Today UN-Habitat released its 2020 World Cities Report on The Value of Sustainable Urbanization, and the report's analysis, suggestions, and tools couldn't be more timely and useful. This report is a must-read for anyone working on social, environmental, or economic sustainability at local to global scales.
In the words of Matt Benson who participated in the International Advisory Board of this publication:
It is being launched during a pandemic where most of the world is living with some form of movement restriction, with discussions around the future of urbanism and concerns that, for the first time in decades, the number of people living in extreme poverty will increase.
COVID-19 is a result of rapid and uncontrolled urban sprawl encroaching into natural systems leading to the transmission of a zoonotic disease to humans. It is an externality of urbanization not an external threat. It has exposed the inadequacies of many of our institutions and has shone light on our failure to protect the most vulnerable. At the same time we are adapting by working and learning from home, participating in online events and taking preventative measures to ensure our health.
The World Cities Report 2020 sees this moment as a chance to reset and ‘build back better’ with clear links to calls from others for a new modality focusing on stakeholders rather than shareholders. The key message is that the collective actions of cities – their leaders and citizens – must transform the way we interact with nature and each other, address inequality and significantly reduce our carbon footprint.
The solutions offered are practical – the use of technology to solve urban problems; introducing new forms of mobility; harnessing the talents of migrants; tailored programs for the vulnerable; and nature-based solutions to help adapt to climate change. Arching above these is an implicit call for systemic institutional change. The report card for cities has not improved in many areas, with the failings often due to a lack of funding or capacity. Local government is rightly identified as the agency most likely to drive the New Urban Agenda and where the focus ought to be.
In 2024 the next World Cities Report will be published. Hopefully the key theme will be a showcase of cities around the world that have fully embraced sustainable urbanization principles following the lead of places like Paris, converting streets to cycling boulevards; or a Medellín in Colombia, that has invested heavily in nature-based solutions; or any number of cities around the world aspiring to be carbon neutral.
