The path to inclusive and sustainable cities: Making them more people-centered, equitable and resilient

Editor's note: The article was written by Anaclaudia Rossbach, UN under-secretary general and executive director of UN-Habitat. It reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

This year marks a significant milestone: ten years since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement. With only five years left to meet the 2030 targets, there is a pressing need to reimagine how cities serve their people. During my recent visits to China and in conversations with regional leaders, I have often reflected on China's remarkable achievements in sustainable urban transformation to improve people's quality of life.

Over the past decades, China has demonstrated that with long-term vision and strategic investment in housing, infrastructure, and public services, urbanization is a powerful engine for inclusive growth. Today, over 67 percent of China's population lives in urban areas, a dramatic increase from nearly 20 percent in the early 1980s. The country's transformation has been driven by robust planning, targeted social housing programs, and the expansion of transport and basic services.

Between 2015 and 2022, China added more than 80 million affordable housing units, according to data from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. In 2023, the government reported in China's Voluntary National Review that over 200 million people now enjoy improved urban living conditions. With a focus on low- and middle-income urban residents, these investments reflect a clear national priority to ensure adequate housing for all and prioritize housing as a fundamental right and people-centered urbanization.

In parallel with its housing achievements, China has advanced environmental innovation. China's urban development is leading globally, encompassing electric mobility both for private and public transport, the development of sponge cities to manage urban flooding, and the deployment of green technologies to reduce emissions and enhance urban livability.

These efforts make cities not just more resilient, but they also enhance the quality of life. Sponge cities' interventions restore inland rivers and lakes and allow green open spaces to be enhanced or increased. Recent studies show that sponge city pilot policies implemented between 2011 and 2019 significantly improved population health by 10 percent.

UN-Habitat supports integrated approaches through global initiatives such as the Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) initiative, launched at COP27 in partnership with global stakeholders. It promotes climate action across five key tracks, including urban energy and mobility, and aligns with the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs.

UN-Habitat's recently adopted strategic plan for the period 2026-2029 prioritizes people-centred urban development to improve the well-being of all urban residents by ensuring access to adequate housing, essential services, and meaningful participation in urban governance. This includes inclusive spatial planning, participatory decision-making, community-based service delivery, and the safeguarding of human rights in urban settings.

Participation is especially critical. Cities are not just built with steel and concrete – they are shaped through trust, consultation, and shared purpose. Livable cities are those that listen to their residents. Yet across the world, too many urban residents – especially 1.1 billion people living in informal settlements and slums – remain excluded from decision-making and infrastructure investment. Without a voice, they face eviction, environmental risks, and barriers to jobs, healthcare, and education.

This vision is at the heart of Sustainable Development Goal 11: to make cities and communities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. UN-Habitat tracks global progress through key indicators such as housing adequacy, access to public transport, public space per capita, land use efficiency, and urban resilience to disasters. While countries like China have made notable progress, the global picture remains worrisome. We are living through a global housing crisis affecting around 3 billion people and deepening further under the pressures of climate change and conflicts.

China's experience – especially in mass housing delivery, green infrastructure expansion, and the sustainable transformation of urban environments through green and digital solutions – offers valuable lessons that can be studied and borrowed. The sponge cities program has successfully grown from a 30-city pilot to a nationwide rollout, with about two-thirds of China's cities having formulated sponge city construction plans. This urban integration of nature-based solutions to better manage flood risks has increased climate resilience, biodiversity, and even local air quality in cities.

However, China is also responding to new and shifting realities. An ageing population, shrinking household sizes, and renewed attention to historic urban centers all demand more flexible, context-sensitive planning. Balancing rapid urban development and environmental sustainability is complex. The challenge is no longer just to grow cities, but to make them more human, equitable, and resilient.

UN-Habitat's work in cities like Medellín (Colombia), Kisumu (Kenya), and Nampula (Mozambique) illustrates how inclusive planning and participatory governance transform urban realities. In Medellín, integrated spatial planning and public transport reduced inequality and violence. In Kisumu, participatory budgeting empowered communities to shape infrastructure investments. In Nampula, community-led approaches improved living conditions and built resilience from the ground up.

These examples show that when local governments are equipped with the right tools and frameworks – such as the International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning – they can foster compact, inclusive, and climate-resilient cities. These are not theoretical frameworks – they are practical instruments that have demonstrably improved lives, strengthened trust in institutions, and advanced the goals of the New Urban Agenda adopted in 2016 at Habitat III in Quito.

That is why South-South cooperation and peer learning are essential. Through platforms such as the Shanghai Award and the Shanghai Manual – developed in collaboration with China – UN-Habitat facilitates the exchange of good practices across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. From flood-resilient housing and compact city planning to energy-efficient retrofits and digital governance tools, these partnerships accelerate urban innovation for the common good.

People-centered urban development is not a luxury – it is a necessity. Future success will be measured not by skylines or GDP alone, but by a city's ability to include, protect, and empower all its residents.