Leading Change: Delivering the New Urban Agenda through Urban and Territorial Planning

The International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning (IG-UTP) are a pivotal component of the framework for delivering a sustainable urban future. This book as a whole contains the strategic considerations and supporting line of reasoning that need to be considered when applying the IG-UTP. It is not a primer on planning and hence does not cover every issue encompassed by the IG-UTP.

The starting point is that planning has to adjust to a new global context. Traditional forms of planning were formulated before concerns such as climate change, inclusion, metropolitanisation, spatial justice, gender, or resilience were considerations. Furthermore, an unprecedented extent of urban development is now unplanned and many cities are overwhelmed by dysfunctional and often slum-led urban growth. Planning needs to adjust to these new realities so that we do not continue on the current trajectory.

Thus, there needs to be a culture change within the planning profession and among decision-makers and stakeholders. We need to build on the strengths of the planning tradition and to adapt to the complexity of accelerating global change by delivering at scale at a more rapid pace. Fiscal, taxation, governance, management and environmental regulation measures need to be supported by an integrative and nimble UTP that is strategic, participatory and based on human rights principles.