A Message to Global Leaders: Habitat III and Voicing the Future of Cities

What is the Habitat III Conference, and what does it mean for architecture today? The event, which took place in Ecuador’s capital city this week, united more than 25,000 international delegates around the challenge of setting out the United Nations’ New Urban Agenda.

This agenda lays out the expectations for the U.N.’s work in cities and alternative urban settlements over the next 20 years, at which point a new Habitat conference will take place. As the event only takes place every two decades, the conference marks a historic moment for the future of cities and humanity. This year’s reunion in Quito is the third of its kind, after the inaugural event took place in 1976 in Vancouver and the second, in 1996, was held in Istanbul.

Such a long period of time between each Habitat conference intensifies the importance of relevant conversations at the event and transforms the framework that stakeholders pave for the coming years of urban and governance planning.

Why this event is important to the world of architecture is clear for all to see. Urban architecture has a definitive impact on the evolution of cities and on the creation of accessible, sustainable and inclusive spaces in today’s urban landscape. Architects practicing in urban centers — as well as in alternative urban settlements — have the responsibility to be smart designers and adopt participatory processes to build productive and responsive architecture for its users.

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At the occasion of Quito’s hosting of the event, Paula Garcia Serna and Fernando Casado Cañeque — a couple that has been traveling the world for the past two years documenting social urban initiatives in over 45 cities as part of a project called Towards the Human City — presented a video compilation featuring many of the subjects they met over their project. They asked participants to express their demands to the global leaders of today and tomorrow.

The presentation lays out five overarching discourses, all aimed to inspire a more human city for citizens living in urban ecosystems: more participatory urban planning, the integration and upgrading of slums, more sustainable and inclusive urban mobility, the creation of cities committed to education, technology access and youth opportunities and finally a dedication to nurturing more diverse and inclusive cities.

These themes are enhanced by specific concerns voiced by the participants on behalf of the communities they live in and the initiatives they stand for. Priorities include staying true to the promises made on the electoral stage, allowing access to adequate sanitation, primary healthcare and clean water, preventing violence against women, making streets more pedestrian friendly and productive to cultural life and providing job opportunities for urban youths. These pressing issues present an array of challenges for city governments to overcome during the next 20 years.

Find out more about Habitat III and Towards the Human City by visiting their respective websites.