'The World's Urban Planner': UN-Habitat's Joan Clos

The phrase "everything on the street" captures UN-Habitat head Joan Clos's approach to urbanization. In the wake of Habitat III, who is the man behind the conference's "New Urban Agenda"?

2 minute read

October 26, 2016, 10:00 AM PDT

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


Joan Clos

worldwaterweek / flickr

In Quito, Ecuador, the UN's Habitat III conference has just adopted a "New Urban Agenda": a set of recommendations to guide the world's cities as they urbanize. Here, Gregory Scruggs profiles the man in charge: executive director Joan Clos. The New Urban Agenda "strongly reflects his views on cities with its calls for compact urban cores, transit-oriented development, reining in sprawl and robust public space."

Clos, the former mayor of Barcelona, takes a sunny view on cities. However, "In many countries, urbanization is seen primarily as a problem: the cause of poverty, malnutrition, air pollution, infant mortality and low life expectancy. [...] The challenge Clos faces is that for many of the 193 U. N. member states, the idea of building skyscraper tower blocks and highways remains plenty appealing. The West did it, after all."

Scruggs, who has followed the lead-up to Habitat III this year, "asked Clos what four words could neatly encapsulate his vision for the New Urban Agenda. His response: 'Everything on the street.'"

Through a deep dive on Clos's background, history in politics, and personal views on planning, a picture emerges of a man whose faith in cities' positive potential is tempered by a sense of the politically feasible. "He says people are being naïve when they compare parks to a city's 'lungs,' or streets to a city's 'veins,' or describe small interventions as 'urban acupuncture.'" Instead, says Clos, "The city is a political construction. It's about people living together and creating coalitions to defend their own agendas."

Monday, October 10, 2016 in Citiscope

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Millbrae BART station.

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City

The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

April 24 - San Diego Post

Spiral ramp on exterior of parking garage in downtown Spokane, Washington.

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill

A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.

April 24 - OPB

Missouri state capitol dome in Jefferson City, MO.

Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users

A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.

April 24 - Missouri Independent