Making Room for Urban Expansion: Planned Extensions as an antidote to disorder and sprawl

In the next 50 years, cities in developing countries face unprecedented urban population growth, presenting both significant challenge and opportunity for these cities, their officials and residents. In developing countries, cities with less than 1m inhabitants will experience the fastest growth rates, yet are also the most constrained in terms of human resources and finances.

The Prince's Foundation for Building Community (PFBC) and the NYU Urban Expansion Program (NYU UXP) have identified these challenges as among the most important issues on the urban agenda. They are working with The Commonwealth Association of Planners and others to develop tools for local governments of cities with less than 1m inhabitants. The methodologies follow a simple, practical and implementable 'bare-bones' approach, enabling city governments to take affordable actions today that will promote orderly and beneficial expansion in the years ahead.

Managing the expansion of cities is crucial to enable more dynamic land and housing markets, promote affordable housing, accelerate the transition from informality to formality, secure infrastructure corridors for the connection of basic utilities and public transportation. Planned city expansion also provides the opportunity to secure appropriate provision of public space, protect blue and green corridors of high environmental value and protect against settlements developing within risk prone areas.

The New Urban Agenda promotes more inclusive and sustainable cities. Promoting orderly development and urban expansion is a highly effective way to accomplish a sustainable model of urbanization that promotes equality and sustainability.

The event will describe the work on the ground undertaken by the partner organizations, in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and Gabon) and Latin America (Colombia and Mexico). It will explain the methodologies being developed to support municipal officials deliver against global targets including the SDGs and climate change objectives. The event will conclude with an extended Q&A; session.