Helen: My internship in Nairobi with UN-Habitat

Hello! I’m Helen, I graduated with a degree in Urban Planning BA (Hons) on the XJTLU 2+2 programme in 2022.

Read my blog in English

I’m excited to share some insights from my recent internship experience at UN-Habitat in Nairobi, Kenya.

First and foremost, I would like to express gratitude to my mentors at the University of Liverpool for their patient support and instrumental guidance about both my studies and my career path. At the time of applying for this position at UN-Habitat, during my Master’s programme at the University of Cambridge, these mentors provided me with the greatest support and encouragement. Again, at the time of receiving the job offer and completing the internship, they offered me the warmest applause and praise.

These six months stand out as a highlight in both my professional and personal journey, as I enhanced my professional skills in urban planning and development which I can apply in my future career. I also met so many inspiring minds to be remembered for a lifetime.

I was involved in a diverse variety of work at Flagship Programme 1 Inclusive Communities, Thriving Cities. I contributed to many research-related tasks, including developing global guidelines on urban planning and regeneration, carrying out cross-sectional research between urban regeneration and other urban aspects (e.g. climate change, migration, cultural heritage and mobility). I also drafted publications on urban spatial inclusion and equality. These tasks were based on lessons learned from extensive real-world practices conducted by UN-Habitat in both country offices and headquarters. I also had the opportunity to support activities based on spatial analysis, planning events and developing urban regeneration project databases.

Perhaps the most profound experience from all of this was witnessing UN-Habitat’s unwavering commitment to the social and environmental responsibility of urban planning. Their emphasis on sustainability, resilience, inclusivity, and community engagement resonated deeply with me. This transformed abstract concepts and principles that I had learned before in lecture slides, journal articles and books into tangible actions on the ground. I was particularly moved by the focus on projects in developing regions, where initiatives such as post-war reconstruction, slum upgrading, social equality, and climate adaptation are making a clear difference to people's lives. This hands-on experience reaffirmed my belief in the transformative power of collective action and solidarity in addressing global challenges.

In conclusion, my internship at UN-Habitat has not only enriched my understanding of urban planning, but has also instilled in me a deeper sense of purpose and commitment to creating more equitable and sustainable cities. As I reflect on this journey, I am reminded of former UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold's profound words: "The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell."

Read my blog in Chinese

大家好，我是Helen。2022年的夏天，我从利物浦大学城市规划专业本科毕业，之后到剑桥大学完成了城市规划相关的硕士课程。

现在的我刚从地球另一边的非洲大陆回来，想和大家聊聊我在联合国实习的故事。

记得申请联合国人居署岗位时，我和利物浦的两位导师聊起尝试去国际组织工作的想法，他们非常支持并且成为了我的推荐人。无论是收到offer向他们报喜道谢，还是实习结束和他们分享我的工作成果，或者我在草原海底湖泊与大自然/动物亲密接触的照片时，他们给了我最最热烈的祝贺最真挚的赞美。

在联合国人居署的六个月应该足以治愈一生的烦恼吧，这真的是既充实精彩又热烈的一段日子。在人居署的工作和我的专业背景完全符合，我负责着一些关于全球性规划导则、城市更新与城市其他方面（交通、文化遗产、移民、气候变化等等）的交叉性关系、城市规划与设计包容性/平等性的研究。除了研究性的工作，还有一些偏实践的内容，比如搭建评估城市空间不平等的指数框架、城市更新案例数据库的搭建维护，以及真实城市规划项目的支持性工作。从研究到实证，从理论到实践，我真的很幸运体验和参与到了各种类型的工作，积累了不少经验！

在这些工作经历中，我发现联合国人居署的工作极其着重城市规划的环境和社会影响，我们竭尽全力地坚持着可持续(sustainable)、参与式(participatory)、和包容性(inclusive)的城市规划与设计。这些词语出现在本科硕士的课程里是家常便饭，但是人居署实实在在地做到了。我们大部分的项目分布在发展中国家：南美、非洲、东南亚、中东与北非地区等等，其中的大多数又是战后、自然灾难后地区、贫民窟和贫困地区。虽然也会自嘲发达国家有自己成熟的规划体系和技术，根本不需要我们的关心。但是我越来越认同和喜欢这句话：

The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell.

联合国的存在不是为了带领人类去到天堂，而是拯救人类于地狱。

让我们面对现实，让我们忠于理想。