Planning our Urban Future

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Across the world, more than 100 million people are homeless, with just as many suffering from severe housing problems. For the past 23 years, World Habitat Day has been used as a time to remind us of our responsibility to future generations for affordable housing, reaffirming adequate shelter as a basic human right.

This year, on October 5th getting involved is as simple as taking a photo or helping to educate yourself and friends.

Worldwide, one out of every three city dwellers, approximately one billion people, live in a slum with conditions including a lack of water, lack of sanitation, overcrowding, and/or flimsy structures, with no guarantee they will be able to hold onto the little they call home. One third of the U.S. suffers from housing issues such as high cost burdens, overcrowding, poor quality shelter, and homelessness. By the year 2030, an additional 3 billion people will need access to housing; about 4,000 new homes an hour.

The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October each year as World Habitat Day. The idea is to reflect on the state of our towns and cities and the basic of all right to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

The United Nations chose the theme Planning our urban future to raise awareness of the need to improve urban planning to deal with new major challenges of the 21st century.

This is because urban settlements in all parts of the world are being influenced by new and powerful forces. In both developed and developing countries, cities and towns are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change, resource depletion, food insecurity, population growth and economic instability.

These factors will significantly reshape towns and cities, physically and socially, in the century ahead. Many developing countries will, in addition, continue to experience rapid rates of urbanization, along with its most serious negative consequences - overcrowding, poverty, slums with many poorly equipped to meet the service demands of ever growing urban populations.

We know the problems, but we need to share the best solutions as efficiently and widely as possible by planning better and more sensitively for ourselves and our environment.

What you can do to help and educate:

Tell Congress to pass the SLUM Assistance Act!

Spread the word online!

Check out the World Habitat Day Handbook

World Habitat Day Events