Kutse

Saatja: MKM info <[email protected]> Saadetud: 31.05.2022 10:35 Adressaat: MKM info <[email protected]> Teema: FW: Invitation to participate as a keynote speaker at the UEF 4, 2022, Toronto , Canada From: Ozan Kocadag &lt;&gt; Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 11:44 PMTo: MKM info &lt;&gt;; Taavi Aas &lt;&gt;Cc: Reza Pourvaziry &lt;&gt;; Anantha Krishnan &lt;&gt;; UEF4 &lt;&gt;Subject: Invitation to participate as a keynote speaker at the UEF 4, 2022, Toronto , Canada Dear Hon. Taavi Aas ,I hope this email finds you well. On behalf of the Urban Economy Forum (UEF) and UN-Habitat, I am delighted to invite you to participate as a keynote speaker at the 4th Urban Economy Forum, (UEF4). The UEF4 is being held in hybrid format on October 3rd &amp; 4th, 2022 (Toronto, Canada) on occasion of the United Nation&#8217;s World Habitat Day. We would be happy to have your valuable remarks for about 10 minutes and may vary according to the program. It can either be a visual presentation using PowerPoint or oral. You have the liberty to talk about the main themes and topics of the Forum, as well as your related work in the field. For details on themes and topics please refer to the attached concept note. The UEF4 will be an international gathering for key decision-makers and stakeholders to address significant topics relating to sustainable urban development. This year&#8217;s themes will be based on &#8220;Sustainable Urban Finance&#8221; and economic stability in terms of social, economic, cultural, and environmental aspects along with the impact of the pandemic on the above-mentioned areas. The UEF4 will also gather urban stakeholders from all over the world to open a dialogue on the economic and financial aspects of sustainable urban development. The aim is to help us identify and share opportunities, leverage innovations, and mobilize resources for urban recovery using an economic lens. Your participation at the UEF4 will add great value and facilitate our initiatives to reach a better urban future that fosters cities to be inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. It is greatly appreciated if you could confirm your participation at your earliest convenience. Also, please find attached the poster, and concept note for this exciting event. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Kind regards, Ozan Kocadag Network and Strategic Partnership Specialist Email: 660 Dundas Street East Toronto, ON, CA, M5A 2C1 Toward a Sustainable Urban Economy The content of this email is confidential and intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender. If you received this message by mistake, please reply to this message and follow with its deletion, so that we can ensure such a mistake does not occur in the future. 3 d U ban Ec n m F m (UEF 2021) THE BRAMPTON RESOLUTION On Occasion of World Habi a Da Oc ober Bramp on Canada TORWARDS SUSTA NTABLE URBAN ECONOMY S ppor ed b Our UEF Colleagues - Evan Beck, Chief Program Officer - Alex Venuto, Chief Strategy Officer - Ilda Cordiero, Program Manager - Fazileh Dadvar, Urban Academic Platform Secretariate - Ozan Kocadag, Program Assistant UEF 2021 Honoary Chair - Eduardo Moreno, Director of External Relations, Knowledge, Innovation, and Partnerships, UN-Habitat UEF 2021 Steering Committee Co-Chairs - Julie Ward, Co-Chair of Urban Economy Forum & Former British Member of the European Parliament for the North West England - Jan Vapaavuori, Mayor of Helsinki, Finland UEF 2021 Steering Committee Members - Ambika Chawla, Expert in Climate Change and Emergencies - Anitra Nelson, Associate Professor of University of Melbourne - Atsushi Koresawa, Director, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, UN-Habitat - Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of Kitchener, Canada - Brian Saunderson, Mayor of Town of Collingwood, Canada - Camilla Ween, Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University and Expert in Urban Design, City Planning and Transportation - Christina Bruce, Director, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Program, City of Vaughan, Canada - Circe Monteiro, Professor, Federal University of Perambuco & Director of INCITI" - Claudia Murray, Research Fellow, Department of Real Estate and Planning, Henley Business School, University of Reading - David Miller, Director of International Diplomacy, C40 - Eleanor Mohammed, President, Commonwealth Association of Planners, Co-Chair United Nations Habitat Professionals Forum & Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, City of Beaumont, Canada - Femi Adewole, President, Family Homes Funds (FHF) - Frank D'hondt, Secretary General, ISOCARP - Heela Omarkhail, Vice President of Social Impact, of The Daniels Corporation - Honourable Heidi Victoria, Shadow Minister for the Arts + Culture, Tourism + Major Events and Consumer Affairs - James Pasternak, Councillor City of Toronto, Canada - Julia Deans, President of Habitat for Humanity, Canada - Kamran Hassani-Espili, Executive Director of Urban Economy Forum 2 - Kumaresh Misra, Former Deputy Secretary General of Habitat III - Lisa Helps, Mayor, City of Victoria - Mariama Djambony, Representative of United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, Office of the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth - Mary W. Rowe, President and CEO, Canadian Urban Institute - Martina Otto, Head of Cities of UNEP - Massoud Ghandchi, President and Founder, Ghandchi Organisation - Matti Siemiatycki, Associate Professor of Geography and Planning & Interim Director of School of Cities, University of Toronto - Michel Trocmé, Partner of Urban Strategies - Mohammad Mehdi Mazaheri, The Secretary of the Human Settlement National Committee & International Affairs Senior Advisor to the Minister of Roads and Development I.R. Iran - Mosleh Duhoky, President of Duhok University, Duhok University - Narayanan Edadan, Housing and Disaster Risk Reduction Consultant of World Bank - Naser Mohammadi, Executive Director, Municipal Finance and Urban Economy Platform, International City Leaders - Nathaniel Efik, Founder/CEO, Frique Cities Channel - Oumar Sylla, Director, Regional Office of Africa, UN-Habitat - Paige P. Viren, Assistant Professor at San Francisco State University - Patrick Brown, Mayor, City of Brampton - Phil Prentice, Chief Officer of Scotland's Towns Partnership - Ramin Keivani, Head of School of Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University - Reza Pourvaziry, Chair of Urban Economy Forum - Richard Barkham, Global chief Economist & Head of Americas Research of CBRE - Rogier Van Den Berg, Director of Urban Development, World Resources Institute - Sabramonia Anantha Krishnan, Chair of Urban Economy Forum - Sandra Mergulhao, Executive Producer, Bloomberg Canada - Silvia Ganzerla, Policy Director, Eurocities - Sharmaarke Abdullahi, External Relations Specialist, UN-Habitat - Soo Ing-Moody, President, Association of Washington Cities & Mayor of Town of Twisp, USA - Varalakshmi Vemuru, Practice Manager, Social Sustainability and Inclusion Global Practice, Europe and Central Asia Region, World Bank - Vincent Tong, Chair Development Officer of Toronto Community Housing - Vaneshran Arumugam, Representative of Living University - Yunqing Xu, Director, Urban and Environmental Studies University Research Center, Xi’an Jiaotong- Liverpool University - Zahin Razeen, Representative of United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, Office of the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth - Zahra Kassam, Founder and CEO, Kuwa Urban Spaces by People 3 INDEX 5 Executive Summary 8 Introduction 13 Housing General The Global Community National and Regional Level Local Level 16 The Global Pandemic General The Global Community National and Regional Level Local Level 17 Public Participation and Communities General National and Regional Level Local Level 19 Climate Change The Global Community National and Regional Level Local Level 22 Urban Resources The Global Community The Local Level 24 Urban Food Systems 4 Executive Summary The 3rd Urban Economy Forum organized in partnership with UN-Habitat and supported by the city of Brampton was a great opportunity for urban stakeholders including city leaders, urban professionals, indigenous communities and the private sector from around the globe to come together virtually and share their insights and expertise on sustainable economies, housing, and urban recovery. Throughout the proceedings, the participants emphasised the need for partnerships, collaborative initiatives, open-minded exchange of ideas and information, , and inclusive leadership. The Forum’s focus was “Housing and Urban Recovery” and the practical approaches needed to move toward more sustainable urban economies. Housing and Urban Recovery, Housing and Urban Economy: Building Forward Better in a World with Pandemic, Urban Economy and the Global Pandemic, Climate Change and Urban Economy, Innovation, Governance and the Urban Economy - Rethinking Urban Paradigms and Public Participation and Community Empowerment for Equitable Economic Growth were the six themes that were deliberated at the Forum During the two and a half days, housing’s central role for urban recovery was emphasised. It was clear how housing is interconnected to other aspects urban sustainability, such as climate change, economy and social development, inclusion, agriculture, transportation, and space to name a few. The urban challenges that cities are facing, like the COVID-19 pandemic, have also exacerbated the housing crisis. This in turn has also accelerated the struggle cities are facing from the pandemic, especially for the most vulnerable population. One of the most important solutions to this challenge was acknowledging and recognizing housing as a Human Right. The need to move away from the speculative nature of housing which has put so many people and communities at a disadvantage was an important facet of the discussion. While several challenges were highlighted during the forum, actions and examples were also presented. There was a call for the global community to explore housing models that are based on the circular economy and the call for funding mechanism that can help scale approaches. Many examples already exist globally that have been proven to work. ‘One size fits all’ solutions do not work and there is a need to understand the local and national contexts for the housing solutions have to be adopted. There was a general agreement at the Forum about the need for greater collaboration between all levels of government. National and local governments need to align housing priorities, re-examine government transfer payment models, and establish mechanism to collect, process, and analyze data to local priorities and strategies, including housing strategies. Planning and building codes also need to be revisited and should incorporate sustainability principles and addressing challenges faced by cities, like climate change. The participants also pointed out that governments need to involve all stakeholders in this conversation to ensure increasing housing quality does not lead to rising housing costs. Social infrastructure, financial models for affordable housing, local contexts, and the needs of people all must be considered in the quest for access to affordable and adequate housing strategies. 5 The global pandemic and its impacts were also explored during UEF 2021. Although it was clear that cities continued to grow during the global pandemic and people leaving cities was marginal, other long-term impacts of COVID-19 are still unknown. More data and practical examples are needed. This presents an opportunity for cities to share challenges and opportunities as they continue to look toward building forward better. Organisations, such as UN-Habitat, have also provided an extensive database on the challenges, opportunities, and practical approaches that are underway in cities due to COVID-19. Importantly, cities must continue to address the growing inequalities accentuated by COVID-19, and all stakeholders must work together to establish a more sustainable economic model that also takes advantages of the emerging opportunities, such as working from home. COVID-19 crisis also provides an opportunity for planners and policy makers to take transformative actions towards creating cities that are more just, resilient, and sustainable. This opportunity can also provide some solutions for housing. As discussed under one of the themes, public participation is a must for urban areas and empowering local communities can lead to greater and more equitable economic and social outcomes. Appropriate education is lacking in many urban areas. While new technologies have a large potential to empower communities, access to and the functioning of new technologies should be checked by people to ensure it does not create new barriers and inequalities to public participation. Governments must have processes in place that empower and create opportunities for communities where their voices are heard and contribute to decision making. Engaging communities should not be just another tokenism step in the process. The Forum also echoed the view that bringing people and opportunities closer together allows neighborhoods to flourish. Inclusive, fair, and accessible cities can eliminate inequalities seen in urban communities and create opportunities to engage marginalized and underserved communities. Using art and culture, valuing self-learning and tacit or experiential knowledge, and mechanisms for public engagement in decision making are all opportunities for better social inclusion. Furthermore, as cities look to build forward better, various perspectives, such as a child friendly city, incorporating accessibility and opportunities for the elderly, and gender inclusive buildings and public spaces are all part of the future of a more sustainable urban society. With COP26 happening a month following UEF 2021, the 3rd forum provided an opportune platform leading up to the global conference on climate change. Cities require access to climate financing and with appropriating financing, cities can be implementors of change to achieve climate and sustainability targets. Over 50% of the global population lives in cities and climate financing should be reflective of this reality. Cities are, responsible for three quarters of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. National and Regional governments need to take on a strong leadership role in accessing climate financing and boldly guide their cities toward more sustainable practices. Countries are custodians of the land and should and must protect earth’s ecological limits, provide national climate strategies, and support cities in aligning their climate strategies. With access to climate financing, cities can promote global climate change mitigation and low-carbon development including in the housing and construction sector and plan their urban recovery and delivery sustainable housing solutions. Besides mitigation, cities should now play a larger role in adaptation today. UEF’s participants also brought to attention that the urban poor bear the brunt of climate change effects since they live and work in informal settlements that are more exposed to hazards. Hence cities need to strengthen their capacity to 6 assess vulnerability to climate change impacts and to identify corresponding plans and investments to increase their resilience. While reiterating how cities have an important role to play to address climate change, it was noted that they must also leverage all opportunities available and take advantage of city-to-city learning. There are many good examples of how cities can move forward to address impacts of climate change and contribute to global climate agendas. At the same time, it’s important to understand that not all cities are created equal, and some cities will have advantages over others, and other cities will be required to adapt and address challenges quicker than others. The subject of urban resources is one of UEF’s main areas of work. Cities and communities continue to have untapped urban resources that, if accessed and used efficiently, can provide many new opportunities, and provide solutions for current urban challenges. The use of urban data was again identified as a significant gap for urban settlements. As well, cities should also consider underground spaces, urban food systems, and taking stock and maintaining infrastructure as all being critical to their urban resources management. The 3rd Urban Economy Forum is one of the world’s most premier urban gatherings on sustainable urban economies and urban management. The collaborative approach for collective action taken by the organisation is integral to strengthen urban areas and working toward a more sustainable urban environment. We look forward to the 4th Urban Economy Forum, which will be held in October 2022. Kind Regards, Reza Pourvaziry Anantha Krishnan Kamran Hassani Chair, UEF Secretary General, UEF Executive Director, UEF 7 Introduction We, the participants of the Urban Economy Forum 2021 (UEF 2021), gathered virtually from 4 to 6 October 2021 in conjunction with World Habitat Day in Brampton, Canada, with the participation of national, subnational, and local governments, parliamentarians, UN-Habitat and other UN and transnational agencies, civil society, cities’ representatives, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, the private sector, professionals and practitioners from diverse fields, the scientific and academic community, youth, volunteers, students, other relevant stakeholders to debate, agree and adopt this resolution for promoting sustainable economic, social and environmental well-being in urban areas. This resolution, the Brampton Resolution, aims to build upon the Urban Economy Forum’s previous resolutions and to advance the cooperative goals deliberated during the presentations and discussions of UEF 2021. We thank the Ministers, Mayors, and other Elected Officials who joined us from around the globe to bring more attention to this Forum and to share the urban economic and social challenges and opportunities faced in their countries. We thank UN-Habitat, Government of Canada, and the City of Brampton for expressing interest in, providing support, and encouragement during the process leading up to and during UEF 2021. We appreciate the Prime Minister of Canada Honourable Justin Trudeau for his continue support of the Urban Economy Forum and recognition of the importance that cities and urban economy has on the prosperity of the society. While UEF 2021 was held virtually, we are grateful for the partnership and opportunities provided by the City of Brampton to host a virtual gathering. We extend our appreciation to the City of Brampton for their partnership and contributions to the organisation of UEF 2021 and look forward to their continued collaboration in the future. We recognise that our work and the work of many of our partners take place in traditional Indigenous territories throughout Ontario, Canada, and the world, and in particular, the Ancestral Traditional Territories of the Ojibway, the Anishinaabe, and the Mississauga's of the New Credit. We recognise and sincerely appreciate their historical connection to this place. We are thankful to share in this rich and diverse culture on the global stage as we work together in the spirit of collaboration for a more positive and sustainable future. We appreciate UN-Habitat’s support to UEF with substantive inputs and guidance. In the same way as we see the need to have an integrated approach to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda, we are convinced of the need to link our major global agendas together for nature, climate, COVID-19 recovery, health and poverty reduction. We urge for the collective removal of barriers to allow solutions to be put in place. We are calling for the unlocking of finance and promotion of investment, while prioritizing sustainability, to 8 ensure that solutions serve to improve livelihoods, protect the environment and chart a pathway for a just transition for sustainable development. We share in the commitment expressed by the UN Secretary-General’s report, Our Common Agenda, and that, “Humanity’s welfare - and indeed, humanity’s very future - depend on solidarity and working together as a global family to achieve common goals”. UEF 2021 embraces this commitment and has been a virtual place to build bridges, consensus, and commonalities on what the future of sustainable urban economies and urban resources should look like. We recognise the importance of and rally behind this year's World Habitat Day, 2021 with the Theme: Accelerating Action for a Carbon-Free World. We acknowledge the intersectionality between housing and urban development and achieve a carbon-free world. We endorse The UN Secretary General’s World Habitat Day message, in particular his mention that the Day’s theme “ highlights how cities and towns are at the core of climate action to keep the 1.5 degrees goal within reach”. We also endorse the World Habitat Day message of the Executive Director of UN-Habitat in which she observes that “The recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity for the world’s cities to put climate action on top of their agenda. This is a chance to change how we generate our power, construct our buildings, heat, cool and light up our offices and homes, and travel around from home to work.” We will continue to promote, support, and monitor the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals at the local level, among other things, through the support of the "World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park". We acknowledge the close collaboration with UN- Habitat with substantive inputs and guidance. We consider in earnest, the UN Secretary General’s call to connect local and regional governments and their associations, national governments, businesses, community-based organizations and other local actors, and the United Nations system to support on the ground delivery of the SDGs, with a focus on those furthest behind. We continue to call on governments at all levels to establish global cooperation on advancing sustainable urbanism principles and concepts and work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the new Urban Agenda. Only through cooperation and collaboration can we truly realise the full potential of our cities. It is time for urgent action that involves all urban stakeholders - governments, firms, non-profits, and communities. There is a need to speak 'truth to power' about the major challenges that cities face. We emphasis that the status quo is no longer an option. 9 We share the concern of the UN Secretary-General, expressed at the release of the IPCC report1, prepared by 234 scientists from 66 countries, and the alert of “a code red for humanity”. We support the call for solutions that are “Inclusive and green economies, prosperity, cleaner air and better health are possible for all, if we respond to this crisis with solidarity and courage” We emphasis that raising concern about climate change must also be followed by the actions needed to tackle it. For example, vastly insufficient levels of urban climate finance were invested in developing economies, such as South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, which saw an annual average investment of just USD 4 billion and USD 3 billion, respectively.2 Cities in developing countries (excluding China) only saw minor volumes of climate investment despite their rapidly growing urban centers. We have taken note that Cities especially, in the global south, lack the technical and financial capacity to access urban climate financing (funds) available and may have to act through intermediaries. Assistance provided should extend to building this capacity which allows city specific differentiated needs to be articulated and implemented in projects. Those who bear the brunt of climate change within these cities should be the target of these initiatives using a participatory and inclusive approach. We have also noted with concern that by 2050, 143 million people will be displaced within their own countries by climate impacts in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and south Asia alone.3 Most of these journeys will end in cities, the hubs of social networks and economic opportunity. But not all these urban centres, facing their own climate-induced crises, are equally well-suited to provide refuge. In rapidly urbanizing countries in the global south, attention needs to be paid including for people who have been forced to flee to towns and cities. It was estimated that 82.4 million people who were forcibly displaced at the end of 2020, 48 million are IDPs, meaning they stayed within the borders of their country, and most of them in cities.4 We recognise that housing is a human right and a catalyst for all other fundamental rights. We recognize the intersectionality between housing and rapid urbanization, climate change and the climate emergency, and increasing inequalities and inequities across the globe. We reiterate our call for the right to adequate, safe, accessible and affordable housing for all, as well as sustainable and inclusive communities as part of the solution to achieve a more prosperous and equitable global society. 1 https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/ 2 https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/the-state-of-cities-climate-finance/ 3 https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/20/621782275/the-refugees-that-the-world-barely-pays- attention-to 4 https://www.unhcr.org/flagship-reports/globaltrends/ 10 We appreciate UEF 2021’s emphasis on housing and urban recovery and the converging crises faced by cities, such as climate emergency, the global pandemic, and the housing crisis. We concur with the analysis that the impact of COVID-19 has widened the narrative around climate change to highlight that collective action and change are possible, and in recovering from the pandemic, there is the opportunity to introduce further measures to tackle climate change and environmental emergencies. We re-emphasise the call for adequate “housing for all” to become a reality, coordinated efforts are required from national and local governments. Local authorities are key actors in ensuring that all citizens stay safe and protected and are seen as key participants in the delivery. National governments are critical for leading housing delivery programs and supporting local decision- makers by empowering them to take proactive and preventative actions and make effective decisions to meet local housing challenges. The Global Pandemic has clearly exposed already existing injustices prevalent in our cities and societies. While some countries are beginning to emerge from the pandemic, many still face challenges ahead with cities at the forefront. We recognize the importance of sharing resources and providing support from city-to-city and country-to-country. Communities living in informal settlements / slum dwellers in the world's cities have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic and lockdown measures, but the spotlight on them can provide further impetus and resources for slum upgradation efforts that through improved access to infrastructure can improve living conditions and provide more secure livelihoods. We are convinced that improved access to core services like housing, energy, water and transport for the urban under-served can lead to citywide prosperity and sustainability. We have taken note of findings of UN-Habitat and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) that the cities and urban areas in East Africa, livelihoods and incomes of populations are seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for those living in informal settlements. These urban populations are more vulnerable to food insecurity and unstable livelihoods as they mainly depend on the informal sector. It is estimated that the number of food insecure people in East Africa will increase to more than 41 million people because of COVID-19 including 14 million urban dwellers.5 We have noted with concern and interest that the cities in Arctic Region the trends manifest themselves most prevalently in terms of global climate changes giving rise to new threats and opportunities in terms of natural resources extraction, new trade routes and an increased geo- strategic interest. While cities in this region have triggered attention from global and powerful 5 https://www.wfp.org/publications/east-africa-impact-covid-19-livelihoods-food-security-nutrition-urban-august- 2020 11 stakeholders within business, civil society, state and supra-state political actors, attention needs to be paid for sustainable development of these cities and prosperity of their populations. As outlined in the policy brief for the UN Food Systems Summit, territorial food systems for sustainable development, (2021), we support a territorial approach to food and nutrition along with other approaches at the sub-national, regional and local levels. Since economic and social behaviours are fundamentally embedded in place, a territorial approach is useful to promote sustainable and inclusive food systems at the local levels. We recognize the annual forum as a premier global gathering for sustainable urban economy and urban resources that brings together stakeholders to identify practical approaches to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and accelerates solutions with the most merit. Only through global collaboration with collective action, can a more prosperous urban future be achieved. We reaffirm our support for Urban Economy Forum (UEF) as an organisation based on practicality that begins with dialogue that leads to actions and results. Attendees acknowledged UEF for its activities throughout the 2020-2021 year, including: A. Signing of bilateral agreement between Urban Economy Forum and UN-Habitat B. Continuing collaborations with ISOCARP, Asian Mayors Forum, and Scotland’s Town Partnership C. Establishing working collaboration with the signing of an MOU with Habitat Norway D. Launching of UEF’s Membership program E. Initiating national level activities and exploring the viability of national chapters-UEF where possible F. Bolstering UEF’s presence throughout the globe through the establishment of local chapters G. Establishing collaboration with cities across Canada and the globe, including: i. City of Brampton on the Brampton: Frontrunner of Urban SDGS and Co-host of UEF 2021 ii. Town of Collingwood on the Collingwood: Frontrunner Town of Urban SDGs and the 2nd Collingwood World Summit iii. City of Kitchener on the Kitchener: Global Hub of SDG Cities in Canada iv. York University: SDG Climate Solutions Neighbourhood v. Urban + Future: Rethinking Global Housing Pilot H. The ongoing efforts in establishing the World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park UEF 2021 will continue to advance the priorities, objectives, and projects identified by UEF 2019, UEF 2020, and UEF 2021 participants, and are in general and non-binding agreement to promote the concepts and approaches as follows: 12 Housing General a. Right to Housing: Housing is a fundamental right and social good and should be acknowledge as such both globally and nationally. National, subnational and local housing policies should support the progressive realisation of the right to adequate housing for all and must include not only citizens but all people. b. Bold Leadership: Leaders need a willingness to collaborate with all stakeholders, understand what partners need, and learn from the past success and challenges. There must also be a willingness to rethink current building practices and living standards to achieve environmental, social and economic stability, transcendence, harmony and humanity. c. Housing and Urbanisation: Housing plays a significant role and is interlinked with nearly all aspects of urbanisation, such as economic development, social mobility, human spirit, health and safety. d. Housing and Urban Challenges: Housing plays a critical role in addressing urban challenges, such as climate change, mitigating implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing inequalities in our societies. The Urban Economy Forum should continue to work with international partners and national and regional governments, to encourage governments to recognize housing as a human right through legislation that is actioned through strategic planning. e. Housing Affordability Crisis and Consequences: The high cost of housing is alarming and an urgent concern that requires immediate attention. The increasing costs of housing will likely lead to increased rates of social-economic challenges, such as increased crime rates and drug use. f. Housing Quality and Affordability: The demand and needs for good quality housing is growing, such as more space, green areas, terraces, well insulated, with natural light. Increasing demands for quality has also pushed the price of housing up, creating additional challenges around housing affordability. a. Circular Economy and Construction: Circular Economy Business Model to be promoted with inclusive financing mechanism for the construction sector (infrastructure & building materials). The Global Community g. Housing Solutions based on National and Local Contexts: Solutions to housing challenges requires different policies, actions, and solutions that must consider local and national contexts and the availability of resources. There is not a one stop solution that will work everywhere, 13  however, efforts should be made to identify housing solutions that could be replicated and scaled based on regionality, geographics and contexts. h. Housing Funding Mechanism: The international community and governments should further examine housing funding mechanisms like the Urban Poor Fund International and community based affordable housing initiatives such as Dignity in South Africa and explore the upscaling of proven initiatives that meet globally acknowledged standards, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. National and Regional Level a. Reinforcing Policies Across Governments: National and Municipal governments require shared and mutually reinforcing policies, in particular those that support land and financing, zoning and land use policies. b. Sustainable Building Codes: Governments need to incorporate sustainable development principles in building codes. This should also be included within national housing policies. Aligning building codes with global sustainability agendas will require consultations with the relevant institutions, sectors, and the general public. c. Sustainable Building Codes and Increasing Housing Costs: With increasing requirements for building codes, this is also associated with additional costs and funding requirements that are associated with incorporating sustainable and inclusive building codes (as well as and using more appropriate and sustainable materials). This may also create additional limits on housing accessibility. National Governments and the private sector will need to work together to understand both the positive and negative implications this will have on urban development and housing. d. Wholesale Planning: Planning codes need to reform wholesale planning systems e. Sustainable Designs and Building Materials: Designs and standards to build cities and the materials used need to be revised to incorporate the sustainability principles and address climate change and emergencies. f. Governmental Transfer Payments: Central and Regional Government financing programmes (i.e. Community Development Block Grant) for cities and local communities that pre-allocate funding based on formulas (i.e. population, socio-economic status, etc…) should reduce application burdens on cities and local communities, allow greater flexibility on its use at the local level, and should be linked to governments’ budgets. This limits resources spent by cities and local communities to apply for necessary funding and be spent on local needs. g. Housing and Public Participation: To solve the current housing crisis, governments at all levels will be required to tap into more voices, including those with lived experience such as the homeless, financiers with access to capital, and women. This may also require trying out new modes of engagement, including via the arts. 14 h. Housing Coproduction: Governments should explore coproduction of housing across the entire housing model spectrum (i.e., from coop housing to the informal) i. Housing and Data: Housing policies require a tailored approach based on the needs of different populations and groups, identify the needs should be informed by data. There is a need for greater access to urban data that is de-aggregated.6 j. Freeing the Housing Sector from Speculation: The future of private sector should be about making a decent profit. Place-based anti-speculation housing policies based on a territorialised diagnosis of residential vulnerability, using data and private public partnership (PPP) is necessary. Local Level a. Fragility of Cities: While most cities are facing housing affordability and growth issues, some are more fragile than others, due to conflicts and other stressors, this is especially relevant in the Global South. b. Social Infrastructure: Social infrastructure plays a critical role in the quality of urbanization and supports a community that is healthier, wealthier, and involved. c. Land-based Finance Mechanism: Cities should use land-based finance mechanisms for affordable housing. Based on current practices and in collaboration with relevant partners, cities should explore ways to link housing finance and land value sharing mechanisms in countries and cities at all levels of economic development and with diverse legal, institutional, and political structures. d. New Models for Affordable Housing Financing: Cities should explore how affordable housing can be pooled, structured, and financed to support SDG 1: End Poverty. Current challenges include degrading credit risk and affordable housing goals are limited by existing lending and financing practices. e. Local Standards for Building Materials: Cities should develop standards for local materials that are measurable to avoid a high level of verity in implementation and the cost of building with non-conventional building materials that are based on sustainable principles should be subsidized. f. Role of Community Development Financial Institutions: Micro-financing institutions should be broadened to uplift Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the housing/construction sector, as they are equipped to provide inclusive finance, training and fill gaps not being met by conventional lending institutions. g. Cities and Homeowners: Cities will have to balance tensions between the interests and power of homeowners and residents with other tenures, which challenge policymaking in terms of enhancing sustainability and affordability 6 Boston’s Women Advancement unit is collecting and leveraging data from and about women that can help inform decision making. https://www.boston.gov/departments/womens-advancement 15 The Global Pandemic General a. Future Impacts of COVID-19: The long-term impacts of COVID-19 on urban economy is still unfolding and must be properly investigated. Governments and organisations at all levels will need to further explore what are these impacts. More data and practical examples are required to continue an urban transition toward sustainability. Findings and strategies should be shared to address future and ongoing challenges. b. Continued Growth of Cities: While many predicted that COVID-19 could lead to the end of cities, this has not materialised, and the flow of people moving out of cities was marginal. c. Cross-sectoral Collaboration: All stakeholders need to bolster cross- collaboration and cooperation to contribute to the ongoing progress to achieving the SDGs and building forward better post-COVID-19. Learning networks from government-to-government and across sectors should be leveraged to accelerate the transition. The Global Community a. A New Model for Urban Economy: There are opportunities to invest in a new model of urban economy that is more sustainable, green, and inclusive. This will require adequate level of investment from both the public and private, and policy makers will need a clear and strong vision to guide investments. b. UN-Habitat’s Cities’ COVID-19 Database: UN-Habitat’s most authoritative data-based report on 1700 cities relating to COVID-19 recovery provides a number of insights for cities, both challenges and opportunities, and ways to move forward.7 National and Regional Level a. Growing Inequalities: There is a clear trend of increased inequalities, as vulnerable people are even more vulnerable as a result of COVID-19, such as people working in informal economy, with non- standard contracts, or precarious working conditions. Measures for public support have been stopped, and vulnerable people do not have a safety net. Efforts must be made by national governments to continue to examine the trend and impacts of inequalities. National governments will need to work close with local authorities to support in the implementation of measures and delivery of to reduce inequalities and support the most vulnerable populations. 7 https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2021/03/cities_and_pandemics- towards_a_more_just_green_and_healthy_future_un-habitat_2021.pdf 16 Local Level a. Shifting Work Conditions and New Opportunities for Housing: The impact of working from home on real estate is still unfolding it is unclear if vacant office space will result in better opportunities for providing affordable and quality housing. Local governments in collaboration with the national and regional governments and real estate sector could explore implications of converting vacant office space to housing and share learnings with the globe. Public Participation and Communities General a. Barriers to Education: There is a need to further study systemic issues in education, industry stigmas, access to public spaces, barriers to create opportunities for youth b. Protecting Urban and Environmental Activists: International community should ensure measures to protect environmental activists, indigenous groups and other human rights defenders who face harassment, imprisonment and extrajudicial killing for doing their essential work. And it means implementing environmental and equity, ensuring laws and listening to the voices calling for change. c. Dignity and respect: Peoples and ecosystems should be respected. Governments should provide opportunities for knowledge and education of different approaches, perspectives, and traditions. d. Technology and Public Participation: Technology Platforms are not neutral and there is no one size fits all. Communities must raise their forces to correct technology as it is unable of correcting itself. It is also important to acknowledge that technology can be barrier to these voices. National and Regional Level a. Governmental Leadership: Governments are encouraged to engage communities in communicating complex concepts related to climate change, SDGs, and post-COVID-19 and green recovery. A large array of climate change and environment related terminology is in circulation but vocabulary and understanding are limited. It is necessary for governments to clarify what the different climate responsibilities are and where they lie. People are looking for a strong, lucid tone, with clear targets and path to follow. b. Community Empowerment: There is a need for quality education, mechanisms to facilitate social capital, women economic empowerment, fighting discrimination, promote healthy 17  lifestyle, and political inclusion of youth as important tools for community economic empowerment. c. Middle Class and Reducing Regional Inequalities: National governments are encouraged to implement regional plans/projects/strategies for sustainable urbanization and strengthen middle-sized cities in less developed areas and decrease regional inequalities within a country. Local Level a. Support the Integration of Minorities and Migrants: Local governments and civil society organizations need to be sympathetic to the needs of the displaced persons in their towns or cities. They must and there are cases where they are complicit in stoking ethnic tensions and discrimination. b. Process for Local Collaboration to Address Urban Issues: Cities should engage with local communities in understanding and communicating authentic feelings and experiences on a wide range of issues such as climate change, homelessness, unemployment, gender-based violence and collectively explore ways of addressing them. c. Meaningful Participation of Local Communities: Urban development, redevelopment and community development should be undertaken with policies and practices that include meaningful and empowered participation of local communities as knowledgeable stakeholders and contributors to the decision-making process. Governments cannot establish effective and efficient urban management strategies without the involvement of all stakeholders, especially those that are most vulnerable. d. Harnessing Youth to Transform Urban Communities: Youth contribute to the formulation of effective urban policies and governance. As such, it is recognized the importance of avoiding tokenism and creating meaningful platforms for youth civic engagement in the decision- making process to transform urban communities into safe, resilient and sustainable places of work, home and play. A vibrant city needs to engage youth and have them at the forefront of change. Youth should be recognized as advocates of positive change which requires full participation of youth in all political and socioeconomic spaces. Good examples include of urban youth council and youth-led and youth-focused initiatives. e. Self-learning and Tacit Knowledge: Urban planning experts do not only come from academia and formal education. Self-learning and tacit knowledge should be acknowledged and promoted as an important component to urban planning, management, and decision making and should be respected and encouraged as part of the urban development process. f. Importance of Social Inclusion: Social exclusion and alienation leads to many socio- economic challenges, such as gangs and drug use. Involving soceity and youth in meaningful decisions can lead to better long-term outcomes for both the individual and the community. Local governments should explore programs that promote family cohesion, youth in decision- making roles, access to cultural, social, and economic opportunities (i.e. jobs, extra-curricular programs, metoring programs). 18 g. Arts and culture: Art and culture should be recognized as fundamental pillars of urban wellbeing. There is a need to co-create a transformative urban world integrating the voices of indigenous communities, women, young people, aged and the “unrepresented”. All voices, experiences, and traditions that are well represented and celebrated in local communities create a harmonious city to live in. h. Urban Planning and Gender Inclusion: Urban planning should emphasize gender-inclusion, for example by acknowledging that girls play and relax in different ways from boys, which requires different spatial design and facilities. i. Cities and Elderly: The elderly should not be seen as just vulnerable victims of climate changes, such as heatwaves, but as important urban resources that are capable of sharing wisdom and offering solutions to the challenges they face Climate Change The Global Community a. Access to climate financing: Climate financing should center at the City level, community participation, and public-private partnerships (PPPs) b. Urban Climate Financing: Cities require financial support to implement requirements to address climate change. “UrbanShift “ initiated by World Resource Institute and UNEP8 is a good example for city focused climate financing. It will improve integrated planning in 23 cities in Argentina, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Rwanda and Sierra Leone cities, impacting the lives of more than 58 million people. c. Gender focus: Funding is now shifting to incorporate gender through examples such as the Adaptation Fund (AF), Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) with its origins in the Paris Agreement that began with a gender lens. d. Global Climate Financing should Emphasize Cities: More than half of the global population is urban (~55%) and this proportion of funding should go to urban areas to help mitigate urban issues, such as public transportation and renewable energies. Most cities, however, do not have the capacity to apply for these funds. Funding should support countries to retain experts and support to formulate their projects and establish a link between what is needed and what is required by global climate agendas. Some countries require support to formulate projects and submit to climate financing agenda, such as COP. 8 https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-and-partners-launch-billion-dollar-initiative- transform-cities 19 National and Regional Level a. Leadership: Strong leadership at all levels is required to lead others toward more sustainable and equitable practices. Many are looking for direction with bolder leadership. b. The Role of National Governments to manage Earth’s Ecological Limits: National governments should explore ways to observe Earth's limits and inequities and deploy mechanisms that ensure long-term prosperity, such as through rationing, taxing, state regulation, polluter pays, mixed tenure neighbourhoods and responsible producer policies. c. Country-level Approach to Address Climate Change: To mobilize urban climate finance at scale and in time to address the climate change crisis, there is a need to take a systems level and whole of economy approach, whereby country, city and climate policies, data and activities are aligned, well-funded, and executed at the local level. d. Aligning National and City-level Climate Policies: Support national and city-level climate policy alignment both top down and bottom up. For example, national governments should incorporate and incentivize the efforts of cities when developing and updating their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) as well as during their implementation. e. Gender Equality and Climate Financing: Gender inequality across multiple urban contexts can be intensified or augmented by climate change policies since women have been disproportionately affected by climate change. Focus areas such as agriculture, water, energy and transportation have gendered dimensions that have been poorly addressed in mitigation measures. Deployment and resource mobilization require a gendered perspective which should extend to elements of programming, monitoring, technical assistance and outreach to ensure impact. Allocation of climate funds should mainstream gender perspectives. f. Strengthening National Climate Standards: Strengthen national level standards, regulations, and data systems that support low carbon and climate-resilient urban planning and development and carbon pricing mechanisms at the municipal level. g. Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers and Climate Change: Adapt and leverage intergovernmental and fiscal transfer systems to support and incentivize city-level climate action. h. Role of National Development Banks: National Development Banks (NDBs) are generally well positioned to support climate-smart urban infrastructure investments and should be encouraged to finance cities directly. i. Reporting on Climate Financing Projects: Donors, development finance institutions, local governments, and cities should increase efforts to monitor and report climate finance projects that benefit urban dwellers. Tracking investments at the project level provides valuable information to support progress monitoring, measure gaps, identify synergies, and optimize and identify opportunities surrounding the urban green transition. 20 j. Green Recovery and Urban Areas: Green recovery stimulus funds should be directed to urban areas which have borne the brunt of COVID-19 cases and face continued economic uncertainty. Also direct green stimulus funds to areas that are urbanizing rapidly in an unmanaged way and at risk of locking in carbon intensive and climate vulnerable pathways, especially in developing economies. k. Financial Measures and Climate Change: The use of fiscal measures to mitigate use of non- climate friendly behaviours, such as the use of road tolls for private cars, should also bear in mind equity issues. Local Level a. The Role of Cities for Earth’s Global Commons: The future of the Earth's global commons, as well as its economy, will be decided in cities in the next decades, which could spearhead green, low-carbon prosperity. The ecosystems, biomes and processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the Earth-system are the very foundation of our global economy and modern society of which cities and towns are part of. Protecting and nurturing sustainable cities also means protecting nature and cultural heritage. b. Financing Urban Solutions to Climate Change: Existing urban resources, access to external finance, and assistance available for climate financing for cities from sovereign or regional governments vary significantly and reflect existing political, economic and financial inequalities. Cities operate in a wide spectrum of enabling environments for urban climate financing across countries. Therefore, each city’s context must determine the relevant policy that is needed and financial tools for mobilizing urban climate finance. c. Strengthening Municipal Finance Capacities: To access climate financing, cities should strengthen their municipal finance capacities, including budgeting, financial management, contract management, and procurement to improve the overall quality of service provision and investments. This can also lay a stronger foundation for climate finance through the improved use of fiscal transfers, own-source revenues, and blended finance instruments. d. Indigenous Communities and Urban Resilience: Incorporate indigenous people’s eco- friendly practices to further advance sustainable urban development and climate resilience. e. Cities and High-use Consumers: local authorities can target high consumers in terms of limiting resource and energy use, for instance through taxation. f. Local Solutions and Sustainability: Many solutions for urban challenges arise at the local level because the local has the greatest understand of their situation, especially when considering the lived experience. For example, African solutions to challenges presented by numerous and various kinds of domestic waste, such as waste plastic being turned into bricks for housing. This presents an important area that is key for urban sustainability. 21 g. 10-minute City and Accessibility: As cities continue to move toward environmental measures in cities such as 10-minute neighbourhoods, measures should bear in mind the needs of differently abled. h. Cities in the Circumpolar North: The Forum recognized the economic, ecological and equity challenges of cities in the circumpolar North and the pervasive impact of climate change. Indigenous people, women and youth are at particular risk of inequality and human rights violation. The situation is, to a very limited degree, highlighted by the international community including the global media. i. On Arctic cities: 1. a closer regional cooperation with focus on the urban challenges and opportunities be coordinated through the Arctic Council and relevant UN mechanisms, e.g. the Economic Commissions of Europe, Asia and America. 2. the major cities of the circumpolar north are given observer status in the Arctic Council. 3. a "State of Arctic Cities" report be produced (ref. UN Habitat Governing Council resolution on Arctic cities of 2008) by seeking funding by the eight (8) Arctic council member states. 4. investment needs, including innovative funding mechanisms, are investigated focusing on future adaptation and mitigation activities 5. UN capacity to meet humanitarian and natural disaster situations in Arctic cities is strengthened 6. Collaborating with civil society initiatives in the region including MAPS, the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary. MAPS is a 360º initiative to awaken interconnection globally in order to protect all life. Urban Resources The Global Community a. Urban Demand Tool for Local Resources: Examine the use of an urban demand tool that can guide the quantity of local resources, such as food, to balance the supply. This can limit surplus supply of resources in one city when another city is in dire need. This would help international organisation, such as the World Food Programme, to intervene if necessary and at the right place while also minimize waste. The Local Level a. Cities and Underground Spaces: Cities’ underground spaces are untapped and underutilized spaces and could offer significant opportunities to address current urban challenges. Urban sprawl is a growing challenge faced by cities and utilizing underground spaces could provide cities with new opportunities for housing and economic and social development. These spaces need to be planned and regulated for more efficient use. 22 b. Ensure Policy Coherence: SDGs should be prioritized within the municipality, including in their strategic, urban planning and economic frameworks. c. Address Infrastructure and Maintenance: Cities need to develop long-term funding plan(s) against infrastructure gap(s) (aging infrastructure, replacing vs. cost of maintenance vs. new green infrastructure requirements). d. SDG 4 & 5: Municipalities are effective implementors to deliver trade skills development to address SDG 4 (sustainable development) and SDG 5 (gender equality) amongst populations. Many municipalities will require support from high-levels of government. e. Sustainable resources and key untapped capacities in urban economy: Cities, in collaboration with the global urban community, must identify sustainable resources and key untapped capacities within the urban economy to create innovation-based economies that promote sustainable development. There is a need to further explore how to connect the identification of new resources with urban management strategies and how urban management strategies can create an environment to identify and use untapped urban resources. Considering the scope of SDGs and their applicability in urban development, with the principles of Earth Agenda in mind, multifaceted management is a foundational approach. As a result, identifying sustainable resources and their key untapped capacities are necessary as applicable tools in multifaceted management. Resources and their capacities are usually vast and variable. They may be social, economic, cultural, and environmental which can be identified by fields like anthropology, psychology, and ecology, and other STEM and non-STEM sectors. In this area, the perspective of city leaders is important since they will be able to find opportunities to identify new resources and use these resources in the urban economy. f. Data and Knowledge: Innovation and governance through data and knowledge is required to shift the urban paradigm. As such, data governance and management is necessary at all levels of government, with cities, states and companies working collaboratively to collect, analyse and monitor all data gathered. Effective data management should consider the following: 1. Digital: Data needs to be in a digital format to be useful, reliable and accurate. 2. Security and Privacy: Government regulatory measures for data security and privacy are imperative to uphold the trust civil society has placed on the public/private sector with personal data. 3. Regulator Frameworks: Need a regulatory framework by government, policies and legislation to protect data. Need right infrastructure in place (storage, visualization, etc.) 4. Data Governance: Cities have more data than they know and need to know how to use it. Data governance is a set of processes to realize data value. The need to meet regulatory requirements around security and privacy. Where is the data, who owns the data set, catalogue the data. 5. City, states, companies need to work together on data collection and collaboration. 6. Housing for urban poor: Innovation and governance is required through data and knowledge. UN-Habitat to set up systems to estimate slum dwellers. Policy interventions required. Community led programs required. A formal recognition that informal settlements are part of the urban fabric. Proven innovation related to housing 23  needs to be adopted by government. National and local governments need resources/budgets to support policy change. g. Measure Success: Cities require the scorecards and tracking metrics for SDGs and identify where systems have to be changed to accommodate the tracking and managing of SDG’s progress. UN-Habitat’s SDG Cities Initiative is a good model that is being implemented globally. h. Time is an Urban Resources: a slow city, a city harmoniously embracing numerous rhythms of diverse lifestyles and the '15-minute city' have all draw attention to time as a significant urban dimension. Urban Food Systems a. Circular Food Systems and Urban Economy: Circular food systems in cities can be coupled with the emergence of food communities and social movements challenging the assumption of the ‘take-make-dispose’ food economy, and creating a new idea of a place-based food economy in the very core of urban areas. From this perspective, urban agriculture and food communities represent an opportunity to create new place-based food economies, communities and systems. b. Food Systems and COVID-19: The management of the current crisis by city and local governments can play a major role in preventing the spread of the virus and, at the same time, in mitigating the disruptions in their food systems and any negative effects on vulnerable populations. c. Public Participation and Urban Food Systems: Urban food policies, active civil society participation with local governments and alternative food networks also need expert attention to be developed into enduring mechanisms that can promote access to safe and nutritious food. These spheres of active citizen participation deserve encouragement and support from the government at all levels. d. Education and the Environment: Community action to promote educational campaigns on food safety and sustainable food choices that support nature friendly and lower carbon footprint deserve active support from the local government as well as the private corporate sector. e. Food Equity, Lifestyles and Resilience: Urban food systems across diverse urban contexts have features that ensure an equitable access to safe and nutritious food, promote responsible food choices and sustainable consumption patterns, support nature positive food production in urban and peri-urban areas, and advance equitable livelihoods that together builds resilience. These require closer study and research to develop innovative solutions to challenges that afflict urban food systems in many countries. f. Regional Approaches to Local Food Systems: Urban and rural governments should further examine the relevance of bio-regional approaches based on agroecological principles for nature 24  based solutions to strengthen and build resilient local food systems. It is also relevant to consider the positive elements underlying local indigenous food systems, the role of municipal and local governments in operationalising SDGs at the local level as well as to strengthen rural- urban functional linkages for an integrated and effective approach to territorial development. g. Climate and Urban Food Systems: Urgent Need for systems that do not aggravate climate change and contribute to environmental degradation h. Ecology: Urban agricultural must acknowledge the Importance of soil health and explore approaches to Regenerative farming i. Resilience: Urban food systems should be built with the ability to cope with disruption j. Decent profits, decently: Urban food systems should embrace the Circular local economy model and can be a mechanism for wealth-building for local community. Local communities urban agriculture can contribute to value creation, create employment opportunities, reduce food waste and transportation costs, and integrate innovation + traditional urban practices. k. Place: Urban agriculture requires area-specific solutions that is built on local uniqueness and regional approaches. Efforts should be made that encourage to move away from intensive farming that reduces food miles and promote consumption of foods that are non-exotic (i.e., distant, out of season, or celebrated as luxuries). Urban Economy Forum 2022 We recommend that the next UEF will be held in October 2022, in conjunction with the World Habitat Day.* *These resolutions were written and edited during Day 3 of Urban Economy Forum on 6 October 2021 by attendees, input was also provided by UEF 2021 participants prior to the final review. 25 Concept note 4th Urban Economy Forum “Sustainable Urban Finance” 3 & 4 October 2022 List of Content - Introduction - The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cities: - Cities and climate financing - The main themes of 4th Forum Each theme and session will further explore various theories and practices, and open opportunities to establish partnerships based on current/proposed initiatives at UEF4. A. Cities, Financial Institutions, and Sustainable Urban Finance / Clarification of theoretical concepts 1. The relationships between financial institutions and the issue of sustainable urban resources. 2. The Interactions between municipalities and urban organisations with financial institutions. 3. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). 4. Pension plans. 5. Role of regional and national city associations. B. Cities and climate financing 1. Government funding and grants. 2. Private sector. 3. PPPs for climate financing. C. Emerging Financial Models and Technologies 1. Cities & cryptocurrency: opportunities and challenges for urban stakeholders. 2. Urban financing models and funds (national and international). D. Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Urban Development 1. Circular Economy: Construction practices, technologies, and innovations. Capacity building and financing tools in the construction industry and building materials in the Global South. Introduction The annual conference of Urban Economy Forum Association (UEF) is a major event in the calendar of Urban October. It features important subjects of current interest to urban professionals, city leaders, private sector and civil society while providing important partnership and networking opportunities. The UEF conference is held every year on the occasion of the United Nations’ World Habitat Day. Over the last three years of being an international platform for sharing experience and lessons learned, the UEF has enabled policy dialogue, exchange of good practices and recommendations to assist urban policymakers in achieving the objectives of sustainable development. This year, the Fourth UEF or UEF4, focuses on Sustainable Urban Finance and seeks to build an international discourse on achieving a sustainable urban economy. UEF’s network is increasingly expanding globally, with more researchers, academics, national and local government leaders, practitioners and influential and relevant organisations, and other interested individuals joining the forum and participating in building the discourse. With an expanding network, we are proud to have the support of many partners from all over the world. This inclusive support motivates us to improve the quality and substantive nature of our discourse. As the provision and management of financial resources is a crucial issue in urban governance, we need to consider it as a critical topic of sustainable urban development and potential delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the related United Nations New Urban Agenda (NUA). The experience of the last three forums has shown that there is still a long way to go in terms of generating a comprehensive body of knowledge. As we are at the beginning of this process, there is a need for clarity on the basic concepts and in defining the foundations of the narrative. There are many tasks ahead of us as can be gauged from the level of attention and focus from urban management organisations on this issue. The same can be said for practical and applied experiences, while there are limited resources for collecting and analysing the strategic and practical needs. Also, in the process of creating this discourse, we find that there are many shortcomings in the adaptation of these concepts. When trying to provide a comprehensive meaning of sustainable urban resources, we are faced with many difficulties. It is therefore necessary to have a reliable and agreed meaning. However, we are aware that this concept is comparative and will evolve over time and will move forward gradually. When we look at the Rio 1992 Summit, we realise that three decades have passed During this period, the world has gradually become acquainted with the concept of sustainable development and then moved on to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration). During the years since the adoption of the MDGs until 2015, only a very small percentage of these goals were achieved, and this showed that the world was not yet ready for "joint cooperation" to promote these concepts. When the Sustainable Development Goals were accepted as a global consensus in 2015 at the United Nations Conference, sustainability was addressed comprehensively under 17 goals and 169 targets. However, as time has shown us, these are still very general issues and cannot be assessed as we expected, and there is no accurate urban data to be used for the assessment and monitoring. When there was so much ambiguity in this regard, naturally, the plans that had to be formulated by the summit's members for the realisation of development did not form properly and, there was still no expectation of a global movement to be able to cover all issues inclusively. The bottom line is that, in an urbanising world with a focus on city issues as a platform for achieving sustainable development goals, we have recently launched programs that are expected to yield valuable results. This is because it is at a real scale that city leaders are in direct contact with citizens to understand issues well and work towards solving the problems. If we put cities at the centre of our attention to advance this discourse, then our initiatives and solutions can be formed within an urban context and then we can have a practical and strategic approach to find solutions accordingly. Therefore, this scale of intervention illuminates our path; we can understand the relationship of each area and its relation to cities and try to use urban capacities and resources to advance the SDGs. UEF’s focus is on the Urban SDG (SDG 11) and we are trying to structure this approach for future actions in this field. The main issue that will be considered in UEF4 is the existing financial systems, based on financial and economic institutions. They were formed to care for wealth and prosperity; although most often they may have formed to enable private economic growth turning a blind eye on the public/environmental externalities. We also need to search for Public Private Partnership system to figure out how to attract investment from private sector. Now the question is to what extent we can use these structures to shape sustainable urban resources and move towards sustainable urban development by building a global discourse. Urban development organisations and officials have a broad range of goals and are responsible for guiding and advancing urban governance, whereas financial organisations are focused on achieving economic goals and generating wealth through return on investments. So, the initial impression is that the urban development and financial organizations have completely different focus areas and goals. However, there is a need for cooperation and collaboration between these two types of organisations to create successful urban projects. Furthermore, we need to carefully consider the capacities and opportunities that exist for the achievement of common goals shared by the city managers and financial institutions. Consequently, the UEF4 intends to focus on the content of the mandates and operations of financial and banking institutions in order to identify commonalities with the field of urban management and find solutions for effective capacity building to achieve sustainable urban development. Financing urban development is not only about the challenges associated with infrastructure and urban services, but in addition to how to significantly contribute to the reduction of inequalities and inequities within cities. Considering this is a relatively new area, we intend to expand this field in the next forums. It is necessary to deal with it fundamentally, so that not only can it be deliberated at the UEF4 and upcoming forums. This will help us to actively and effectively shape the existing capacities so that the dialogue between the city executives and financial groups can continue and we can move the issue forward. The effect of pandemic, COVID-19, on cities The pandemic has exacerbated the world’s worst humanitarian disasters and propelled the impoverishment, rising living costs, inequality, and joblessness that in turn fuel popular anger and political disaffection. The events in Tunisia, protests in Brazil and Colombia are the example of this situation. The negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed the vulnerabilities that exist within the cities where people have lost their jobs and become homeless. In a post-COVID-19 world, the economic issues are expected to become more prominent, and economists are anxiously looking at the COVID-19's impact on the world's future urban economies. Therefore, discussions need to be held to explore how the side effects of the pandemic can be minimized and how the global economy can find ways to transition through the pandemic. Furthermore, much of the contexts affected by the pandemic are also experiencing the impacts of climate change, which have and will continue to exacerbate the situation of fragility and conflict. The current security crises arising from conflicts in many parts of the world tell us that we have a long way to go to achieve world peace and security which are the necessities for achieving a sustainable world. Urban regeneration of the conflict and war-ravaged cities and cities that shelter displaced people will need enormous financial investments and astute urban leadership. The intersection of cities, states and violent conflict remains significant today, although it manifests in different and more complex ways, particularly under conditions of state fragility and sovereign conflicts. The global refugee population may reach a new high in 2022 and surpass 30 million people. 60 percent of the world’s refugees and around half of the world’s 48 million IDPs live in urban areas, mostly in low- and middle- income countries. Financing recovery and reconstruction and settlement of the displaced people will need enormous financial support to cities and towns Cities and climate financing By 2050, 2.5 billion people are expected to migrate from rural to urban areas. Much of that migration—an estimated 90 percent—will happen in Africa and Asia, where climate change will push tens of millions of people to move. Cities’ rapid and often haphazard growth, especially in developing countries, will increase residents’ vulnerability to climate change and other shocks, such as heat waves, flooding and health emergencies. Clearly, cities are and will need to continue on the frontlines of the global push against climate change. As pointed out by International financial institutions and mayors, there is a large gap in urban climate finance—estimated in the trillions of dollars, especially in rapidly urbanising cities in Africa and South Asia. The main themes of 4th Forum A. Cities, Financial Institutions, and Sustainable Urban Finance/ Clarification of theoretical concepts The concepts of sustainable urban and municipal finance need to be identified. These concepts are expected to be very broad and varied. We need to recognize the concepts, definitions, and foundations of the core concepts in this area. Presenting initiatives, platforms, proposals, suggestions, and everything that can help us to achieve sustainable urban resources in the form of cooperation between economic organisations and urban organisations. UEF4 provides a unique opportunity for innovators, researchers, and enthusiasts in the field of urban economics to be able to put their ideas into action in the relationship between the executive apparatus and knowledge production centres. 1. Relationships between financial institutions and the issue of sustainable urban resources We need to understand how financial and investment institutions, banks, and other urban economic organisations view urban resources as part of a capital market and examine their challenges and potentials. 2. Interactions of municipalities and urban organisations with financial institutions  Understanding the cooperation and interactions between local authorities and financial institutions and banks is another important issue. We need to know what the current state of these relationships are and to what extent they could be made more complementary and integrated. There is also a need for understanding how the endogenous and external financing mechanisms function. It is essential to strengthening the capacity to innovate funding mechanisms for urban investment. 3. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) plays an important role in generating economic growth and opportunity in some of our nation's most distressed communities. Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) share a common goal of expanding economic opportunity in low-income communities by providing access to financial products and services for local residents and businesses. This theme can be discussed during UEF4, based on a pro-poor approach. 4. Pension Plans 5. Role of Regional and National City Associations B. Cities and climate financing UEF4 will bring together International and national financial institutions, and provide an opportunity to understand the state of climate financing for cities and explore the role of climate finance in facilitating the development of inclusive, participatory, gender and age responsive cities. There will be opportunities to identify the challenges faced by cities in accessing and attracting climate finance, and sharing information on available support. Lack of finance and access to finance at the sub-national level is a major barrier that is preventing cities from realising their sustainability ambitions, particularly in the developing countries. Capacity building and financing technologies in the construction industry and building materials in the Global South are another important issue that can be discussed under the umbrella of circular technology (for the regions that have investing and capital problems). These types of technologies not only can reduce the cost of building housing but also reduce carbon emissions, while lowering the cost of labour. Accordingly, we declare the establishment of a global platform for urban finance and urban economy, to be a leading fund or financial system in a way that can achieve these goals.  1. Private Sector 2. Government Funding and Grants 3. PPPs for climate financing C. Emerging Financial Models and Technologies Despite the changes that have taken place since the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is becoming ever more dependent on IT. On the other hand, new financial exchange models such as digital and crypto currencies are the basis for creating a different economy. Environmental impacts of how new digital coins are created needs to be examined. The use of block chain to promote a decentralised digital economy that gives citizens control over their own data that could challenge the current digital oligopoly will also be discussed. The experiences of the previous three forms have shown that to achieve sustainable development, we must build dialogues and close co-operations with stakeholders. The World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park is a space and programme that is the achievement of this forum. The Pavilion was established in accordance with sustainable urban economy approaches and the Pavilion advances its programs in this manner. Therefore, it is important that we focus on the opportunities that exist for forming effective collaborations between the two types of institutions- including executive and -decision maker institutions in addition to creating dialogues in the following subtitles:. 1. Cities & Crypto Currency: Opportunities and Challenges for Urban Stakeholders 2. Various Models of Funds for Urban Financing (National and International) D. Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Urban Development In the wake of the post-COVID-19 world, to address the issues around urban economic development, the new buzz is the importance of creating a sustainable Circular Economy (CE). It is considered to be a game-changer. 1. Circular Economy: Construction practices, Technologies, and Innovations Capacity building and financing tools in the Construction industry and Building Materials in the Global South The circular economy aims to replace existing take-make-waste systems that extract and throw away resources with a circular system that designs out waste and pollution, reduce embodied carbon, keeps products and materials in use, and regenerates natural systems. The consumption of energy need for urban areas is high. The city paradigm shift towards technology isn’t enough to meet the demand for energy for the urban sector. Due to a lack of resources and awareness, technology is not accessible by the Small and neither Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) nor it’s being applied appropriately hence the supply and value chain isn’t accessible nor affordable. This session with address the following issues related to CE: 1) policy, 2) role of cities, 3) role of industries, 4) importance of technology and 5) enabling financing. The discussion will provide environmental benefits through improved resource use in addition to delivering financial and social benefits, through economic, employment, and innovation opportunities. Moreover, it will attempt to provide guidance and recommendations that will help an organization turn the circular economy concept and theory into practical action. As part of the climate financing theme, discussion on circular economy will be facilitated. The circular economy offers a major opportunity for the financial sector to deliver on climate commitments and other ESG objectives, whilst tapping into sources of new and better growth and long-term value creation. The circular Economy is an alternative to the dominant linear economy that operates from a take-make-waste model that degrades resources and generates unacceptable levels of waste. There is a need to understand how circular economy finance is growing as the financial sector allocates more capital to stimulate economic growth to a circular economy, contributing to more sustainable consumption and production patterns and lifestyles as well as the 2030 Agenda. 4th Urban Economy Forum On occasion of the Canadian celebration of World Habitat Day on 3rd & 4th October 2022 Toronto, Canada To the kind attention of Taavi Aas Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Estonia May 25, 2022 Dear Taavi Aas, The Urban Economy Forum (UEF), in collaboration with UN-Habitat, is organizing the fourth “4th Urban Economy Forum 2022 (UEF 2022)” on occasion of the Canadian celebration of World Habitat Day, on 3rd and 4th October 2022 in Toronto, Canada. The annual forum will be held on as both a virtual and physical gathering in Toronto, Canada. We are pleased to invite you as a Keynote Speaker in the opening session to deliver your valuable opening remarks. This Forum is an attempt to provide an international synergy toward implementing the UN-SDGs and provide a stronger voice and capacity for Canada to lead this movement and activities. Following the recommendation from the consultative meeting of the UEF2022 steering committee, this year's forum will focus on Sustainable Urban Finance and seek to build an international dialogue and recommend practical approaches to achieving a sustainable urban economy. This is an opportune time to think about a more coherent urban finance ecosystem in order to channel more predictable funding to large and small cities. The fourth Urban Economy forum intends to focus on the mandates and operations of financial and banking institutions in order to identify commonalities relating to urban resource management and find solutions for effective capacity building to achieve sustainable urban economy. UEF 2022 will also discuss the importance of economic policy at the macro and micro level including local governments, private sector, communities, and urban stakeholders to identify and share opportunities, leverage innovations and mobilize resources for urban recovery from economic aspect. In addition, the Forum aims to focus on the climate and environmental emergencies, poverty, the pandemic, and the convergence of global crises and discuss how these are interrelated to urban economies around the world. COVID-19 pandemic is not only a public health crisis; it has also severely affected the global economy and financial markets. It has made cities vulnerable with millions of jobs lost and people becoming homeless. In a post- COVID world, economic issues are expected to become more prominent, and especially its impact on the future of the world’s urban economies. We believe this is a great opportunity for Canada and UEF4 to bring together international and national financial institutions and provide an opportunity to understand the current state of financing including climate financing for cities and explore the role of finance in facilitating the development of inclusive, participatory, gender and age responsive cities. UEF’s network is expanding globally, with more researchers, academics, national and local government, city leaders, practitioners and influential and relevant organisations, and other interested individuals joining us and participating in building the discourse on sustainable urban economy and finance. This inclusive support motivates us to improve the quality and substantive nature of our discourse. Access to and management of financial resources are crucial for good urban governance, It is important to consider finance as a critical topic of sustainable urban development and understand its potential for the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the related United Nations New Urban Agenda (NUA). UEF 2021 was a great success with the participation of more than 250 speakers from Canada and around the world in various capacities, such as ministers, mayors, city leaders, government officials, academia, private sector, NGO representatives and the general public. As mentioned earlier, UEF continues to steadily grow its global network, which is now present in various countries in, Africa, Europe, Asia, Middle East the Americas, and Australia. You can find additional information about last year’s forum including the UEF 2020 and 2021 resolutions on our website, UEF 2022 will continue to focus on encouraging collaborative and inclusive solutions for urban economy. This year’s forum will facilitate substantive dialogues between communities, cities, financial institutions and banks, and the private sector with focus on Sustainable Urban Finance to increase the relevance, efficiency and impact of urban economies and municipal finance for sustainable housing and urban development. Cities in developing and industrialized countries will have the opportunity to dwell on the access to finance and on the arrangements that can create opportunities for new investors: local, national, regional, and global. UEF 4 is an opportunity for existing incubation and investment platforms to be further developed to catalyze and accelerate urban financing. Bottom up and practical approaches will be at the heart of this global dialogue. We highly appreciate it if you kindly accept our invitation and participation as a keynote speaker at UEF2022. We will communicate with your office to provide details on the forum’s program and venue soon. Please contact Alex Venuto, UEF 2022 Steering Committee co-chair’s assistant, at [email protected] if you have additional questions. We look forward to your kind reply. Sincerely, Reza Pourvaziry Anantha Krishnan Chair, Urban Economy Forum Secretary General, Urban Economy Forum 660 Dundas St East Unit 5 & 6 Toronto, Canada, M5A 0R3 TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE URBAN ECONOMY Website: www.ueforum.org Toll Free: 1 (800) 625-7689