Foreword

By 2050, the world urban population is expected to nearly double. Urbanisation will be one of the most important transformations of the 21st century. The importance to the national economy of cities and their corresponding metropolitan areas makes them critical players in the international marketplace. Throughout OECD member and non-member countries, governments have renewed their support to cities and have adopted policies to solve traditional urban problems such as urban sprawl, abandoned districts and poverty, as well as newer issues such as competitiveness, city marketing, environmental sustainability and innovation. The adoption of the New Urban Agenda at Habitat III in October 2016 provides governments with a set of global standards in sustainable urban development and the way cities are built and managed.