Quito - Habitat III, the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, has been underway in Ecuador since Monday. Its General Secretary Joan Clos outlined the goals of Habitat III and “good” urbanisation in a media article.
In the article published on the Urban Gateway Clos refers to a paradigm shift in how we deal with urbanisation. He says the Habitat III conference held in Quito is an opportunity that cannot be missed. The new urban agenda, which is to be adopted at the conference, could drive the wealth, prosperity and human progress for present and future urban dwellers, expected to represent 70 per cent of the world population by 2050.
Clos sees “good” urbanisation as a way of life and addresses the living conditions of people who have until now had to live in slum areas. They must also benefit from urbanisation and homes that offer security and are available at reasonable prices. Especially in the Arab region, this will provide great opportunities for prosperity and sustainability.
However, Clos says that to achieve these goals it is also important to adopt a different approach to urbanisation. Instead of just concentrating on the negative aspects, the positive consequences should be highlighted. Therefore, many of the challenges which the world is facing today could be overcome. Habitat III will run until Thursday.
