UN-Habitat conducted this comparative legal study of spatial planning laws and governance frameworks in nine countries—Bangladesh, Japan, Malaysia, Panama, Paraguay, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, Thailand, and the Philippines—as part of its technical support to the Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building project in Viet Nam. The study examined how planning mandates and hierarchies are defined and implemented across national, regional/provincial, and local levels.

UN-Habitat, in collaboration with the Urban Development Agency under the Ministry of Construction, conducted a rapid assessment of Vietnam’s legal framework for urban development as part of the Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building project. The legislative analysis focussed on planning, housing, land, and local governance which identified key gaps, overlaps, and areas for reform. The assessment offers actionable recommendations to support the drafting of a new Urban Development and…

This is the Volume 2 of the Heritopolis Working Papers representing the activities of its Research Forum and the diverse studies on Heritage and the Metropolis that were debated by researchers around the world. The document is an effort to reflect on the new role of heritage in the current context, being aware of the ongoing demographic, economic, political and demographic challenges while considering heritage as a resource to be managed in the support of common wellbeing.

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WUF12 Perspectives is a new UN-Habitat analysis capturing the views of participants from the World Urban Forum 12 held in Cairo in 2024, focused on localization. It highlights three dimensions—implementation, representation, and translation—and identifies nine key elements to guide stakeholders in embedding localization into sustainable urban development and advancing global SDG localization efforts.

UN-Habitat’s 2024 Annual Report, Adequate Housing for All, highlights global efforts to address the housing crisis and advance sustainable urbanization. The report showcases progress in reducing inequality, promoting prosperity, acting for climate change and building resilience. Through case studies and impact data, it details efforts in addressing adequate housing worldwide.

Building upon a successful 2023, the 2024 Annual Report of the Policy, Legislation and Governance Section (PLGS) showcases continued progress towards achieving sustainable urban development. Through a range of impactful activities, PLGS strengthened its collaboration with donors, development partners, and beneficiary countries, advancing UN-Habitat work on policy, legislation, governance, metropolitan management, and urban-rural linkages.
This report highlights key achievements,…

This publication by UN-Habitat provides a comprehensive framework for addressing urban internal displacement. It offers strategic guidance for governments, UN agencies, and partners to develop sustainable, scalable, and transformative solutions, focusing on housing, land, and basic services to support displaced communities in urban areas.

This handbook is designed to provide practical guidance to national and international actors, institutions, and organizations working to protect the housing, land, and property rights of refugees and displaced persons. It contributes to achieving sustainable solutions by applying the Pinheiro Principles to displacement situations across the Middle East and North Africa region.

In the light of the analytical work and the exchanges carried out during the first part of the UPIMC programme in Damietta Governorate, this report developed a strategic vision based on an urban strategy developed in full engagement of all stakeholders. This report, which is the output of the second component, draws on the spatial profile that has been created to generate a common strategic vision and scenario and to provide an action plan for accomplishing it by identifying priority…