Afghanistan's future is urban. The population of Afghan cities is expected to double within the next 15 years and by 2060, one in every two Afghans will be living in cities. In order to manage such a transition and harness it for economic and social development accurate data and information is essential.

The State of Afghan Cities report provides the first-ever assessment of the conditions in all of Afghanistan's 34 Provincial Capitals that are home to over 8 million people. It shows that Afghan cities are a driving force of social and economic development, state-building and peace-building, yet their full potential has been constrained by the absence of an effective urban policy and regulatory framework, insufficient and poorly coordinated investment, and weak municipal governance and land management.

The report and associated data-set are an important first step for strategic planning and evidenced-based decision making to promote productive and inclusive urban growth in Afghanistan. The report is divided into two volumes. Volume One is a narrative report highlighting key issues including municipal governance, the urban economy, access to land and housing and the urban environment. Volume Two contains maps and data for all 34 Provincial Capitals. Volume 2 and Dari version are also available

The need for planning cannot be over-emphasized. Urbanization is progressing rapidly and by 2050, seven out of ten people will be living in cities. Inappropriate policies, plans and designs have led to inadequate spatial distribution of people and activities, resulting in proliferation of slums, congestion, poor access to basic services, environmental degradation, and social inequity and segregation.

The International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning serve both as a source of inspiration and a compass for decision makers and urban professionals when reviewing urban and territorial planning systems. The Guidelines provide national governments, local authorities, civil society organizations and planning professionals with a global reference framework that promotes more compact, socially inclusive, better integrated and connected cities and territories that foster sustainable urban development and are resilient to climate change.

El planeamiento urbano es una herramienta fundamental para ayudar a los mandatarios municipales a alcanzar el objetivo establecido para una ciudad. Una guía que ofrezca lecciones e ideas sobre la planificación urbana es importante para los alcaldes y otros dirigentes locales. A partir de nuestra experiencia en Medellín, Colombia, hemos aprendido la importancia de la planificación urbana para un buen desarrollo.

Tenemos instrumentos de planeamiento urbanístico aprobados por el Consejo con la participación de los residentes, siendo además obligatorio para los líderes locales elaborar planes.

Aunque a menudo se consideren como un requisito burocrático, los planes urbanísticos, incluso aquellos que tienen un corto periodo de validez de cuatro años, pueden llegar a tener gran impacto en una ciudad para los próximos 20 años y más si están bien concebidos y ejecutados de manera sistemática.

Esta publicación también está disponible en Inglés.

The ‘Right to Develop: Planning Palestinian Communities in East Jerusalem’ provides an overview of the planning praxis of Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem. Planning practice in the context of East Jerusalem is best understood as the set of strategies and policies needed to translate ideas about the right to the city into concrete action. Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem lack a number of planning rights and have little say in official planning consistent with their needs and aspirations.

This publication analyzes planning practices utilized by Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem, while devising a set of planning guidelines that can help these communities better defend their planning and building rights. Furthermore, this publication helps to enhance urban awareness amongst Palestinian communities, while increasing the capacity of Palestinians to better plan their communities. The lessons drawn and the conclusions developed in this publication could also be useful in other fragile environments and politically challenged contexts.

The protracted conflict Darfur since 2003 has caused massive displacements of people to or around the main urban centres, causing a complex, rapid, unplanned and uncontrolled urbanisation process and resulting in severe environmental degradation and social stress.

The Regional Spatial Planning Strategy of Darfur (RSPSD) is a functional methodology designed to facilitate a smooth transition from humanitarian relief to early recovery, reconstruction and economic development. The RSPSD aims to maximise the benefits of infrastructural investment, identifying priorities against a background of scarce resources and capacities, in an effort to bring about a more balanced spatial development, ultimately contributing to peace, stabilisation and economic growth. The Strategy advocates for the establishment of a network of urban settlements that can efficiently integrate a broad range of socioeconomic, basic services and infrastructure dimensions. This will benefit the population of Darfur as a whole, while at the same time laying the foundations of its future development.

Developing countries are urbanizing at an incredibly fast pace and, in many cases, with unplanned settlements that pose enormous challenges. Growing cities need to define the urban planning frameworks that will guide the construction of new neighbourhoods and city extensions.

This document, through the analysis of ten existing cities, draws lessons that can be useful for future urbanization. The cities presented are apparently very different: they are in developed or developing countries; they were been built in the 17th or 20th centuries; they are neighbourhoods or complete cities; they house the rich and the poor. However, they also have common aspects that serve to define and explain an approach that can guide future urbanization so as to generate cities that are sustainable, socially inclusive, and economically viable.

What this new edition of State of the World's Cities shows is that prosperity for all has been compromised by a narrow focus on economic growth. UN-Habitat suggests a fresh approach to prosperity beyond the solely economic emphasis, including other vital dimensions such as quality of life, adequate infrastructures, equity and environmental sustainability.

The Report proposes a new tool – the City Prosperity Index – together with a conceptual matrix, the Wheel of Prosperity, both of which are meant to assist decision makers to design clear policy interventions. The Report advocates for the need of cities to enhance the public realm, expand public goods and consolidate rights to the 'commons' for all as a way to expand prosperity. This comes in response to the observed trend of enclosing or restricting these goods and commons in enclaves of prosperity, or depleting them through unsustainable use.

Other titles in the State of the World's Cities Series:

Globalization and Urban Culture: 2004/2005

The Millenium Development Goals and Urban Sustainability: 2006/2007

Harmonious Cities: 2008/2009

Cities for All: Bridging the Urban Divide: 2010/2011

The African continent is currently in the midst of simultaneously unfolding and highly significant demographic, economic, technological, environmental, urban and socio-political transitions. Africa’s economic performance is promising, with booming cities supporting growing middle classes and creating sizable consumer markets. But despite significant overall growth, not all of Africa performs well. The continent continues to suffer under very rapid urban growth accompanied by massive urban poverty and many other social problems. These seem to indicate that the development trajectories followed by African nations since post-independence may not be able to deliver on the aspirations of broad based human development and prosperity for all. This report, therefore, argues for a bold re-imagining of prevailing models in order to steer the ongoing transitions towards greater sustainability based on a thorough review of all available options. That is especially the case since the already daunting urban challenges in Africa are now being exacerbated by the new vulnerabilities and threats associated with climate and environmental change. Also available in French Version.  

The role of planning schools in shaping development in their cities, country and regions cannot be overstated at a time when Africa continues to confront major challenges of urbanization like unplanned urban development, traffic congestion,  urbanization of poverty and pollution.

One major question asked is: where and what are planning schools and planners doing?

The workshop provided a forum for the schools of planning to explore better ways of promoting the association’s objectives in Kenya and increase collaboration with UN-Habitat.

While many cities are hubs of economic growth, employment, and cultural life, urbanization has resulted in pronounced socioeconomic inequalities, exclusion, and segregation. The objective of this gender issue guide on urban planning and design is to:

• Increase understanding of gender concerns and needs in urban planning and design;
• Develop capacity to address gender issues in select human settlement areas 
• Encourage integration of gender perspectives into policies, projects, and programmes for sustainable urban development 
• Support institutionalization of the culture of gender mainstreaming and gender equality through the implementation of gender-sensitive projects/programmes and the monitoring of gender mainstreaming progress