Today,?54 per cent of the world's?population lives in urban areas,?accounting?for more than 70?per cent?of global greenhouse gas emissions and consuming close to two thirds?of the world's?energy. ?Projections show that the number of city dwellers will only increase, reaching?6 billion inhabitants by 2050. ?The data suggests that urbanization poses?many challenges, including meeting the?demand for affordable housing, well-connected transport systems, and other infrastructure, basic services and educational and?employment options, particularly for the nearly 1 billion urban poor who live in informal settlements to be near job opportunities. ?The upward trend in urbanization also presents?opportunities, as well-designed and managed?cities?can contribute to sustainable growth by increasing productivity, reducing consumption and allowing innovation and new ideas to emerge.?
There is also reason for optimism?in that 60 per cent?of the places that will be urbanized by 2030 are yet to be built.? To take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity and in order to fulfill the promise of the 2030 Development Agenda, the 缅北禁地Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), which begins this week in Quito, Ecuador and runs?from 17 to 19 October, seeks to?reinvigorate international commitment to sustainable urbanization. Convening?urban specialists, policy makers, city leaders, and civil society representatives from around the world, the goal of the?Habitat III conference is?to focus on the implementation of the?'New Urban Agenda',?building on the agenda of Habitat II in Istanbul in 1996 and?Habitat I in Vancouver in 1976.
Due to the intersectionality of?urbanization and achieving all of the Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) believes that there needs to be a continuous dialogue between academia, civil society, and public and private sector actors?to exchange ideas and best practices?and develop policies and ideas that pave the way for a?sustainable future for everyone. Over the coming week,?UNAI?will publish a?series of articles by researchers?and practitioners in the fields of urbanization, design, architecture, financing for development?and public policy?highlighting their research and actions?relating to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). The series aims to showcase research and case-study based models?focusing on different?nuances that?influence the broader subject of sustainability in cities and communities.
We invite you to join the conversation on social media?using the hashtags #UNAISTART, #Habitat3 and #NewUrbanAgenda and learn more about the aims of Habitat III and how you can get involved by visiting . ?We would also love to hear your views on urbanization,?what is happening in your community?and what you see as the opportunities and challenges in urban growth.?