The 3rd Urban Economy Forum, UEF 2021, will have a systematic focus on how to deliver adequate and affordable housing and healthy environments as vehicles for urban economic recovery to achieve the SDGs and make cities sustainable. UEF 2021 will hence focus on housing as one of the key elements for urban equality, and as a practical arena for shifting societal behaviour in a world affected by climate change and pandemics. It is also worth noting that there are a number of good practices for effective and scalable solutions being adopted by the people most impacted by COVID-19, who are least likely to have a steady place to call home and most affected by the damage to our climate.