Effective urban legislation is an indispensable pillar of sustainable urban development. The global urban population will grow by +3 billion in the coming 50 years and 98% of the urban growth will be in developing countries. This unprecedented growth can result in anarchy and increased inequality if not underpinned by effective and coherent policy and legal, institutional and governance frameworks that will ensure a solid context for planning, dialogue between actors and rights-based approaches to development.