In every story there is a bad guy, responsible for everything going wrong. Fabre would identify this person as the lonely urban planner, who has a sore focus on the technical aspects of the city. But, in every story there is also the hero, or the brave one. That would be the collaborative and collective group. Fabre believes you can transform cities through participatroy urban development. They are a key for planning a city that works for everyone. If we let citizens that are rarely heard be the experts, our cities and communities will become more inclusive, equal and sustainable. Especially if we involve girls, because 'they plan and design with diversity and different needs in mind', she says.
But how can we do so? How do we translate, and communicate urban planning that's easy enough for the citizen and specialistic enough for the researcher or policy maker to work with? Her City is an initiative that offers tools to briging everyone together, and provides solutions for each SDG (Sustainable Development Goal). The purpose of UN-Habitat's Her City is to make methods and tools available to urban actors and cities globally. To support cities to scale up and mainstream girls' participation in planning as a part of their long-term strategies to build sustainable cities and societies. Her City provides an opportunity to build capacity on a larger scale. Her City provides municipal professionals, urban actors and local decision-makers with a solid step-by-step digital toolbox to guide mainstreaming of youth, gender and socioeconomic perspectives by strategically involving girls and young women in urban planning and design.