Thriving Cities, Prosperous Countries: From Agenda to Implementation

The WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, the Coalition for Urban Transitions and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership group are hosting a parallel event at the ninth session of the World Urban Forum. The event will take place on Sunday, February 11 from 1:00pm-6:30pm, followed by a reception until 8:30pm at a venue within walking distance from the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

To kick off the event, a moderated high-level debate involving leaders from national and city governments will address how to best use their respective powers and implement the New Urban Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris Agreement. Following the opening panel, representatives from national and local governments, civil society, the private sector, and multilateral agencies will discuss and craft alternate approaches to achieving more equal cities.

Sessions will focus on urban land use and housing, infrastructure, and finance—supported by research from WRI’s World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City and research from the Coalition for Urban Transitions.

AGENDA

1:00-1:15 PM WELCOME

Ani Dasgupta, Global Director, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

1:15-2:15 PM DECISION-MAKERS’ FORUM: National Policies That Empower Cities

Who has the power to act? Conversations about global challenges emphasize the importance of cities, but local governments often do not have the assets, functions and authorities to act alone. This moderated debate will bring together leaders from national and city governments to explore how they can use their respective powers to implement the New Urban Agenda, SDGs and Paris Agreement.

Moderator: Kevin Austin, Deputy Executive Director, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India

Mohammed Adjei Sowah, Mayor of Accra, Ghana

Ntando Khuzwayo, Councilor, Durban, South Africa

Norliza Hashim, Executive Director, Urbanice Malaysia

Jonathan Woetzel, Director, McKinsey Global Institute; Global Leader, Cities Special Initiative, McKinsey & Company

2:15-3:15 PM SESSION 1: How to Shape Urban Land Use and Provide Housing for All

Compact urban growth and affordable, well-located housing can lead to economic benefits for urban residents and reduce the costs of infrastructure for city authorities. However, increasing urban density also creates risks, particularly around the costs of land and housing. This session will address the challenging question of how to deliver affordable housing and compact urban growth through joint national and local action.

Moderator: Anjali Mahendra, Acting Director of Research, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Development, Government of India

Jorge Wolpert, Director, Comisión Nacional de Vivienda, Government of Mexico

Philipp Rode, Executive Director of LSE Cities and Associate Professorial Research Fellow, London School of Economics and Political Science

Abel Schumann, Economist, Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Robin King, Director of Knowledge Capture and Collaboration, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

3:15-3:30 PM Break

3:30-4:30 PM SESSION 2: How to Deliver Urban Infrastructure and Core Services for All

Cities are struggling to address deficits in service delivery and keep pace with rapid population growth amid constrained resources. Nearly a billion people live in informal settlements without access to decent housing, clean drinking water or safe sanitation; millions more lack access to reliable and low-carbon transport, electricity and waste management. This session will look at new technologies, policies and delivery models that are enabling governments to better meet the needs of urban residents.

Moderator: Sarah Colenbrander, Global Programme Lead, Coalition for Urban Transitions; Senior Researcher, International Institute for Environment and Development

Kyung-Hwan Kim, Former Vice Minister, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Government of South Korea

Diego Fernandez, Secretary of Social and Urban Integration, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sameh NaguibWahba, Global Director for Urban and Territorial Development, Disaster Risk Management, World Bank

Diego Canales, Tools and Data Innovation Associate, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

Victoria Beard, Associate Professor, Cornell University; Fellow, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

4:30-5:30 PM SESSION 3: How to Mobilize Urban Finance to Pay for it All

The gap in infrastructure investment in the global south is estimated to be between $1.2 trillion and $2.3 trillion a year. Mobilizing resources at this scale requires much more effective collaboration between national and local governments. This session will explore how both sides can build financial capabilities to fund implementation of the New Urban Agenda, SDGs and Paris Agreement.

Moderator: Nick Godfrey, Director, Coalition for Urban Transitions

Dan Dowling, Director, Cities and Urbanisation in Advisory, PWC

Andrea Fernandez, Director of Governance and Global Partnerships, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

Rubbina Karruna, Cities Advisor, Department for International Development, UK Government

Jessica Seddon, Director of Integrated Urban Strategy, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

5:30-5:45 PM Break

5:45-6:30 PM CONCLUDING SESSION: A Path Towards Implementing the New Urban Agenda

Strong partnerships between national and local governments are an essential precondition to achieving the global goals. This session will highlight key insights and recommendations to carry forward into the next two days of the World Urban Forum.

Moderator: Ani Dasgupta, Global Director, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

Rafael Tuts, Director of Programme Division, UN-Habitat

Datuk Zainal bin Hussin, Mayor of Melaka Historic City Council

Mauricio Rodas, Mayor of Quito, Ecuador

Alessandra D’ Avila Vieira, Department of Slum Upgrading, Ministry of Cities, Government of Brazil

Rose Molokoane, Deputy President, Shack/Slum Dwellers International; Co-Chair, World Urban Campaign

Jesper Nygård, CEO, Realdania

6:30 PM-6:45 PM WRI Ross Prize for Cities Announcement with Short Film

Jessica Seddon, Director of Integrated Urban Strategy, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

6:45-8:45 PM Networking Reception

Please join us for a networking reception in the Sky Lounge.

About the Organizers:

WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities helps create accessible, equitable, healthy and resilient urban areas for people, businesses and the environment to thrive. Together with partners, it enables connected, compact and coordinated cities. The Ross Center expands the transport and urban development expertise of the EMBARQ network to catalyze innovative solutions in other sectors, including water, buildings, land use and energy. It combines the research excellence of WRI with 15 years of on-the-ground impact through a network of more than 200 experts working from Brazil, China, India, Mexico and Turkey to make cities around the world better places to live.

The Coalition for Urban Transitions is a special initiative of the New Climate Economy project, jointly managed by C40 and WRI Ross Center. At the heart of the Coalition is a partnership of 20+ leading urban focused institutions and leaders from major research institutions, intergovernmental organizations, major investors, infrastructure providers, and strategic advisory companies. The members work together to support national decision makers in rapidly urbanizing countries by providing the evidence, tools and capabilities necessary to shape urban growth in ways that deliver more prosperous and sustainable cities in the long-term.

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group connects more than 90 of the world’s greatest cities, representing over 650 million people and one quarter of the global economy. Created and led by cities, C40 is focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens.