New Urban Agenda

What it is

The New Urban Agenda was adopted by 193 states at the UN Habitat III conference in Quito in 2016 as the standing global framework for urban development over roughly the following two decades. It commits governments to compact, connected, inclusive and well-planned urbanisation, addressing housing, land, municipal finance, services and the right to the city. The agreement is non-binding and relies on national and local implementation supported by UN-Habitat. It explicitly aligns urban policy with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Why it matters

It serves as the prevailing international policy framework guiding contemporary planning practice and national urban policies. By codifying shared principles for how cities should grow, it shapes the terms in which governments, agencies and planners debate urbanisation today.

Plans it shaped

• Wrocław Nowe Żerniki (WUWA2) (2011–)
• Cornubia (Durban) Masterplan (2011–)
• Beijing Sub-Center (Tongzhou) Masterplan (2016–)
• Dar es Salaam Master Plan 2016–2036 (2016)
• Boston Imagine Boston 2030 (2017)
• Anchorage 2040 Land Use Plan (2017)
• New Alamein City (Egypt) (2018–)
• The Hague Central Innovation District (2018–)
• Shenzhen Master Plan 2035 (2018)
• Melbourne Fishermans Bend Framework (2018)
• Qiddiya Masterplan, Riyadh (2018–)
• Kuwait Structural Plan 2035 (2018)