledge of participatory technologies, practices and management.
I have been working in many urban development projects. The participatory activity has always been considered a key issue to understand and analyse the real problems of the citizens vis-à-vis their habitat, identify the urban potentials, define policies and guidelines for development.
The starting point of any participatory approach is the subdivision of the urban community into three main sectors (the public, the private and the civil society) in order to involve all relevant social components of the urban community in the decision making process. I have then adapted and tested participatory technologies to the sectors involved. For instance I
- applied Focus Group Discussions and Nominal Group Techniques to meetings with representatives of the civil society (association of women, trade unions, association of investors, entrepreneurs, building contractors),
- adopted ad hoc interviews to individual meetings with representatives of the local culture, and
- addressed Public Consultations (through questionnaires) to statistically representative number of citizens equally distributed in the urban area.
I have also developed Excel applications to link the participatory quantitative results to SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) and GIS (Geographic Information System) and produce Knowledge Mapping Analysis.
E.2. Knowledge on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies:
An Integrated approach applied to urban development is sustainable when the citizens participate to the decision making process. This also assures the respect of Human Rights as equal opportunity for development given to all members of an urban community. Turning these “Good Principles” into practicalities was a challenging task. In order to design urban development strategies I had to manage holistically all economic, environmental, climate, social and demographic data, namely:
- setting up a comprehensive participatory activity,
- building a Knowledge Mapping Analysis (consisting of the identification of urban services and facilities vis-à-vis housing, mobility and productive activities - GIS tools are definitively useful in this regard), and eventually
- compiling a log-frame where the objectives state the development vision and the strategic activity details qualify the actions (i.e. the urban development projects) to be undertaken.
Once established, the urban development strategies are submitted for validation to the social groups met in the participatory phase and the related urban development projects are prioritized through a Global Quality Evaluation Method (Delphi). I have used Result-Oriented Monitoring techniques for Monitoring and Evaluation projects, which usually are presented and discussed within a Participatory Forum made of representatives of the previously held meetings.
E.3. Awareness of the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level:
The EU Cohesion Policy Investment for 2014-2020 has finally stated that cities (sustainable cities) are the engines of the European economy. The ESDN case studies (http://www.sd-network.eu/pdf/case%20studies/ESDN%20Case%20Study_No%2015_final.pdf) summarize the different and several funding opportunities for issues like Urban Sustainable Development in Europe. However the access to EU funding schemes is not often straightforward. Regional and national pre-selection are sometimes required to the detriment of decentralization policies. The establishment of European city networks, in line with the Territorial Cohesion Policy, might overcome such a problem.
E.4. Ability to understand specific local situations and adapt tools and content to different local realities:
While working in more than 20 countries in 25 years, tools and methods acquired during my academic studies have been revised and adapted to the different cultural contexts. The participatory techniques, for instance, have been continuously adjusted to the project requirements and local needs. Finally I have arranged hybrid participatory techniques for group meetings (merging Focus Group Discussions with Nominal Group Techniques) and developed Excel applications for Public Consultations, Housing Affordability Analysis and Land Development recommendations.
I also interpreted and adapted the Delphi method to prioritize urban development projects and set up short and long term Investment Plans in Albania. In Sierra Leone instead I used the Delphi method to shortlist a few quick wins from a number of projects proposed by local and international ngos.
Summary Expertise:
High level of management and co-ordination capabilities acquired through several years’ experience as project manager, co-ordinator, technical assistant, team leader and trainer in Development Co-operation Programmes (European Union, UN-Habitat, World Bank, UNDP, NGOs, local governments) in relation with local administrations, national counterparts, partners and contractors.
Key qualifications:
• Expert in urban development with more than 20 years of international professional experience,
• Multidisciplinary activities in: urban planning and development, cultural heritage preservation, land development and local building regulation, sanitary infrastructures, water supply, health, and trainer in several municipalities affected by the economic transition.
• Deep knowledge of participatory technologies, practices and management. Good Command of SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) and GIS, expert in management of group and individual meetings, public consultations and public hearings.
• In depth knowledge of project evaluation methods and techniques: DAC (Development Assistance Criteria), ROM (Result Oriented Monitoring), Global Quality Evaluation Method (Delphi), Background Conclusion sheets (for ex-post evaluation), PRAM (Participatory and Reflective Analytical Mapping), Cost–Effective Analysis
• Very good knowledge of the principles and working methods of project cycle management
Informations
Residence location:
France
Languages:
Italian - Mother tongue
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Email:
corr.minervini@gmail.com