| Digital Metropolis - Working Paper: Projects for Metropolitan Digital Transition | 2026 | Projects for Metropolitan Digital Transition is a Working Paper jointly developed by UN-Habitat’s MetroHUB initiative and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) to guide metropolitan and local authorities, urban experts and practitioners, as well as technology solution developers, in shaping a metropolitan-scale digital transition. The document provides a practical framework to move from standalone initiatives to integrated projects that create public value, strengthen inter-municipal coordination, and build institutional capacity. Throughout the paper, digital transformation is understood as far more than adopting technology: it requires strengthening capabilities, clarifying institutional arrangements, and improving coordination across jurisdictions to tackle challenges that no single municipality can solve alone. The paper also brings together a set of pilot project ideas designed to accelerate digital transition from a metropolitan perspective. These proposals are framed as enabling, adaptable projects suited to different institutional and territorial realities, aimed at creating the conditions for inter-municipal integration, shared data use, and better decision-making. Broadly, the proposed lines of work include: artificial intelligence for anticipatory and targeted interventions; IoT and sensor networks for real-time monitoring and management; GIS and 3D visualization for integrated spatial analysis; urban digital twins for scenario simulation and policy testing; and multichannel digital services to expand access to procedures, services, and participation across the metropolitan system. Overall, the document calls for a step change: from sector-by-sector or municipality-by-municipality digitalization to a metropolitan project agenda that is interoperable, scalable, and public-value driven, strengthening governance, reducing internal gaps, and enabling more coordinated, inclusive, and resilient management. |
| Sahab City-Wide Public Space Assessment | 2026 | The Sahab City-Wide Public Space Assessment provides a comprehensive, GIS-based analysis of the city's public spaces, evaluating environmental quality, inclusivity, and accessibility. It offers an evidence-based foundation to guide urban greening, inform investments, and support more resilient, inclusive city planning. |
| Sahab City-Wide Public Space Assessment | 2026 | The Sahab City-Wide Public Space Assessment provides a comprehensive, GIS-based analysis of the city's public spaces, evaluating environmental quality, inclusivity, and accessibility. It offers an evidence-based foundation to guide urban greening, inform investments, and support more resilient, inclusive city planning. |
| Urban Resilience Action Plan (URAP) for Pasto, Colombia: Planning for Climate, Urban, and Biodiversity Action | 2026 | |
| LE GRAND BAMAKO ET LES RELATIONS VILLES-CAMPAGNES (RVC) | 2026 | Au Mali, la thématique des Relations Villes-Campagnes (RVC) est désormais au cœur de la gestion territoriale pour un développement durable. Le concept du « Grand Bamako » illustre cette mutation où les zones urbaines, périurbaines et rurales forment une métropole unique et intégrée. Les points clés du document soulignent : L'intégration nécessaire : Il est impératif d'abandonner la dichotomie traditionnelle entre urbain et rural pour adopter une planification unifiée. La dynamique des flux : Les RVC reposent sur une synergie de fonctions et de flux (personnes, ressources, capitaux, services) au sein d'un continuum urbain-rural. Une gouvernance équitable : Un cadre d'action doit structurer les investissements, la protection de l'environnement et la planification afin de garantir des bénéfices partagés pour toutes les parties prenantes. L'engagement local : Les populations locales, qui maîtrisent déjà ces dynamiques sur le terrain, doivent être pleinement intégrées au processus de développement. Ce document s'établit comme un levier stratégique pour les acteurs maliens de l'urbanisme et du développement durable. Il vise à opérationnaliser les agendas mondiaux, notamment le Nouveau Programme pour les Villes (NPV) et l’Agenda 2030 (ODD), tout en s'alignant sur les priorités du Plan Stratégique 2026-2029 de ONU-Habitat |
| Annual Report 2025 | 2026 | The 2025 Annual Report highlights how UN-Habitat advanced housing-led sustainable urban development as a pathway to more inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities. The report outlines major global milestones, including the endorsement of UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 by 105 Member States, growing international recognition of adequate housing as a human right and climate priority, and renewed political momentum to transform informal settlements and slums. It also showcases tangible results delivered between 2020 and 2025, including millions of people gaining improved living conditions, access to water and sanitation, and secure land tenure – demonstrating the impact of coordinated action toward achieving SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda. |
| Metropolitan Diplomacy | 2026 | Metropolises are at the forefront of many global crises, such as climate change, food security, and migration. For this reason, they are increasingly assuming a proactive role within the international ecosystem. Their international engagement is becoming ever more necessary to formulate policies aimed at strengthening the management of metropolitan territories, particularly beyond the current cycle of global agendas concluding in 2030 and in anticipation of new international contexts that may arise in the future. The “Metropolitan Diplomacy" report, published by UN-Habitat in collaboration with the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), establishes a strategic framework for metropolitan areas to serve as decisive actors in global governance. It defines metropolitan diplomacy as the actions and strategies used by metropolitan regions to influence international spheres and cooperate beyond municipal boundaries to address systemic challenges such as climate change, migration, and inequality. The report emphasizes that while city diplomacy focuses on bilateral municipal cooperation, metropolitan diplomacy addresses a broader range of issues - like regional mobility and territorial planning - that require collective solutions across entire metropolitan territories. It details a decade of diplomatic evolution, from the Montreal Declaration (2015) to the Barcelona Metropolitan Declaration (2025), the latter of which calls for the formal recognition of metropolitan areas as full partners in global governance. The report provides a roadmap for the future, recommending the institutionalization of diplomacy within metropolitan structures and the development of Voluntary Metropolitan Reports (VMRs) to monitor SDG progress. By aligning metropolitan actions with emerging global frameworks such as the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact, this document provides a comprehensive guidance for advancing inclusive, resilient, and multi-level governance in the post-2030 agenda. |
| World Cities Report 2026: The Global Housing Crisis: Pathways to Action | 2026 | The current global housing crisis is the outcome of decades of insufficient investment, rapid urbanization, economic instability, and displacement caused by conflict and disasters. Recent global estimates indicate that up to 3.4 billion people lack access to secure, safe, and adequate housing, including more than 1 billion people living in informal settlements and slums under conditions characterized by insecure tenure, overcrowding, exposure to environmental hazards, and limited access to basic services. Despite the universal recognition of housing as a human right, progress remains inadequate. Global housing deficits increased from 251 million units in 2010 to 288 million in 2023, while forced displacement continues to rise due to conflict, violence, human rights violations, and climate-related disasters. Research conducted by UN-Habitat estimates that approximately 64 million people were evicted globally between 2003 and 2023, with severe consequences for livelihoods, security, and social well-being. The World Cities Report 2026 highlights adequate housing as a fundamental pillar of sustainable urban development and human well-being, extending far beyond the provision of shelter. Housing influences access to employment, public services, health, and economic opportunity, making it central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report highlights the importance of safe, affordable, and well-located housing in reducing poverty, improving quality of life, and transforming informal settlements and slums. The report also positions housing as a critical driver of climate action and urban resilience, noting the need for energy-efficient, low-carbon housing solutions and resilient urban infrastructure. It calls for inclusive and participatory approaches that support community-led upgrading initiatives and recognize informal settlements as integral parts of cities. Ultimately, the report urges governments and stakeholders to recommit to housing as a human right and a foundation for greener, more equitable, and resilient urban futures. |
| Activating food-tech ecosystems in intermediary cities for sustainable food security | 2026 | Transforming agro-food to advance food security while promoting sustainable industrialisation in developing countries is an urgent priority. Intermediary cities, as vital connectors between urban and rural areas, are piloting innovative solutions to drive this transformation through food-tech. This policy brief examines how innovation ecosystems in intermediary cities can contribute to achieving net-zero emissions and zero hunger and presents key recommendations for development policy. It has been prepared within the framework of the G20 Platform on SDG Localisation and Intermediary Cities (PLIC) under the South African G20 Presidency. |
| Guide to creating urban public SPACES for children | 2026 | Public spaces to play are important to children's health and development and are a core right. Yet with increasing urbanization, access to public spaces to play is shrinking, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This guide, developed by UN-Habitat, WHO and UNICEF, highlights the importance of public spaces for optimizing children's health and well-being, and realizing their comprehensive rights. It provides support for practitioners in developing and improving public spaces for children in planned urban contexts, informal contexts as well as in crisis/resilience-building settings. |