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The New Urban Agenda (NUA) is about people. People need a place to live in dignity and a place means land; land for housing, working, education, commercial activities, leisure, transport etc.
Today’s high population growth puts increasing pressure on land, which in turn becomes increasingly scarce. We are at a turning point! The use of and access to land need to be managed with care and responsibility in order to harness the transformative potential of the NUA, in particular in situations where cities need to grow.
Governments that ensure affordable and equitable access to land, tenure security for all, that establish frameworks to ensure the sustainable use of land and mechanisms to generate revenue from land, can guide and finance sustainable urban development and create inclusive and resilient cities.
Governments that do not regulate access to land and land use, leaving everything to the market and the elites, and that do not benefit from land value increase cannot influence urban development, but they do risk conflicts, social instability and unrest, a negative impact on climate, and disaster.
Security of land tenure and sustainable land use together with responsible land governance are at the core of managing land responsibly.