Innovation for Better Quality of Life in Cities and Communities: First UN-Habitat Assembly
From 27-31 May 2019, the first UN-Habitat assembly is taking place in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi. Reuben Kyama reports directly from the conference.
Land Governance: Catalyst for Sustainable Urban Development
Without land reforms, sustainable urbanisation is set to fail, argues Danilo Antonio from UN-Habitat. In his article, he outlines the conflicting interests around land governance issues and points out ways to secure land access and property rights for all urban dwellers.
Accessible Mobility for All: Development Cooperation For Accessible Public Transportation
Accessible public transportation is a critical component of future urban development. Worldwide, more than one billion people live with a disability, and the number of people over the age of 60 is expected to double by 2050. Countries should prioritise accessible mobility—and development agencies can help by encouraging community participation, sharing best practices, and raising awareness, says Jelena Auracher.
“In urban policy we need to get to where climate policy is today” (video)
The issue of urbanisation is gaining attention and cities are increasingly recognised as having a crucial role to play in achieving sustainable development. However, urban development has yet to become an integral part of the global political agenda. URBANET talked to Ani Dasgupta, Global Director of the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, about what needs to change to make urban development a political priority.
All WUFed out, but what comes next?
The Ninth Session of the World Urban Forum has been closed today. Gregory Scruggs looks ahead and points out what tracks to follow that started at WUF9, concerning collect city-level data and the follow-up and review processes.
New Report Explores How Cities Can Participate in the Follow-up and Review of Global Sustainability Agendas
At the Ninth Session of the World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Cities Alliance has launched a new report that aims to help local and regional governments understand how they can participate in the follow-up and review process for global urban sustainability and climate agendas.
New Urban Agenda implementation slow, if not steady
As the ninth session of the World Urban Forum gets into full swing in the humid heat of Kuala Lumpur, it has become increasingly clear that progress toward achieving the lofty ambitions of the New Urban Agenda has so far been slow, writes Gregory Scruggs. Fifteen months after Habitat III wrapped up in Quito, there is much talk of frameworks and action plans, but little in the way of fresh deliverables.
The city of Yangzhou rebuilds its past to ensure a bright future
Preserving cultural heritage while upgrading urban areas can be a challenging task for cities. Analyn Rubenecia and Chenzi Yiyang describe how the city of Yangzhou, China, designed its urban renewable project with an integrated approach. This puts Yangzhou on the right track toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Cities for a better world (video)
Cities are irrefutably linked to human history and development. To learn more about the relevance of cities for global sustainable development and for achieving a better world, URBANET provides you with a short explainer video by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Heading for Kuala Lumpur: The challenge of implementing Sustainable Urban Solutions
In less than a week, the 9th session of the World Urban Forum, the largest international stakeholder gathering of passionate urbanists, will kick off in Malaysia. Franz Marré looks ahead and shows why WUF9 is an important platform for strategic discussion and arena for innovation.
World Urban Forum will set stage for a busy 2018
Around 20,000 urbanists are poised to gather in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the ninth session of the World Urban Forum. However, WUF9’s preparations for a quadrennial report will not be taking place in a vacuum. The conference comes only at the beginning of a busy year, writes Gregory Scruggs.
More than window dressing? Stakeholders and partnerships in the New Urban Agenda and other UN global agreements on sustainable development
Over the course of seventy years, stakeholders have become increasingly involved in UN processes. Non-state players have taken on advocacy or advisory roles for their specific issues, and have helped shape norms and debates about global concerns. Eugénie L. Birch traces the path that has led to increasing stakeholder engagement and explores its effect on the New Urban Agenda.
National Urban Policies: a policy lever to foster a New Urban Agenda? – Part II
The New Urban Agenda calls upon nation states to implement National Urban Policies to achieve integrated and coherent sustainable urban development. In the first part of this article, author Rene Peter Hohmann displays current discussions on National Urban Policies and their possible categorisation as this question remains open. To reflect on the various policy intentions that national governments may pursue under an umbrella of National Urban Policies, this second part will examine a variety of case studies more closely.
National Urban Policies: a policy lever to foster a New Urban Agenda? – Part I
National Urban Policies are recognised as an effective and necessary tool to achieve sustainable and inclusive urban development as envisioned in the New Urban Agenda. However, it is still unclear what constitutes a National Urban Policy and how such a policy could help catalyse the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. In order to bring some light into these discussions, Rene Peter Hohmann reviews the current body of academic literature as well as policy assessments to analyse and categorise a sample of 19 countries with an explicit National Urban Policy in place.
Cities are key for successful global climate policy
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) starts next week. It is often stated that cities are key for implementing 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda. But what exactly is needed for cities to fulfil this important role? Dirk Messner and Benno Pilardeaux call for better coordination, increased recognition on the global level, and more financial support.