Acknowledging Urbanization: A Survey of the Role of Cities in UN Frameworks

Abstract

Cities are playing an increasingly vital role in global sustainability. Yet there is still little systematic and international evidence on the recognition and formal role of cities in multilateral affairs. Where and how are cities acknowledged as part of global efforts? How do the United Nations frame this 'urban' contribution to major international processes and agendas? To offer some initial evidence-based pointers to this set of problems, we present an analysis of explicit references to cities in major UN frameworks (n = 32) underpinning the current Agenda 2030 on sustainable development. We investigate how cities are cited to determine the role, key themes and contextual trends framing the engagement between United Nations and cities. Contra arguments for the uniqueness of the current 'rise' of mayors, our review demonstrates a weak rise in the recognition of cities over time in UN frameworks and shows historical continuity in this acknowledgement since the 1970s. Our review confirms that two prevailing themes determining this are those of 'development' and the 'environment' but other issues (like 'infrastructure' and 'health') are following closely behind. It also highlights acknowledgment of cities as 'actors' is on the rise since the 2000s and raises fundamental questions as to the status of cities internationally. We argue it becomes imperative to more systematically and strategically think of the role of cities in the UN system, but also flag that raises fundamental challenges for multilateral governance. Policy Implications• Diplomats need to speak of and to cities more regularly: rather than a 'novelty', cities have been repeatedly called upon by the United Nations over the last 50 years, with a growing formalised recognition as international 'actors'.• When establishing 'cities'-oriented projects and programmes, UN agencies and diplomats need to engage with a vast and already existing variety 'urban' recognitions, accounting for at least 1,246 acknowledgments in 32 UN frameworks since 1972.

New power configurations: City mobilization and policy change

“…In today's world, we have concrete evidence of the ascent of cities as international actors (Thouez, 2020; see also Acuto & Leffel, 2020; Kosovac et al., 2020). Scholarship has called attention to this fact over the last 2 decades (Bulkeley & Betsill, 2013; Gleeson, 2012).…”

“…The legacy of Saskia Sassen's (1991Sassen's ( , 1995Sassen's ( , 2002 global city thesis for scholars of global and urban studies alike, is to understand the impact of global processes on the social structure of cities. Situated in this growing body of work is a pressing need for more systematic investigations of emerging 'global urban governance' across various and increasingly intersecting policy domains (Acuto & Leffel, 2020;Kosovac et al, 2020). Some have famously suggested that mayors should replace statesmen brokering inter-state relationships and leading international cooperation across borders (Barber, 2013;Hachigian, 2019).…”

The Influence of Innovation Resources in Higher Education Institutions on the Development of Sci-Tech Parks’ Enterprises in the Urban Innovative Districts at the Stage of Urbanization Transformation

“…Over the past few decades, urbanization has swept the world and become one of the most remarkable phenomena in the process of global modernization [1]. As the largest developing country in the world, China has experienced long-term and sustained ultra-high speed economic growth and large-scale urbanization since the implementation of reform and opening up in 1978 [2][3][4].…”

Cenas públicas de uso de drogas e a produção do risco em cidades latino-americanas: consumo do espaço e efeitos sociais - aproximações entre São Paulo, Bogotá e Medellín

“…Recente levantamento sobre as menções às questões urbanas em documentos oficiais da ONU apresenta considerável aumento a partir de 1996 (Kosovac et al, 2020). Contudo, a maior quantidade de menções na temática urbana refere-se à ideia 'desenvolvimento'.…”

“…A predominância do 'desenvolvimento', em detrimento de referências específicas à 'habitação' e 'igualdade' por exemplo, perigosamente abarca desde atenuação da pobreza e melhorias na qualidade de vida em cidades e comunidades sustentáveis, como previsto no 11º objetivo da Agenda 2030, até o desenfreado desenvolvimento econômico capaz de atrair maior circulação de capital e fazer girar a roda cíclica de humilhação e espoliação social como vimos nos Campos Elíseos. Desta forma, o aumento de menções sobre as cidades no debate das Organização das Nações Unidas pouco avança em transformações práticas significativas nas relações de poder entre países e cidades, perpetuando incertezas sobre a concepção de cidade e os impactos das transformações destas na vida das pessoas (Kosovac et al, 2020). As cidades adotam a impiedosa estratégia de eliminar a pobreza por meio do lucro (Rolnik, 2015) justamente em cima dos mais pobres, e são descaracterizadas junto às injustiças que compõem o pacote dos projetos urbanísticos de requalificação urbana na América Latina.…”