World Habitat Day

The United Nations has designated the first Monday of October every year as World Habitat Day. This year, it will be celebrated on 7 October 2013. The purpose of World Habitat Day is to reflect on the state of our towns and cities and the basic right of all to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world that we all have responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns.

This year, the United Nations chose the theme Urban Mobility because mobility and access to goods and services is essential to the efficient functioning of our cities and towns as they expand. Accessible cities encourage a shift towards more sustainable modes of transportation and draw more and more travellers out of cars and onto trains, buses, bike paths, and sidewalks.

But mobility is about more than just the mode of transport we use. Urban planning and design should focus on how to bring people and places together, by creating cities that focus on accessibility, and optimal urban densities, rather than simply increasing the length of urban transport infrastructure.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) will present Tuesday, October 9, 2013 at 11:30 the report "The State of the European Cities in Transition: Effective Taking stock 20 years of reform." The event is organized at the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union, rue Belliard 41-43, 1040 Brussels. 

Additional links :

World Habitat Day

UN-HABITAT 

Press Conference on the Global Report on Human Settlements

Secretary General's message