Sustainable housing plays a key role in human quality of life in general in the European region. The positive impact of housing can be increased through application of the following principles: environmental protection, economic growth, social inclusion, citizen participation and cultural adequacy.

Development of sustainable housing in the UNECE region faces many challenges caused in particular by globalization, demographic changes and the recent economic crisis. In some cases urbanization has led to urban sprawl, which has had a negative impact on existing settlements and has reduced the land available for other uses.

In other cases, urbanization has been uncontrolled, creating and expanding informal settlements, whose residents may lack security of housing and social and physical infrastructure. The Czech Republic has proposed the High Level Regional Meeting for Habitat III in Prague in March 2016 with a theme of "Sustainable Housing in Livable Cities: European Habitat”. During the meeting, it is expected that the Habitat III Regional Report and Prague Declaration will be available and adopted.

Contact

Email - habitat3secretariat@un.org