United Nations Taking First Steps Toward the New Urban Agenda

"Almost six months after the United Nations adopted a new 20-year urbanization strategy, U. N. Secretary General António Guterres this week made his first official pronouncement on cities," reports Gregory Scruggs.

"Guterres announced Wednesday the composition of a highly-anticipated eight-member panel that will assess the future of the lead agency on urbanization, UN-Habitat," explains Scruggs. "The result of the panel’s assessment will have a significant impact on oversight of that 20-year strategy, the New Urban Agenda."

The article includes more details about the interim between the signing of the New Urban Agenda, in December, and the announcement about the new panel earlier this month. The members of the panel have also been announced, and it includes some names that will be familiar to Planetizen readers, like Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Peter Calthorpe, founding member of the Congress for New Urbanism.