Land Professionals in the Arab region: Roles, capacities and contribution to land governance and land tenure security 2023 This study identifies formal and nonformal land professionals’ categories, their current functions and the additional roles that they would need to take up to improve land governance and establish functioning and fit-for-purpose land administration systems in the Arab region. The study highlights the common challenges faced by land professionals and takes stock of their current capacities, the additional capacities they would need, and the interventions that would enable them to adequately play their role.
International Sustainable Community Achievement Case Collection of Shuangjing, Beijing, China 2023 This report summarizes the Shuangjing Sub-district's best practices on how to implement SDG11 at the sub-district level. In 2019, the China Center for Urban Development and the UN-Habitat conducted the International Sustainable Development Pilot Community Assessment for Shuangjing Sub-District of Beijing, China. Shuangjing summarized relevant policies and practices to research the objectives of the UN SDGs, especially Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Shuangjing proposed to utilize the “Shuangjing No.13 Virtual Community” as the platform, taking “Community in One” as the goal, and the “Jointed Contribution, Co-governance, and Shared Benefits” as the concept to promote fine urban development and explore sustainable community practices.
Shanghai Manual: A Guide for Sustainable Urban Development in the 21st Century - 2023 Annual Report 2023 The Shanghai Manual was established in 2011 following the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai and serves as a tool to support the efforts of mayors and urban practitioners in advancing sustainable urban development. The ideas and principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and New Urban Agenda have been integrated into the Manual, with a focus on challenges such as how to achieve inclusive and liveable cities, innovative and creative cities and sustainable and resilient cities.
Using exemplary urban best practices, the Shanghai Manual 2023 Annual Report provides practical solutions and policy suggestion to help cities navigate pressing urbanization challenges, demonstrating best practices across the core dimensions of economy, society, environment, culture, and governance. The Manual also highlights the importance of financing for sustainable urban development.
The Manual highlights the potential of cities in leveraging social capital and enhancing inclusive community development, stimulating productive and thriving economies via diversified financing and sustainable economic development, bolstering resilience to climate change and disasters and transition to green, ecological models. In addition, it highlights urban practices that promote a culture of innovation and urban heritage, and which drive cross-regional governance for multi-dimensional shared cities.
The Manual has been developed in partnership between UN-Habitat, the Bureau International des Expositions, and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government with the support of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China.
Juba Strategic Plan 2023 Since 2016 aligned with the Humanitarian Response Plan and The United Nations Interim Cooperation Framework, UN-Habitat has successfully supported South Sudan's peace and development process. Founded by the Booyoung Grant, "The Juba Strategic Plan" provides a comprehensive overview of the current city's social, economic, political, environmental, and spatial context, focusing on the complex migration dynamics from IDPs, returnees, and refugees. The main objective is to identify the critical urgent problems and support the local government to prioritize the challenges and opportunities to develop innovative solutions through evidence-based urban planning and facilitate decision-making.
Comparative Analysis of Non-Profit Housing Legal Frameworks in five countries: Austria, Brazil, England, Netherlands, and South Africa: Urban Legal Case Studies, Volume 12 2023 More than 1.8 billion people worldwide lack adequate housing and the number of people living in informal settlements has passed a billion. Housing is a fundamental human right and UN-Habitat recognizes its catalyst role in the sustainable development agenda. ‘Housing at the centre’, a global approach set out by UN-Habitat in 2015, puts people and human rights at the foreground of sustainable urban development policies to leave no one and no place behind. A more coherent and comprehensive framework of affordable housing is necessary to ensure broad access to this necessity of life, one which facilitates cooperation across socio-economic backgrounds and creates shared interests in a safe community, a strong economy, and a vibrant social scene to harness the framework’s transformative potential.



The affordable housing solutions generated by the non-profit housing sector provide a novel framework for reforming affordable housing policy and legal frameworks. UN-Habitat has conducted a comparative analysis of the non-profit housing sector in five countries (Austria, Brazil, England, Netherlands, and South Africa), which serve as best practice legal frameworks for a robust and sustainable social housing sector. Through this assessment, UN-Habitat seeks to promote the participation of the non-profit sector in the provision of social housing to meet the demand for urban housing needs and to bridge the housing affordability gap. This document is intended to not only help countries create or strengthen their legal frameworks to support the participation of non-profit organizations in the housing sector, but also proposes new governance frameworks to facilitate this. The primary purpose of this analysis is to provide a framework for the successful development, support, and sustenance of a non-profit housing sector in any country that seeks to adopt this approach to diversifying the housing stock. Naturally, its application depends on development priorities. To capitalize on the best practice available, a country checklist has been provided that will assist countries to conduct an internal assessment on its housing needs, existing policy and legal framework, and financial means which will provide systematic guidance for legislative, policy and institutional reform.
Vision, Scenario Building, and Action Plan for the subdivision of Douala 4 2023 Based on the Douala Spatial Profile, the Visioning, Scenario and Action Plan report is a unifying response to address identified challenges and to foresee an inclusive and sustainable environment in Douala 4. This report, built with the full engagement of all stakeholders of the city, supports the urban planning decision-making process by drawing a roadmap and listing priority investments.
A Brief History of Quality of Life: From Aristotle to the Present, Evolution of a Concept at the Core of Human Development 2023 The present document is the first in a series which takes a closer look at how the Quality of Life Initiative is co-creating a more inclusive, human-centred vision of quality of life in cities. This series zooms in on different aspects of the Initiative, while presenting a coherent picture of how the different pieces come together.
UN-Habitat Iraq Newsletter – January 2023 (Arabic) 2023 UN-Habitat Iraq January 2023 Newsletter: Provides an update on UN-Habitat’s activities in Iraq as well as relevant policy and advocacy topics.
Decision Making in Metropolitan Governance 2023 Through this research of 22 case studies in the 5 regions of the world based on the
regulatory frameworks of metropolitan management, UN-Habitat in collaboration with
the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, has identified the most important findings and
trends on the regulation of decision-making in the metropolitan areas under study.

This guide explores the most significant aspects of decision-making systems in
metropolitan governance, addressing affairs such as legitimacy, democratic
participation, transparency and their impact on the management of metropolitan
territories. It also offers practical tools based on international trends and case study
findings to facilitate inclusive and equitable processes.

The case study identified key messages and policy recommendations, which seek to
inspire and guide those who have the competence to make decisions on affairs of
metropolitan interest, the authorities responsible for regulating metropolitan governance
and the networks of cities and metropolises and stakeholders interested in metropolitan
development, to promote and strengthen the formalization of governance mechanisms
and the elements of the metropolitan decision-making system.
Integrando a saúde ao planejamento urbano e territorial: Guia de referência 2023 This sourcebook identifies a comprehensive selection of existing resources and tools to support the incorporation of health into UTP, including advocacy frameworks, entry points and guidance, as well as tools and illustrative case studies. It does not provide prescriptions for specific scenarios – these should be determined by context, people and available resources.