Promoting urban development for the common good around the world

Context

By 2050, about two thirds of the world’s population is expected to be living in cities. However, there are many challenges that are affecting urban life in the global South and North alike, such as climate change, displacement, migration, and inequality. The United Nations has recognised both the challenges and the opportunities presented by urbanisation in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the New Urban Agenda, and the Paris climate targets. In the European Union, the New Leipzig Charter (NLC) adopted in 2020 – with its focus on the common good and integrated urban development – lays the path for future cities.

Objective

The concept of urban development for the common good, as defined by the NLC, is more established at international level – particularly in the Group of Seven (G7). Integrated urban pilot projects in various cooperation countries help to develop this approach further.

Approach

The project advises the German Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) on incorporating the NLC approaches at international level and anchoring urban development for the common good as a policy field, for example in the G7.

In 2022, the first G7 urban development track was initiated during the German G7 Presidency, setting out the path for sustainable urban development. As the initiator, BMWSB has taken a leading role in cooperation between the G7 states. Other actors such as the Urban 7 alliance, the European Union, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and the G20 are continuously involved. The aim is to establish work processes and expand them to include new topics and target groups. Lessons learned from urban development practice in the cooperation countries is also incorporated into the multilateral work. The project supports BMWSB in organising all aspects of this international cooperation.

Last update: May 2024