Today is World Cities Day

World Cities Day is being observed today under the theme ‘Better City, Better Life, Designed to live together’. The theme promotes togetherness and harmony, making our cities and neighbourhoods inclusive and livable.

World Cities Day aims to attract the international community’s attention to urbanisation as a central issue for development and to encourage cooperation among countries and cities in meeting opportunities and addressing urban challenges towards sustainable development through inclusive and participative initiatives for all citizens.

According to the UN, planned urbanisation maximises the capacity of cities to generate employment and wealth, and to foster diversity and social cohesion between different classes, cultures, ethnicities and religions. Cities designed to live together create opportunities, enable connection and interaction, and facilitate sustainable use of shared resources.The day was set aside in December 2013 by the United Nations General Assembly in recognition of the significance of urban basic services as a foundation for the overall social and economic development.

In a message to mark the occasion, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said that the theme highlighted the key role of urban designs in building sustainable, socially integrated and prosperous urban environments.

Good design of cities, he said, could help tackle climate change since it reduced the impacts of disaster.

It can help make our cities safer, cleaner, and more equal and integrative.  It promotes equal access to services, jobs and opportunities, and fosters contentment,” he said.

The UN Secretary-General added that the challenges of rapid urbanisation featured prominently in the newly-adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Cities and human settlements are places we live, share, create, build and dream together.  Let us use good design to make them sustainable, inclusive and prosperous for all,” the Secretary-General said.