The building industry currently accounts for 39% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, 11% of which result from manufacturing building materials and products such as steel, cement, and glass. And yet, to date, emission reduction efforts have not really focused on decarbonizing the construction sector but the two other sectors responsible for the most emissions, electric power and transportation.
Housing is one of the sectors most affected by the war in Ukraine, with over US$50 billion of damage recorded since the invasion by the Russian Federation. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, some 3,367 apartment buildings and 1,823 single apartment buildings have been destroyed and damaged, according to the City Council. In the Southern city of Mykolaiv, housing stock accounts for 77% of overall damage, according to a One Works assessment.
Overall damage to the housing sector alone following the Russian invasion of Ukraine is estimated at over US$50 billion. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, some 3367 apartment buildings and 1823 single apartment buildings have been destroyed and damaged, according to the City Council. The city’s infrastructure has also been severely damaged.
According to the UNECE Smart Sustainable Cities profile for Tbilisi, presented today in the capital of Georgia, the city has made important efforts in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, capitalizing on the growth opportunities generated by the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union (EU). The Profile notes, however, the need for strengthened measures in areas including water and waste management, mobility, housing, and governance.
Technology and digitalization are reshaping the land administration undertaken by governments to manage land and cadastre registries and tenure rights.
UNECE is mobilising international architects to help the city of Mykolaiv, Ukraine’s ninth largest city, to develop a forward-looking, people-centred master plan for its reconstruction.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and Columbia Global Centers | Paris (CGC|Paris), one of the ten global centres of Columbia University in New York City, signed a Memorandum of Understanding recognizing the City Diplomacy Lab at CGC|Paris as a UNECE Centre of Excellence in France.
Cities are at the forefront of the battle to address some of humanity’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to pandemics and disasters. As our world becomes more urbanized – with approximately 75% of the population of Europe and North America already residing in cities – these issues cannot be tackled by national governments alone. To guarantee that future urban development is well-planned and equitable, local administrations must have the necessary capacity and resources, and be fully included in global efforts to meet the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It is critical that construction industry’s general contractors, architects and governments find ways to innovate and incorporate minimum efficient standards and innovations, such as architectural upcycling and recycling, through proper and updated legislative frameworks and rules as well as sustainable public and private finance that clearly consider hydrogeological and environmental risks.
A UNECE study on the sharing economy and its effects on housing markets shows how the massive emergence of temporary rental accommodation through platforms such as AirBnB has changed living habits in cities, and highlights a range of policy and regulatory approaches that can be taken to balance socioeconomic benefits and negative impacts, including on housing affordability.