Submit your city for World Cities Day 2027 and fight Urban Sprawl!

Rotterdam – Today we got a call from the UN-Habitat writing and we decided to share it.

We’ve spent decades designing cities around cars, then we wonder why traffic keeps getting worse. The problem isn’t that our cities have too many people. It’s that we’ve spread people, homes, jobs and services so far apart that driving becomes the only practical option. Urban sprawl doesn’t just increase congestion, it makes everyday life more expensive and disjointed.

Longer commutes, higher infrastructure costs, greater emissions, more land consumption, and neighbourhoods where schools, parks, shops and public transport are out of walking distance all come at a price. Much housing is still being built far from public transport and essential amenities, in places that actively discourage walking.

Walkable neighbourhoods offer a different model.

Imagine being able to reach a grocery store, school, park, café or bus stop within a short walk or bike ride. This idea – often called proximity planning or the 15-minute city – isn’t about restricting movement, nor is it new in anyway (it’s how we’ve always built city until the mid 20th century!).

Rather, it’s about expanding choice: by clustering housing, jobs, services and public spaces together, cities can reduce car dependency while improving access, public health, social interaction and local economic activity.

Street trees, safer crossings, bike lanes and inviting public spaces make walking the easiest option, not the hardest.

Around the world, cities are already showing what’s possible:

• San José, Costa Rica is using New Urban Agenda–aligned policies to curb urban sprawl by prioritising infill development, better land management and housing in central districts instead of continued outward expansion.
• Lima, Peru transformed four neglected public spaces through UN-Habitat’s Her City initiative. More than 140 women helped regenerate neighbourhoods by improving accessibility, creating greener public spaces and making everyday walking easier for around 30,000 residents.

What’s your city doing to improve your quality of life?

Does your country want to host a major global event?

UN-Habitat is looking for countries to host two important international days in 2027:

– World Habitat Day (focused on housing and cities)
– World Cities Day (focused on urban development)

Why host? It’s a chance to:

– Show how your country is building better, greener cities
– Share what you’re doing well that other nations could learn from
– Bring together world leaders and experts to solve city problems together

📅 Deadline to apply: 30 September 2026

To submit your Expression of Interest, visit our link in bio, search “World Habitat Day 2027” or “World Cities Day 2027”.