Chapter six Selected activities by thematic branches
Selected activities by thematic branches ‘The urban transition’ - a demographic trend whereby, roughly speaking, the global population changes from a two-thirds rural majority in 1950 to a two-thirds urban majority around 2050
Urban Land, Legislation and Governance Urban Legislation Evidence shows that well formulated law, based on sound policy, i) supports equitable governance, planning and project implementation; ii) creates a stable and predictable framework for both public and private sector actors; and iii) provides a platform for integrated local and national sustainable urban development practice. The UN-Habitat Urban Legislation Unit was established in May 2012 to lead the Agency’s work on developing evidence-based, collaborative approaches to urban development assistance; developing innovative tools and methodologies to address particular problems in urban law reform; and, building knowledge and understanding of urban law via effective information and communication platforms.
The 2013 and 2014 period reflected growing interest in the Agency’s urban law approach and demand for its services. In Latin America, legislative analysis was undertaken in Medellin, Colombia, as part of the Agency’s global pilot project on Participatory and Inclusive Land Readjustment (’PILaR’). The urban legal baseline study conducted for this project contributed directly to the City of Medellin’s detailed plan for the pilot. In Africa and Asia, detailed legislative analysis and advisory work continued in the Philippines, Rwanda, Mozambique and Egypt, as part of UN-Habitat’s ‘Achieving Sustainable Urban Development’ (ASUD) programme. This programme provides case studies of sustainable urban development based on the elements of planning, finance and legislation. The empirical evidence gathered provides vital inputs for national legal and policy reform processes and
informs the implementation of city-level concept plans and recommendations. Participatory workshops have also been instrumental in developing local ‘legal’ capacity to manage urban challenges. The studies will be completed by mid2015 and include normative conclusions on the development of appropriate legal structures for urban development. A key part of the UN-Habitat’s urban law work is to understand the current and emerging legal challenges in urban development. Building on the interest in debates about law, equity and inclusion in the 2014 World Urban Forum, a gathering of international and local planning and legal experts was held in Guinea Bissau (July 2014). Organised in partnership with the Faculty of Law (Bissau), this event deepened participants’ understanding of the foundational legal and planning frameworks required for sustainable urban development. The
S e l e c t e d a c t i v i t i e s b y t h e m at i c b r a n c h e s
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