New UN collaboration to promote sustainable urban development

The collaboration will promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise about sustainable urban development, The New Urban Agenda and the UN’s "sustainable cities and communities" Sustainable Development Goal number 11.

Signed by Professor Geraint Rees (UCL Vice-Provost, Research, Innovation and Global Engagement), Professor Michael Walls (UCL Development Planning Unit) and Neil Khor, Special Advisor to the UN-Habitat Executive Director, the agreement will promote training, engagement, events and discussions aimed at furthering knowledge and understanding around sustainable urban development.

Professor Walls said: “We are enormously excited at this opportunity to build a dynamic partnership that helps address some of the key opportunities and challenges of urban sustainability, in which the complex and interlinked issues of inclusivity and climate change demand evidence-led and socially sensitive planners and practitioners.”

The aim of the collaboration is to bring together theory and research developed at UCL with UN-Habitat’s real-world experience to guide the development and financing of sustainable urban environments.

Professor Rees: “This is a tremendous opportunity. This memorandum of understanding between UCL and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme underscores the value and importance of UCL research and its central role in helping to solve some of the world's most pressing issues.”

Neil Khor said: "By fostering an exchange of expertise, we open avenues for UCL's esteemed faculty and researchers to contribute directly to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the vital goals enshrined within SDG 11. Their knowledge will inform our policies, sharpen our tools, and empower city leaders to build spaces where every resident can flourish.”

The collaboration will also provide technical guidance for the development of the Cities Investment Facility (CIF), a new knowledge hub focused on solutions for financing sustainable urbanisation. With UCL’s help, the initiative will bring together multiple stakeholders to ensure the project aligns with the latest sustainable development principles and best practices, and provide technical guidance to city officials through capacity-building programmes.

Links

• Professor Michael Wall's academic profile
• Professor Geraint Rees’ academic profile
• The Bartlett Development Planning Unit at UCL
• The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty for the Built Environment
• United Nations Human Settlements Programme
• The New Urban Agenda
• UN Sustainable Development Goal 11

Image

• Credit: Development Planning Unit University College London

Media Contact

Mike Lucibella

• E: m.lucibella [at] ucl.ac.uk