Contextualizing and Inspiring Sustainability in the New Urban Agenda

The New Urban Agenda provides a vital, comprehensive and ambitious vision to guide global efforts at promoting more sustainable urbanization over the next 20 years. The three interconnected landmark books to be launched at this event provide intellectual, professional and practical framings for the issues at the heart of the NUA and SDG11 and guidance for policymakers and practitioners on how to meet the challenges: 1: Urban Planet, by Future Earth 2: Rethinking Sustainable Cities, by Mistra Urban Futures, 3: The Second UCCRN Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3.2), by the Urban Climate Change Research Network We will introduce and launch the books as the basis for fostering a dialogue between national and local policy leaders, scholars, and urban practitioners regarding key dimensions of urban sustainability and the challenges of how to address them in different contexts.  Urban Planet brings together scholars from a diverse range of disciplines to offer an integrative approach to understanding urbanization and its importance for global sustainability research and practice. The urban challenges and opportunities will be critically investigated across the three cross-cutting themes that underpin the research framework of Future Earth: dynamic urban planet; global urban sustainability; and urban transformations to sustainability. Rethinking Sustainable Cities surveys the evolution and importance of urban sustainability in diverse discourses, policies and practices around the world, contextualizes, assesses and explains clearly the origins, history, relevance and importance for policy and planning of three central characteristics of sustainable towns and cities everywhere: that they should be accessible, green and fair. The UCCRN ARC3.2 Report highlights key scientific findings from urban climate change scholars around the world. Authored by 350+ individuals, it is the second in an ongoing series of global, interdisciplinary, cross-regional, science-based assessments to address climate risks, adaptation, mitigation, and policy mechanisms relevant to cities.