Synne Bergby
General manager
& Senior Analyst
Synne Bergby is an urban crisis response expert, specialised in analysis, policy, programme planning and strategy development. Her focus spans localised response, the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder programme planning, and supporting international organisations develop strategies and programmes attuned to complex crisis settings. Between 2013-2017 Bergby was deployed by the Norwegian Refugee Council to UN-Habitat Lebanon as Programme Planning Advisor. In Lebanon she was amongst others responsible for building up an urban analysis unit, providing cross-sectoral and spatial studies on the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on the key cities in Lebanon. Before her deployment to Lebanon, Bergby was the chair of Habitat Norway, a Norwegian non-governmental organization addressing urban poverty and global urban development issues. Upon returning to Oslo in 2018, Bergby worked as a consultant to Rodeo Architects on their international portfolio, before she established Urban-A where she is now the CEO and senior analyst. In Urban-A, Bergby leads the strategy work, including the support to UN-Habitat on Urban Recovery Frameworks and support to the Global Alliance for Urban Crises.
Publications
2022. CMI, Co-author of book chapter on Global Frameworks for Urban Displacement Response, in Urban Displacement: Syrian Refugees in the Urban Middle East, Edited book (Berghahn Series: Forced Migration) (forthcoming).
2022. UN-Habitat, Urban Recovery Framework: Localised durable solutions for return: embedding conditions and preparedness for safe, dignified, and voluntary return in urban recovery and area-based approaches (forthcoming).
2021. UN-Habitat, Beirut City Profile.
2021. NRC, Urban Transitions: Clean Energy in Urban Recovery.
2021. MMC, The Global Cities Fund for Inclusive Pandemic Response: Project prospectus and Progress report.
2021. Edited by Urban Think Tank with guest-editor Urban-A. Motherland, Parangolé journal.
2020. UN-Habitat, State of Yemen Cities.
2019. Oxfam, Oxfam Urban Programming Framework in the HECA region.
2019. DRC, DRC Urban Programming Assessment Tunis, Tunisia.
2019. Edited by Libby Porter, with Romola Sanyal, Synne Bergby, Kelly Yotebieng, Henrik Lebuhn, Magie M. Ramírez, Pedro Figueiredo Neto & Simone Tulumello. Borders and Refuge: Citizenship, Mobility and Planning in a Volatile World/ Introduction: Urban Planning and the Global Movement of People/ Planning for Refugees in Cities/ The Role of Planning in Humanitarian Response, Looking at Urban Crisis Response in Lebanon/ Urban Refugees: An Urban Planning Blind Spot?/ Immigrant Rights in Europe: Planning the Solidarity City/ Propertied Liberalism in a Borderland City/ Displacement, Refuge and Urbanisation: From Refugee Camps to Ecovillages/ From Capitalist-Urbanisation as Politics-of-Refuge to Planning as Planetary-Politics-of-Care, Planning Theory & Practice, 20:1, 99-128, DOI: 10.1080/14649357.2018.1558566
2018. Housing, Land and Property Issues of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon from Homs City (project manager, analysis methodology). UN-Habitat & UNHCR Lebanon.
2018. Tabbeneh Neighbourhood Profile (editor, analysis methodology). UN-Habitat Lebanon.
2017. Tyre City Profile (editor, co-author). UN-Habitat Lebanon.
2017. Nabaa Neighbourhood Profile & Strategy (editor). UN-Habitat Lebanon.
2017. Maachouk Neighbourhood Profile & Strategy (editor). UN-Habitat Lebanon.
2016. Tripoli City Profile (co-author). UN-Habitat Lebanon.
2014. New and better? Mapping of informal city areas using social media platforms w/ A.Ese & A.Morrison. Article in PLAN, Universitetsforlaget.
2014. Infrastructure, co-authored with Therese Staal Brekke. Article in PLAN, Universitetsforlaget.