Mexico, 31 October 2014 – Urban experts met in the Mexican cities of Zapopan and Monterrey during the "Planning Dense Cities in the 21st Century: Tools for Redevelopment" conferences held between 29 and 31 October 2014.
In Zapopan, the event addressed, among others, issues of regulation and development standards, the optimization of urban form, and economic and social benefits of agglomeration policies.
Nairobi, 6 November 2014 - UN-Habitat on Wednesday kicked off the bicycle sharing project at the United Nations Complex in Gigiri. The project aims at improving accessibility through cycling and to promote clean mode of transport.
London, 1 November 2014 – Ideas on improving city life have poured in from around the globe for the World Cities Day Challenge hosted by the Guardian Online.
Organised in conjunction with the first World Cities Day, celebrated on 31 October, the Guardian Cities site hosted a live event throughout the day where more than 30 cities pitched their ideas for making their cities more liveable for their populations.
KABUL, Afghanistan, 4 November 2014 – UN-Habitat Afghanistan today launched the State of Afghan Cities (SoAC) Programme, co-organized by the Independent Directorate of Local Governance/General Directorate of Municipal Affairs. SoAC is a one-year initiative, generously funded by the Government of Australia, to be implemented by the Government of Afghanistan with technical support from UN-Habitat.
The capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, will host the Ninth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF9) in 2018. UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, as the convener of WUF, announced the decision on Monday 3 November as the culmination of a six months bidding process.
Ho Chi Minh City, 23 October 2014 - In order to provide technical support to improve knowledge and share experience in urban planning among Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces and cities in the Southern Key Economic Zone (SKEZ), United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) together with World Bank and Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City organised a three-day Regional Planning and Linkages for Southern Key Economic Zone workshop in H
Tehran, 1st November 2014 - World Cities Day was celebrated in I.R.Iran like many other countries with the theme “Better City, Better life, Leading Urban Transformations”.
The UN-Habitat office in Tehran celebrated this event jointly with the Municipality of Tehran in a half-day ceremony with participation of the Chairman of Tehran City Council, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development; UN-Habitat and FAO Representatives and senior municipality and government officials and members of the diplomatic core.
Tacloban City, Philippines 31 October 2014-- In the afternoon of October 23, 2014, droves of teens and young adults headed to the Balyuan Grounds in Tacloban City despite gray skies, puddled pavements, and light but steady rain for Kabataan: Kasugbong Ha Pag-uswag (Youth: Partners in Development) – a youth jam for safe and resilient cities.
Shanghai 31 October 2014 The first World Cities Day has been commemorated across the globe under the theme “Leading Urban Transformation”.
In his statement to mark the occasion, United Nations Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon “With the decision by the United Nations General Assembly to establish World Cities Day, we now have an annual date on which to celebrate one of humankind’s greatest and most complex creations.”
Nairobi, 28 October 2014 – UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat has said that affordable housing should be put back at the centre of cities, both in terms of planning and policy, and geographical location.
He made the comments at the launch of the report, “A blueprint for addressing the global affordable housing challenge” by the McKinsey Global Institute, the research arm of international private consulting firm, McKinsey.