The Human Challenge of Global Urban Development

At the Habitat III conference this week, urbanists, mayors, and national leaders from around the world are attempting to agree on a new agenda to address the challenges of global urbanization and city-building. The United Nations conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development will grapple with the grandest of all global challenges: urbanization. The near-universal problems of poverty, development, unemployment, inequality, climate change, energy efficiency, and violence all hinge on developing stronger, more functional cities.

In the build up to Habitat III, UN-Habitat took an important step toward those goals by issuing the 2016 World Cities Report. The report informed the global deliberations that lead up to this week’s summit in Quito, Ecuador, providing a detailed overview of the challenges that urbanizing cities face and outlining a new global urban agenda for the world. It expands on the UN’s commitment to making cities and urban growth a priority as outlined last year in its Sustainable Development Goals.