“We wish you all the best and our abundant blessings are with you for the success of the project”, a local elderly Shaman offered his good wishes to the project field team as they wrapped up a community consultation in the open space of Narmada Community Forest in Lamkichuha Municipality on December 23, 2024.

A ward level community consultation before conducting a national level design competition for designing an open space was conducted in ward 1 Janata Sworojgaar Brihat Krishi Haat Bazaar in Narmada Community Forest as a part of the Cities4Women project implemented in collaboration with EU, USAID, UNOPS, UN-Habitat, and Cities Alliance.

The consultation facilitated by UN Habitat and Sundar Nepal (Local Implementing Partner) sought active participation from around 50 participants (26 men and 24 women from various age groups and socio-economic backgrounds) which includes the ward chairperson, elected ward representatives, community forest leaders, Haat Bazaar leaders, social organizations, schools, and other local representatives. The consultation aimed to gather community inputs on inclusive amenities and facilities for an open space to be designed with the help of a national level Design Competition. At the same time, the event reminded the community members about the inclusive and participatory process followed in selecting the site.

The ward chair made the community participants aware that the design competition would incorporate the views and elements that the community will list during the event. They were also reminded that it is important that the community take active participation in the process of design by providing their valuable opinions on what kind of amenities the open space design should incorporate. The people in the community felt empowered when they were engaged in the planning process. Similarly, the community shared their excitement about having such a project in their neighborhood and expressed a good set of opinions about what they want in their space. The participants were provided with meta cards, and they sat down in groups to discuss and list various park amenities and elements.

The consolidated set of amenities listed by the community included inclusive and climate responsive convenience facilities (gate, dustbins, benches, chautara, rest spaces, toilets, etc), cultural/commemorative facilities (temple, national symbols, etc), natural/environmental setups (gardens, water bodies, trees, etc), play/exercise areas (children’s park, outdoor gym, yoga area, etc), picnic spots (with gazebos), and safety/boundary facilities (including CCTVs, lights, etc).

The chairperson of the Haat bazaar as well as the Narmada community forest made remarks about importance of these kinds of events and also about the importance of inclusive park spaces in the municipality. The ward chair, forest committee chair, haat bazaar management committee chair and the community made several remarks about how this is a good project for the betterment of the community. They also committed to help ease the processes in the following days for the success of the project.

The open space, to be constructed through a co-financing mechanism with the municipality, will reflect community-driven priorities. This participatory approach highlights the power of community involvement in shaping sustainable and inclusive urban development.