Since 1996, UN-HABITAT has been collecting information on international programmes which have brought tangible improvements to life in the city. A database has been set up to access this information.

Every two years, the Best Practices Centres issue an invitation to submit programmes to the Dubai Award for Best Practices for Improving the Living Environment, bearing in mind the three criteria defined by the Best Practices Programme during a conference of experts held in 1996.

⋅	- Sustainability: refers to the scientific term of compliance with social, ecological and economic criteria, as well as to sustainability of the project itself.
⋅	- Partnership: meaning participation of various social groups during planning and implementation of a programme.
⋅	- Effect: a programme is to have a concrete positive effect on the living environment of those it is addressed to, to be made visible by indicators, etc.

Adherence to the above criteria is assessed by experts in three stages. The 100 most innovative programmes are then awarded the title Best Practice. Every two years, the Dubai Award is granted to the top ten programmes.

The database includes all the programmes which have met the criteria defined above. There are currently more than 1,000 urban programmes from over 140 countries which are updated by the centres on an ongoing basis.
Thus, the UN Habitat Best Practices database is the biggest and oldest of its kind worldwide. Many other organisations have since adopted its data and criteria and are applying them to their work.

Concise descriptions of the projects are available on the Internet.

If you are interested in working with the database or want to contact the settlement experts involved in the programmes, you may e-mail the Best Practices Hub Vienna for access authorization.
You can search the database for individual criteria or do a full-text search.

UN Habitat has also installed a virtual learning centre offering additional material, extensive case studies, examples of transferability and financing opportunities for municipalities.
⇒  Best Practices Learning Centre