Access to adequate housing remains out of reach for more than 3 billion people worldwide, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message published on Oct. 21.
That total includes 1.1 billion people living in informal settlements, the UN said. The message, titled “On World Cities Day, Secretary-General Urges Adequate Housing for All”, called for investment in existing urban areas.
Guterres said cities house more than half the world's population and face ageing neighbourhoods, rising costs and growing climate risks. He called on cities to invest in better housing and the renewal of neighbourhoods to address residents' needs.
The message was prepared for World Cities Day, marked on Oct. 31, the UN said. Guterres linked access to adequate housing with efforts to reduce inequality and advance sustainable development.
“Housing is more than just shelter,” Guterres said. He described housing as a foundation for those efforts, placing it alongside the broader work of improving cities and the lives of their residents.
Guterres said urban regeneration, the renewal of existing neighbourhoods and public spaces, offers a way to address cities' problems. Reviving those areas could create more housing, improve infrastructure and provide better public spaces, he said.
He said such work could also help cities withstand climate risks, connect communities and serve a wider range of residents. The benefits he described depended on planning and cooperation among governments, businesses, financial institutions and communities.
National and local governments must work together with those groups to build cities that meet all residents' needs, Guterres said. He included communities themselves among the partners needed to carry out that work.
Guterres said planning must account for women and young people, older people and people with disabilities. His call for cooperation extended beyond the construction of homes to infrastructure and the public spaces residents share.
The UN chief presented investment in existing urban areas as a route to greener, safer and more affordable cities. He said the aim was to give everyone a place to call home while improving the neighbourhoods around them.
Guterres called on cities everywhere to commit resources to regeneration and adequate housing. He said governments, financial institutions, private businesses and residents must work together to turn that ambition into cities that meet the needs of all.
