What the Document Is
The Global State of National Urban Policy 2024 is a joint report by UN-Habitat and the OECD, produced as part of the National Urban Policy Programme (NUPP). It is the third edition of the series, following reports in 2018 and 2021, and covers national urban policy (NUP) worldwide, with special focus on urban resilience and adequate, inclusive and sustainable housing.
Context and Publishers
The OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities and the UN-Habitat Global Solutions Division co-produced the report. The publication notes that cities house around half of the world's population and contribute over 80% of global GDP. It states that progress on SDG 11 is off-track, with only two of four targets having sufficient data.
Methodology
The report draws on a country survey circulated among UN Member States between July 2023 and April 2024. It consisted of 30 questions in five parts and received responses from 78 countries: 34 OECD and 44 non-OECD. Respondents came from Africa (19), the Arab States (5), Asia and the Pacific (13), Europe and North America (31), and Latin America and the Caribbean (10).
Key Findings on Policy Frameworks
- More than 80% of countries have an NUP; 63% of NUPs are explicit, up from 51% in 2018 and 58% in 2021.
- Countries with explicit NUPs saw their urban population grow by 43% over 2000-2020, compared with 19% for implicit NUPs.
- Three quarters of NUPs include formal mechanisms for policy coordination across levels of government.
- Only 22% of respondent countries use land value capture mechanisms.
Resilience and Housing Findings
- 93% of NUPs target urban resilience, with 88% addressing ecological and climate shocks.
- Extensive attention to climate resilience rose from 13% in 2018 to 49% in 2024.
- Two-thirds of NUPs mention the lack of social housing, and 51% refer to energy efficiency in housing.
- Misalignment between NUPs and national housing policies is reported in 21% of respondent countries.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Three quarters of countries report monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for their NUPs. More than 70% of NUPs use targets and indicators, up from 38% in 2021, while only 54% publish monitoring reports.
Why It Matters for Urban Policy Makers
The report states that its purpose is to analyse the status of NUPs, allow comparisons, identify policy and capacity gaps, and provide recommendations on enhancing financing, cross-level coordination and monitoring. It addresses national governments, international institutions and stakeholders engaged in sustainable urban development.