UN-Habitat conducted this comparative legal study of spatial planning laws and governance frameworks in nine countries—Bangladesh, Japan, Malaysia, Panama, Paraguay, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, Thailand, and the Philippines—as part of its technical support to the Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building project in Viet Nam. The study examined how planning mandates and hierarchies are defined and implemented across national, regional/provincial, and local levels.

UN-Habitat has conducted an international benchmarking case study of planning laws in five countries and one sub-national region (Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, South Korea and Catalonia Region, Spain) to assess the impact of planning laws in these contexts on sustainable urban development. This has provided a spectrum of regulatory models and schemes for the spatial planning legal reform agenda in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These case studies reveal that planning legal frameworks…

UN-Habitat, in collaboration with the Urban Development Agency under the Ministry of Construction, conducted a rapid assessment of Vietnam’s legal framework for urban development as part of the Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building project. The legislative analysis focussed on planning, housing, land, and local governance which identified key gaps, overlaps, and areas for reform. The assessment offers actionable recommendations to support the drafting of a new Urban Development and…

As part of the Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building project in Vietnam, UN-Habitat conducted a benchmarking legal case study including a comparative analysis from 11 countries (Australia, Brazil, Chile, Kenya, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, South Korea, and the United Kingdom) to inform Vietnam’s Urban Development and Management Law. The study highlights global inspiring practices across seven themes, including land-value capture, public participation, climate…

Food security and sustainable urban-rural connections are critical to territorial resilience in East Africa, yet many challenges persist. Smallholder farmers, traders, and policymakers face obstacles such as inefficient value chains, poor infrastructure, and a lack of access to digital tools that could optimize food distribution and market participation. As cities grow and demand for food increases, there is an urgent need to integrate digital innovations into food systems to improve efficiency…

This White Paper is a collaboration of UN-Habitat’s Urban-Rural Linkages Program with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) as background for discussions at the upcoming UN Food System Summit Stocktaking (UNFSS+4). The paper draws upon recent working papers, expert group meetings including the GAIN-FAO-Rikolto Local and Traditional Food Markets Global Technical Meeting (June 2024), programmatic delivery, and reports from organizations referenced in this paper. Noting the…

Voluntary Metropolitan Reports (VMRs) have emerged as a key instrument for assessing and showcasing the progress of metropolitan areas in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda. The Methodological Guide on Voluntary Metropolitan Reports provides a practical roadmap for metropolitan authorities and relevant stakeholders to develop VMRs that not only document achievements but also drive structural transformations aligned with sustainable development, while…