Land is central to achieve sustainable cities and communities

Strategic issues, challenges and opportunities around land in the New Urban Agenda

Core Messages for Advocacy

- Land is at the centre of sustainable urbanization.

- Land is central to sustainable urban development as most measures will only be possible to be realized if sufficient land at the right location is available to do so.

- Secure tenure for all is foundational to the new urban agenda, ensuring that no one should be left behind in regard to land rights and benefiting from the gains of urbanization

- A wide range of tenure options need to be encouraged to meet the diverse and changing needs of different social groups (e.g. the young, the poor, the IDPs, people with disabilities and the elderly)

- As land is a finite resource it needs to be used efficiently balancing social and economic goals while protecting the environment.

- Do not compromise with land if environmental sustainability is at risk

- No socio-economic development without spatial inclusion

- Harnessing the transformative power of land based-financing and ensuring the equitable sharing of land market profits for the benefit of all city dwellers

- Fighting corruption in land transfer and development is key to sustainable urban development

- Land markets need to be enabled and regulated in the public interest.

- Member-states as well as other key stakeholders need to become more risk aware instead of risk averse in regard to land issues and urbanization