UN-Habitat’s Global Activities Report (GAR) 2017 aims to provide updates of the Agency’s programmatic delivery at the global, regional and national levels for the years 2015-2016. There has been a growing recognition of urbanization as an engine of sustainable development over the past two years, as reflected in the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Other important recent global agreements as indicated in the report also emphasize the role of urbanization and…

Launched in 2011, UN-Habitat's Global Public Space Programme works to improve the quality of public spaces worldwide. The programme brings together knowledge, good approaches, tools and methodologies on public space and makes them availably to local authorities and other partners. It also demonstrates, through pilot projects in partnership with cities, the importance of public spaces in achieving sustainable urban development. The programme works in more than 25 countries, including…

The 2017 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report, entitled “Wastewater: The Untapped Resource”, demonstrates how improved wastewater management generates social, environmental and economic benefits essential for sustainable development.
In particular, the Report seeks to inform decision-makers, government, civil society and private sector, about the importance of managing wastewater as an undervalued and sustainable source of water, energy, nutrients and other…

Cities are a driving force of the 21st century. Through bringing large numbers of people into close proximity, they spark economic growth, foster innovation, and generate prosperity. But they face the pressing challenges of creating a livable environment for their residents, enabling economic activity that benefits all citizens, and fostering urban development that is environmentally sustainable, equitable, and resilient to disruptive forces.

Over the past 30 years, the number, scope and complexity of tools for assessing the environmental impact of buildings has increased dramatically. Examining the emergence of building sustainability assessment and benchmarking as a global phenomenon as well as some of their political and practical barriers can be useful in order to understand their possible role in realizing objectives of the ‘New Urban Agenda’ and the policies to be influenced by it.

The objective of this review is to survey, inform and evaluate national urban policies and strategies developed by national governments in Africa. The review assists UN-Habitat and other national and international stakeholders involved in urban policy and management in pre-dominantly middle to low-income countries to comprehend and appreciate the extent of national urban policy development in Africa