NUArch is part of the UEF annual conference and it is being organized on October 6th and 7th which is part of UN-Habitat's Urban October.

Introduction

In October 2016, New Urban Agenda (NUA) was approved unanimously by all UN member states during the Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador. The New Urban Agenda is an action-oriented document that provides the global policies and standards required to achieve sustainable urban development, to transform the way we construct, manage, operate and live in our cities. It will guide the efforts around urbanization for a wide range of actors including nation states, city and regional leaders, funders of international development, the private sector, the United Nations programs and civil society for the next 20 years. Broadly speaking, NUA addresses both the issue of environmental sustainability, resilient urban development and the problems of planning and managing urban spatial development. NUA is the conclusion of four decades of exploration by UN-Habitat, the UN specialized urban agency, and is the product of Habitat III.

It should be noted that the city is a multifaceted and complex entity, which contains various capacities, and covers a multitude of subject matters. It is acknowledged that cities can possess unique cultural and architectural qualities, strong forces for social inclusion and exceptional possibilities for economic development. The contribution of architects and architecture to making a city “a living organism” cannot be overstated. Urban design is about the solids and voids of a city; the solids being the houses we live in or the structures we work in and all the civic and faith buildings that support our society, and the voids are the spaces that facilitate our movement, provide meeting places or nature within the city. The ‘solids’, the architecture, influences the quality of the voids, and as a result also impacts the quality of urban life. Architecture is therefore a fundamental aspect of urban development. 

Architecture impacts all aspects of a city and provides the spatial context for urban activity. Architecture has a special and unique ability to influence urban quality, as well as supporting urban agendas. It interacts at all scales, from the small dwelling to the grand civic or commercial structures and has the ability to shape the character of a neighborhood. This important role must be recognized when considering the NUA and the parameters for achieving it. For successful delivery of the NUA, it is therefore imperative that architecture is central to the discourse of urbanism. 

Currently, cities are often created at a macro scale that ignores the finer grain that architecture embodies, and urban planning regularly ignores the importance of spatial quality and urban identity. This has led to a crisis in city planning, with the creation of urban spaces that are alien to people. To create urban environments that support human activity in a meaningful way, it is essential that urban space is shaped by good architecture. Uncontrolled expansion of many major cities has had a detrimental effect on the quality of urban life and the ‘globalisation’ of architecture has led to a loss of local character, cultural diversity and identity. 

As cities and urban environments are under extreme pressure to rapidly transform and adapt to changing physical and social conditions, the NUA will need to embrace a comprehensive relationship with architecture, to ensure that new urban spaces reflect social and cultural norms of the communities they are created for. Architecture must support and strengthen the quality of new urban spaces. How cities, civic institutions and professional bodies support and encourage good architecture will be critical to the outcomes. Engagement with these actors needs to be deep, respectful and meaningful and must encompass the broad issues of how architecture can play its role in achieving high quality sustainable and resilient urban environments that are in harmony with social aspirations and planetary boundaries.

NUArch provides an opportunity for architects to be at the forefront of sustainable urban architecture and livable communities; it is an opportunity to explore innovation in architecture and performance of buildings and design that is socially inclusive. In this context, a Global Summit on NUA and the role of Architecture is being planned – NUArch. 

Outputs

This Global Summit on New Urban Agenda and Architecture will be organized virtually in October 2021 in Toronto. Leading figures in architecture and built environment will share their thoughts and engage in discussions with related professions and civic leaders. The aim is to have a wide ranging and inclusive dialogue that can help shape a clear vision for a spatial urban future.

This global summit aims to:

1. 
   Provide clear and transparent statements on the role of architecture in the realization of the  New Urban Agenda.
   
   
2. Present clear intellectual proposition on the role of the   architectural profession in the delivery of sustainable urbanisation. 
   
   
3. Present a declaration to establish a guideline on “Architecture for the Realization of the New Urban Agenda” as innovative principles for the engagement of the architectural profession.