UN-Habitat

Kenyan President William Ruta addresses Second U.N Habitat Assembly

A Rare Governance Moment for UN-Habitat

The 2nd UN-Habitat Assembly adopted resolutions highlighting key needs for achievement of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda in cities while important partnerships were announced.

July 9, 2023 - Bruce Stiftel

COVID-19 Mobility

Guide to Planning for Public Health, Published by WHO and the UN

There is no planning without public health, according to a new guide released in a moment of global crisis for both professional fields.

May 31, 2020 - World Health Organization

Pedestrian Markings

New Toolkit for Walkability Presented at the World Urban Forum

At the ninth session of the World Urban Forum held earlier in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy introduced their new "Pedestrian First" toolkit to measure and promote walkability in urban environments.

February 19, 2018 - Thomson Reuters Foundation

United Nations Taking First Steps Toward the New Urban Agenda

Some of the big work left undone by the Habitat III summit in finalizing the New Urban Agenda in December is now moving forward. The future of the New Urban Agenda and UN-Habitat can now start to take shape.

April 26, 2017 - Citiscope

Pokemon

A Few Ideas for Planning and Governance in the Digital Age

The Guardian samples prominent examples of digital natives bringing new expectations for the use of technology to the public sector.

April 11, 2017 - The Guardian

Los Angeles sprawl

The Atlas of Urban Expansion Shows How Cities Grow

The "Monitoring Global Urban Expansion Program" gathers and analyzes data on 200 cities around the world. The "Atlas of Urban Expansion" presents the program's preliminary results.

January 17, 2017 - Atlas of Urban Expansion

United Nations

Finally, a Breakthrough for the New Urban Agenda

A marathon negotiation forged the compromises necessary for the New Urban Agenda to be adopted next month at the Habitat III summit in Quito, Ecuador.

September 12, 2016 - Citiscope

Vancouver Skyline

World Cities Report 2016 Released by UN-Habitat

The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) has published a flagship report intended to inform preparation of the New Urban Agenda at the Habitat III meetings in Quito in October.

May 19, 2016 - Bruce Stiftel

United Nations and World Bank Unite for Sustainable Urban Development

The United Nations agency for urban development, UN-Habitat, has announced a partnership with the World Bank to implement several Sustainable Development Goals focusing on urban sustainability, safety, inclusiveness, and resilience.

October 13, 2015 - United Nations-Habitat

Critiquing the UN's Sustainable Development Goals

Much to the chagrin of Americans of conservative political stripes, the United Nations has adopted a set sustainable development goals. According to a recent op-ed, however, the left also has reason to fault the UN's efforts.

August 10, 2015 - Jacobin

Earth at Night

UN-Habitat Adopts International Guidelines for Urban and Territorial Planning

UN-Habitat has adopted International Guidelines for Urban and Territorial Planning intended to inform the United Nation's New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

May 1, 2015 - Bruce Stiftel

Medellin

3 Reasons We Should Pay Attention to Medellín

Medellín has been called the most innovative city in the world, and recently hosted the World Urban Forum WUF7 to huge acclaim. It has taken back the city's public realm, found simple solutions to complex problems, and emphasized a "City for Life."

April 15, 2014 - Brent Toderian

10 Principles for Productive Public Spaces

Mackenzie Keast surveys the ten fundamental principles for placemaking identified by New York-based Project for Public Spaces (PPS) in their newly released handbook Placemaking and the Future of Cities.

September 20, 2012 - Urban Times

New Tool Seeks to Measure the Benefits of Urbanization

A new city prosperity index has been unveiled by UN-Habitat at this week's World Urban Forum. The index seeks to catalog the ways in which global urbanization can encourage shared prosperity and human development, reports Claire Provost.

September 7, 2012 - The Guardian

Public Spaces Provide Path to Improving Life in Global Slums

The Project for Public Spaces (PPS), who have been working with UN-HABITAT on sustainable urbanization, describe why establishing public spaces can be even more important to improving the world's slums than providing power or clean water.

September 5, 2012 - Project For Public Spaces

A New Kind of Planning for a New Kind of Africa

Ernest Harsch interviews UN-Habitat Director Joan Clos on the challenges facing African cities in an age of unprecedented urbanization, from the abundance of slums to the threat of natural disasters.

June 27, 2012 - Independent Online

Global Cities Becoming Global Mega-Regions

A new report from the United Nations says that world cities are increasingly becoming mega-regions of developed areas, and governing these regions must become a new focus of governments.

March 23, 2010 - Guardian

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.