USAID-funded Building Healthy Cities Project Featured in July 29th Exhibit

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- JSI will celebrate the Building Healthy Cities (BHC) project's accomplishments with an exhibit on July 29, 2022. Since 2018, BHC has worked to improve healthy urban planning in four rapidly growing Smart Cities in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Nepal. This work is critical because as the world urbanizes, cities must be able to address the urban challenges that affect citizen's health (like infrastructure constraints, pollution, healthcare, and transportation issues) in an organized, coordinated way. 

The museum-style exhibit will lead viewers through BHC's project learnings and accomplishments at JSI's Arlington office, 2733 Crystal Drive. Timed tickets are free and available here for slots between 12:00pm to 4:00pm. The average time to view the full exhibit is 30 to 60 minutes, with refreshments and a chance to speak to BHC experts provided at the end. A virtual version of the exhibit will be shared on the JSI website for those who cannot attend in person. 

BHC used an inclusive, systems approach to identify urban health challenges and find the most effective solutions. This is one of the first USAID projects to use systems thinking throughout the project, and it was widely accepted by partner cities. "We can use the systems approach and integrate it with the approaches that we have been using to obtain most effective, efficient, and comprehensive results," said Muhammad Amri Akbar, Head of the Social Culture and Government Department in Makassar, Indonesia. The visualization of each city system will be displayed at the exhibit, and can be explored online. 

BHC worked across a wide range of sectors and stakeholders (including government, private sector, citizens groups, academia, and donors). The project built on USAID's agency-wide frameworks of resilience and gender equality by working with and supporting marginalized populations. BHC also advanced USAID initiatives, such as working with local partners, by engaging 29 local organizations throughout the project. 

Building Healthy Cities (BHC) is a five-year cooperative agreement funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Agreement No. AID-OAA-A-17-00028, beginning September 30, 2017. BHC is implemented by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI) with partners International Organization for Migration, Thrive Networks Global, and Urban Institute, and with support from Engaging Inquiry, LLC. This project is made possible by the generous support of the American people through USAID. USAID administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries worldwide. 

For more information, contact Amanda Pomeroy Stevens, BHC project director, at [email protected]. 

SOURCE John Snow, Inc.