The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote innovative research activities in the niche area of urban law. The main pillars of this research partnership include: a) the organisation of an Urban Law Day every year b) the generation of knowledge in urban law through PhD studentships c) the provision of technical assistance and capacity building through studies, seminars, workshops and d) joint publications and networking.

The Urban Law Day is a specialised forum aiming to bring together a multidisciplinary circle of academics and practitioners interested in urban legislation, including planners, architects, policy makers, economists, urbanists, and lawyers. The purpose of the Urban Law Day is to facilitate discussion, the exchange of views, networking, and the presentation of new research findings or  emerging issues. The third Urban Law Day was held on 15 July 2016 at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (University of London), and addressed challenges in developing countries related to good urban legislation and practical solutions for improving them.