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.

Rapid demographic growth and urban expansion are transforming intermediary cities in Kenya and Mozambique. However, limited governance and planning capacity – along with scarce financial resources – are driving these cities towards car-dependent systems, which lock in carbon emissions, reduce accessibility and undermine quality of life. Without timely intervention, current choices risk embedding high emissions and social inequalities for decades to come.

Building on the OECD…

This playbook provides a practical guide for urban actors to integrate Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into projects and policy actions. It outlines a flexible, action-oriented process that can be adapted to different local contexts and scales, applied across diverse themes and sectors, and supports the integration of nature into decision-making.

This Toolkit provides planners and city leaders with practical guidance on applying Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) to urban planning and decision-making. It explains key concepts, applications, risks and benefits, and provides step-by-step guidance, case studies and tools to support responsible, data-driven and inclusive planning for sustainable and resilient urban development.

Cities face growing pressures from rapid urbanization, climate risks, and inequality. This study compares 26 global urban assessment tools in relation to , offering evidence-based insights that link global frameworks with local needs and support greener, more resilient urban development.

Clarification Note for UN-Habitat’s ‘Inclusive Communities, Thriving Cities’ Flagship Programme: frames urban regeneration as an integrated, inclusive, area-based process to reduce spatial inequality and advance the SDGs; clarifies terms (renewal, revitalisation, regeneration); maps key entry points; and showcases global practice.

Practical guide to integrating Nature-based Solutions into urban regeneration. It explains what works at basin, city and neighbourhood scales; links NbS to the SDGs; and shows how co-governance, inclusive design and financing deliver resilience, biodiversity and livelihoods, with international case studies.