Cities are protagonists in the overall development process. Today, more than 54% of the world's population lives in cities and it is expected to reach the 60% mark by 2030. Cities have thus played a crucial role in the global sustainable development agenda. The idea of urban sustainability has been disseminated through important international studies and protocols in order to overcome social, economic and environmental challenges to generate quality of life for its citizens and contribute to the development capacity of future generations. This work investigated the importance and the new directives of urban planning as a tool for the structuring of sustainable cities. A qualitative research was conducted through in-depth interviews with experts from different areas of knowledge on the theme of cities, bringing as a main result a systemic view on the role of urban planning in the development of sustainable cities. In addition, aiming at a balanced urban development, this study points out the need for a new ordering and cohesion of the different elements that compose a city and proposes ways for a new collaborative urban governance, thus contributing to the scientific development of the urban and regional planning area .