Summary

Recognition that sustainable development needs to be the central pillar of urbanization has become a clear and present concern of stakeholders in the 20 years since the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II). In the region covered by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), with its 56 member States, the importance of sustainable urban development and the role of cities is now central to public, political, business, and scientific debates. This regional report to the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) will not only contribute to the debate among all stakeholders in the region but also inform the New Urban Agenda and the negotiations on the outcome document of Habitat III that will take place in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016