​​Can mega-events create lasting urban value beyond the global spotlight? This white paper explores how mega events like World Expos, Olympic Games, and FIFA World Cups can become catalysts for sustainable, inclusive, and resilient cities through legacy-driven planning, adaptive design, and community-centered urban transformation.​

UN-Habitat’s Catalogue of Solutions presents the organization’s portfolio of tested tools, methodologies and advisory support designed to help countries, cities and communities address today’s most pressing urban challenges. The catalogue brings together solutions developed through decades of UN-Habitat’s global experience, providing practical pathways for advancing inclusive, resilient and sustainable urban development.

These solutions respond to the urgent need to improve…

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…

​​Originally established in 2011 following the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the Shanghai Manual serves as a practical guide for mayors and urban practitioners advancing sustainable urban development. The Manual has been shaped by the principles of both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda, positioning it as a key resource in the global ambition of achieving sustainable cities. 

​As digitalisation rapidly reshapes urban life across health, education,…

2024 marked a transitional year for UN-Habitat’s Global Public Space Programme. The Programme delivered impactful action in 13 countries, benefiting over 70,000 people through initiatives advancing climate resilience, social inclusion, and crisis response. From neighborhood delivery to global platforms, the year reaffirmed public space as a foundation for equitable cities and a key enabler of housing, basic services, and sustainable urban development.