Here are two examples of programs we find inspiring for their attention to local needs in approaching social and economical concerns.
The Arc: A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State. Doug Suisman, Suisman Urban Design. Palestine.
A partnership of Suisman Urban Design and The RAND Corporation has produced a comprehensive physical plan for a transportation system connecting the West Bank with Gaza. Such a plan would be instituted to maintain peace after conflict ends.
The project won the American Institute of Architects National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design for 2006.
“The Arc” is highly acclaimed by global press: In April of 2005, The Israel Policy Forum commented, “. . . the projects RAND envisions are absolutely essential if there is to be lasting peace.” In January 2006, This Week in Palestine noted, “The proposal is comprehensive and will induce major development and create economic viability.”
Doug Suisman’s plan is highlighted on his company’s website, www.suisman.com
Grameen Bank. Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Foundation. Bangladesh.
Created in 1976 by Muhammad Yunus, The Grameen Bank has provided loans for over five million clients in Bangladesh, 96 percent of whom are women. In addition to empowering women, the success—repayment rate is consistently above 98 percent—of The Grameen Bank is due to microlending.
Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his alleviation of poverty in Bangladesh through microloans. Beginning with one small village, Yunus’s work has been replicated in a global microcredit movement, in areas ranging from Chicago to South Africa.
Information on The Grameen Bank is available at www.grameenfoundation.org
