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.
​​Socially Inclusive National Urban Policies: ​A Guide​ 2026 Social inclusion remains a pivotal measure of sustainable urban development. This is because people in cities and communities serve as both givers and takers of various urbanization components and resulting impacts. On the one hand, effective integration of all urban and community residents through meaningful participation, capacity building, and demonstration projects leads to realization of seamless urbanization policy processes. On the other hand, the results through improved quality of life from aspects like spatial equity, improved provision of urban basic services, affordable and inclusive housing, and fairer employment opportunities all contribute to the realization of inclusive, sustainable and resilient cities and communities. This guide has been developed with an objective to support national and local governments and other actors to mainstream social inclusion as a fabric of their respective national and sub-national urban policies thus subsequently contribute to global development agendas.

First, the guide analyzes the various aspects of social inclusion, highlighting cases studies on how countries across the globe have integrated these aspects into their urban development process. Further, it proposes means through which countries can mainstream social inclusion in the NUP phases (feasibility, diagnosis, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation) and pillars (participation, capacity building, acupuncture projects) using examples from countries that have integrated social inclusion aspects in their various NUP stages. It finally recommends a summary through a ten-step pathway to achieve an inclusive urbanization process.

In the spirit of ‘Leaving No One Behind’, this guide envisions that national and local government officials, urban experts, academia, civil society, researchers and community at the grassroots will enhance inclusive urban policy processes. Through this guiding framework, cities and communities can achieve effective, inclusive, and sustainable urbanization outcomes.
The Spatial Development Plan for Karak Governorate (2024–2028) 2026 The Spatial Development Plan for Karak Governorate (2024–2028) provides a strategic roadmap for sustainable development, grounded in comprehensive spatial analysis and a participatory visioning process. It defines development priorities, identifies key growth sectors, and outlines priority investment projects to enhance socio-economic progress over the next five years.
​​Metropolitan Legislation Toolkit: Guide to Formulate and Strengthen Metropolitan Normative Frameworks for Metropolitan Management 2026 The Metropolitan Legislation Toolkit invites countries and metropolitan territories to review their existing legal arrangements, identify legal gaps, and overcome institutional fragmentation. Its purpose is to turn legislation into an enabler of integrated metropolitan solutions, capable of responding to contemporary urban dynamics and improving quality of life.

Metropolitan areas are today one of the most relevant territorial expressions of urbanization. Their growth exceeds traditional administrative boundaries and raises complex challenges related to governance, planning, financing, sustainability, and interjurisdictional coordination.
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.
Land Governance in the Middle East: Regional Perspectives for Improved Land Administration and Access to Housing 2026 The report “Land Governance in the Middle East: Regional Perspectives for Improved Land Administration and Access to Housing” was developed by UN Habitat and the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), in partnership with the Urban Training and Studies Institute (UTI) and with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany, to respond to the growing recognition that land governance is central to sustainable development, adequate housing, poverty reduction, gender equality, climate resilience, and recovery in crisis settings. By addressing critical gaps in land related data and fragmented understandings of land governance, the report represents one of the first systematic efforts to establish a common analytical framework for the Arab region.
Urban Content in NDC 3.0: Cities at the Centre 2026 Urban Content in NDC 3.0: Cities at the Centre is the most comprehensive global analysis to date of how cities feature in national climate plans. Drawing on 142 third-generation Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) submitted by mid-April 2026, the report delivers findings across sectors, regions, income groups, and NDC revision cycles, at a scale and depth not previously possible.
Urban October report 2025 2026 The Urban October Report 2025 highlights global discussions and actions on sustainable urbanization held throughout October. The month opened with World Habitat Day in Nairobi under the theme “Urban Crisis Response,” focusing on how cities can address displacement, climate shocks and growing housing needs through inclusive planning, adequate housing and access to basic services. It closed with World Cities Day in Bogotá under the theme “People-centred Smart Cities,” exploring how digital technologies, data and AI can improve urban governance, service delivery and resilience while ensuring inclusion.

Urban October 2025 mobilized 579 events across 58 countries, bringing together governments, communities and partners worldwide. The report also highlights the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award winners and innovative practices supporting more inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities.
​​Policy and Legislation Section Annual Report 2025 2026 The 2025 Annual Report of the Policy and Legislation Section (PLS) presents a year of steady progress in advancing sustainable urban development. Through diverse initiatives and collaborative partnerships with donors, development partners, and countries, UN-Habitat through PLS has continued to strengthen policy, legislative, and governance frameworks at national and subnational levels. The report also identifies emerging priorities that will guide the Section’s work in 2026, supporting global efforts toward the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda.
Building resilience through disaster risk management in intermediary cities 2026 Natural disasters and extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity globally. Local governments, including intermediary cities, are on the frontline of disaster risk management. Increasing their resilience is critical to protect lives and support economic development. This is particularly true in developing countries where local governments, especially in intermediary cities, lack financing and management capacities to prevent, react and rebuild in an inclusive and sustainable way. Drawing on the OECD Compendium of Good Practices for Quality Infrastructure 2024, this policy brief provides an overview of good practices to ensure infrastructure resilience and shares recommendations for development partners to embed disaster risk management as a foundation for safer, more equitable, and resilient societies. It has been prepared within the framework of the G20 Platform on SDG Localisation and Intermediary Cities (PLIC) under the South African G20 Presidency.