Keep on being curious: remembering Yves Cabannes

A curious man

Barbara Ward, who co-founded IIED with David Runnalls, was once asked what characteristic she valued most in a researcher, and her reply was 'curiosity'. Yves was not only the epitome of curiosity, he also delighted in bringing examples of unexpected and often curious practice to the table – whether it was a Chinese city that practised 'participatory budgeting', a Brazilian city that massively reduced its informal settlements, or land legalisation for poor residents in the midst of evictions in Istanbul. Evidence of this curiosity – and of the breadth and impact of his work – can be found in his copious publications.

I first met Yves in 1978 as a fellow interviewer of World Bank staff on the challenges of reconciling development and 'efficiency'. When I asked this tall, elegantly dressed person who he was, I realised I was familiar with some of his excellent initiatives. We agreed to meet for supper – the beginning of a wonderful friendship, and the first of many meals enjoyed together around the world.

A few years earlier, Yves had joined GRET, an NGO providing research and technical advice in the interests of fairer international cooperation. In 1980, he was invited to found GRET's 'Habitat' unit, and he spent the 1980s advising and supporting over 50 projects across the world. 

And later, we both joined the board of Habitat International Council – convened by the UN to represent NGOs at the 1976 Conference on Human Settlements. The UN had been impressed by the role of NGOs at the UN Conference on the Human Environment in 1972, and urged them to form a committee to represent their perspectives in preparation for the next mega-conference on human settlements – an event that was central to our intersecting trajectories. 

This council was duly formed, although its competence and appropriateness were sometimes questionable – especially given that it was initially composed primarily of members from the global North. Board members, for instance, included a representative of the international real estate federation (FIABCHI). We learned how to work with him, though – in our meetings, he always fell asleep after lunch, so we managed to make the needed changes to our programme and roles without interference.

Global reach, influence and action

The importance of a more global representation was clear, however, and as part of the preparations for the UN's International Year of Shelter for the Homeless (which Yves was closely involved in), council members organised a conference in Limuru, Kenya, which brought together 45 global South-based and 12 international NGOs.

The meeting was part of a process to enlarge, democratise and regionalise the Habitat International Council, and the resulting Limuru Declaration was committed to reversing current trends towards ever-increasing homelessness, overcrowding, lack of basic services and other forms of social and economic deprivation. At the meeting, the council was renamed the Habitat International Coalition to reflect its new roles and structures.

Yves, who helped draft the Limuru Declaration, also brought another valuable contribution to the meeting – his knowledge of innovative Latin American NGOs. He was working with a group of young Brazilians to support a vast and highly regarded social housing project in Fortaleza, and went on to co-create the School of Urban Planning and Popular Research there. 

In the mid-1980s, we had also noticed how on his return to Argentina, Jorge Hardoy had helped stimulate, support and fund dozens of seminars/workshops and publications, which sought to rebuild the research, discussions and learning that had been destroyed by the dictatorships. Part of this effort was the creation of a new journal, Medio Ambiente y Urbanización, mainly to give the young researchers attending the workshops, and others interested in this field, the chance to get published.  

Yves, S K Das and I also went on to organise a series of seminars, though not on the scale of those in Latin America. We also set up an English language journal (Environment and Urbanization) modelled on Medio Ambiente y Urbanización, and over the years, Yves continued to be one of its most active board members. Not only did he encourage young researchers as potential authors – he also wrote or co-authored 11 papers and was developing some new ones. 

Yves went on to hold a series of significant positions over the next 30 years, both in the development world and in education, all of them serving as a base while he continued to exercise his curiosity. Between 1997 and 2003, Yves was head of the Latin American urban management programme set up by the World Bank, UNDP and UN-Habitat. Whenever I visited, I found the place buzzing with activity. Very few UN agencies work at local government level – despite the huge number of UN documents that say how important this is. 

A landmark innovation

From 2003 to 2006, Yves taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design before moving to the Development Planning Unit (DPU) at University College London. His colleagues at DPU have provided a very good description of his work over his years there. 

Part of this work, which had its roots in his time in Latin America, was his landmark support of 'participatory budgeting' – an innovation which empowers local people to be involved in decision-making about investment budgets in their communities and cities.

Yves was an advisor on participatory budgeting to the municipalities of Porto Alegre and Belo Horizonte in Brazil and, more broadly, to United Cities and Local Governments Africa (UCLGA). There can't be many researchers who knew as many mayors as Yves did. Currently more than 1,700 local governments in more than 40 countries are practicing participatory budgeting – including Paris. 

His involvement in the topic continued through the COVID-19 years. He was so struck by the innovations in communities and local governments fighting the pandemic that he took part in research with the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy and UCLGA – this time exploring the role of participatory budgeting during and after the pandemic, focusing on 45 practices from across the globe.

Unfinished business 

Through all of Yves's forays into communities, cities, institutions, events and an array of deep interests all around the world, our paths kept crossing, and our interests intersecting. One of the last times I spent with Yves was over a couple of days in Lisbon, his adopted city, in 2021. We looked at Lisbon's amazing medieval fresh water system and then ate the best fish ever. 

There was a final evening together when we discussed what needed to be published. I so looked forward to his latest perspectives on urban agriculture, and his continued documentation of participatory budgeting, providing lessons for us all in how to combine research with implementation and dissemination.

There is surely a need among researchers for convenors and networkers who expand into new topics, bring in new members, engage in cross-disciplinary work, and of course consider how their work can contribute to addressing the climate crisis. 

As I write this note, it is with a profound sadness knowing that I will never see this beloved friend again. But writing it also brings back sharp, wonderful memories of the fun we had together over all those years as we celebrated curiosity, cities and good food. 

Our thoughts are with Cecilia Delgado, his widow, and his children.