OPEN DATA for
SECONDARY CITIES (2Cs)
Faith Sternlieb • Secondary Cities Initiative
Colorado State University
State of the Map, Nepal • September 23-24, 2017

Data for Urban Sustainable Livelihoods
Rural-Urban Spectrum
Urbanhierarchy
Energy
Security
Food
Security
Water
Security
Human
Security
Energy Water
Food
Secondary
Cities

• Add cover page of the report

SDG 11
Target 11.3:
By 2030, enhance inclusive
and sustainable
urbanization and capacity
for participatory, integrated
and sustainable human
settlement planning and
management in all
countries.
Indicator 11.3.1:
Ratio of land consumption
rate to population growth
rate
Target 11.7:
By 2030, provide universal
access to safe, inclusive and
accessible, green and public
spaces, in particular for
women and children, older
persons, and persons with
disabilities
Indicator 11.7.1:
Average share of built-up
area of cities that is open
space for public use for all
by sex, age and persons
with disabilities.

The Challenge
What can we do as an open data community to
generate reliable, accessible, and useful new
data for inclusive, safe, resilient, and
sustainable secondary cities and human
settlements?

GLOBAL OPEN SOURCE DATA &
INITIATIVES

Global Human Settlement Layer
http://ghsl.jrc.ec.europa.eu
European Commission (2014)

Map of Mekelle GHSL

Mekelle Example

UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
GOAL 11
SDG 11+
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient, and sustainable

City Prosperity Initiative

(UNHABITAT, 2016)

2C Mekelle CDA
(Fenta et al. 2017)

LOCAL OPEN SOURCE DATA

Data Needs
Data Type Data Scale Example
Population
(Tabular)
Global, Regional,
Local
Demographic
Yearbook, Surveys
Streets and public
spaces (Geospatial,
Digital)
Local OSM
Administrative
(Geospatial, Digital)
Local Current, Historical
Satellite
(Imagery)
Global LandSat, GHSL,
Global Urban
Footprint

Data Challenges for Secondary Cities
• Defining cities
• Population statistics
• Administrative levels change (Pokhara, Mekelle)
• Capture cities with negative or zero population
growth
• Language (10 cities/6 languages)
• Severe disasters (OSM/HOT, LandSat)
– Before and after maps
– Lessons learned

Conclusions
Data Integration
Multiple
Methods
Multiple
Sources
New Products
Global
Sustainability
Local

References/Sources
• UN HABITAT Technical Support. A guide to assist national and
local governments to monitor and report on SDG 11+
indicators.
• Open Street Map,
2017https://www.openstreetmap.org/query?lat=13.5065&lon
=39.4980#map=14/13.5021/39.4730
• European Commission, 2014. Global Human Settlement Layer,
Mekelle, Ethiopia.
• Fenta et al. 2017. The Dynamics of urban expansion and land
use/land cover changes using remote sensing and spatial
metrics: the case of Mekelle City of Northern Ethiopia.
International Journal of Remote Sensing, 38: 14, p.4107-4129.
• UN HABITAT. 2016. Spatial Capital of Ethiopian Cities: Street
Connectivity Study for the City Prosperity Initiative. Nairobi,
Kenya, pgs. 1-22.
• 2C Mekelle, Secondary Cities, GeoNode
https://secondarycities.geonode.state.gov

DHANYABAD
Contact me at faith.sternlieb@gmail.com