WUF13: Poland outlines housing-led path to sustainable cities - EXCLUSIVE
As a result of the discussions held during World Urban Forum 13 in Baku, some key recommendations and priorities for advancing sustainable urbanization globally were identified.
This was said by the source in the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy of Poland in an exclusive interview with CE Report.
Cities worldwide are facing increasing pressure resulting from rapid urbanisation, housing shortages, climate risks, demographic trends, social dynamics and post-conflict recovery challenges. These trends underline the growing need for stronger international cooperation, increased investment, and practical solutions implemented at scale.
In this context, housing policy – the main topic of the WUF13 - should be recognised not only as a social policy tool, but also as a key driver of sustainable urban development, resilience, and economic prosperity.
Adequate housing plays a fundamental role in promoting social inclusion and reducing poverty by helping to break cycles of inequality and exclusion. There is a need to strengthen social and public housing systems, improve living conditions in informal settlements, and ensure that housing policies effectively reach groups most at risk of being left behind. At the same time, well-designed housing systems can contribute to employment, productivity, and human development, while expanding opportunities for women, youth, and vulnerable groups.
Housing and urban development are also increasingly recognised as essential components of climate action and resilience-building strategies. The buildings and construction sector remains a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, while people living in inadequate housing are disproportionately exposed to climate-related risks. Housing strategies should therefore be aligned with climate objectives through measures such as low-carbon construction, resilient urban planning, upgrading informal settlements, and stronger integration of housing and urban development policies with national climate commitments.
Effective urban development requires integrated approaches linking housing with land management, infrastructure, transport systems, and local economic development. In this regard, the role of local governments and multilevel governance is crucial for ensuring effective implementation of urban and housing policies. Stronger institutional capacity, financing frameworks, and investment mechanisms are necessary to implement sustainable and resilient urban development policies at scale.
The source in the Ministry noted that Poland has consistently emphasized the importance of multilevel governance and the involvement of local and regional authorities in the programming and implementation of various development interventions. These principles are reflected, inter alia, in the National Urban Policy 2030, the key strategic document outlining the directions for the development of Polish cities in the coming years.
Among the principles set out in this document are, in particular, the promotion of civic engagement, understood as the participation of residents of cities and functional areas in defining and addressing local challenges, as well as in making key decisions concerning local communities. Another important principle is cooperation and partnership, understood as the optimisation of collaborative efforts to ensure effective and efficient action. Partnerships may be established in various configurations, including cooperation between different levels of public administration and non-governmental organisations, as well as with private, social, economic, domestic, and international partners.
The issue of multilevel governance is also strongly embedded in the programming and implementation of European funds in Poland. As a result, development transformations in Poland over the past two decades have been carried out with the strong engagement and participation of local authorities throughout the entire process — from programming and implementation to the monitoring and evaluation of individual measures.
In the context of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, it should be underlined that localisation is essential, as the majority of SDG progress depends on action taken at the local level and requires on-the-ground engagement. Therefore, we support the inclusion of the voices of diverse stakeholders and the local perspective in the drafting of the final political declaration on the New Urban Agenda in order to ensure its effective implementation.
The Ministry added that Intergovernmental cooperation is of key importance, as it provides a foundation for coordinated policy responses to shared global challenges that transcend national borders, particularly in areas such as sustainable urban development. Although Poland, as a member of the European Union, concentrates on urban cooperation within its own region, many urban development challenges are shared globally and therefore benefit from being addressed from multiple perspectives within the United Nations cooperation framework.
The preparations of the political declaration on the review of the implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted during the High-Level Political Meeting in New York in July provide an important opportunity for substantive discussions and exchanges in this regard. A valuable contribution to this debate was the ministerial session held during the World Urban Forum 13 in Baku, where ministers and high-level government representatives from around the world shared their perspectives on urban development challenges and potential solutions.
During this ministerial session, Poland presented the housing-related measures undertaken within the framework of the Polish National Urban Policy 2030, emphasising their role in addressing key urban development challenges and supporting sustainable and inclusive urban growth. This set of actions is concentrated around the affordable housing initiatives since we believe that social housing models provide an appropriate and effective response to demographic and social challenges.
One example of such measure in Poland is the Social Housing Initiatives programme [SIM – Społeczne Inicjatywy Mieszkaniowe]. These are non-profit companies implementing social housing projects, established by municipalities with the support of the government for the purpose of developing rental housing with moderate rents. These initiatives are addressed to individuals with stable incomes who lack sufficient creditworthiness, offering long-term rental opportunities with the possibility of eventual home ownership.
Poland is also developing a relatively new and innovative solution in the form of Social Rental Agencies [SAN – Społeczna Agencja Najmu]. These entities cooperate with local authorities and act as intermediaries between property owners and tenants.
With regard to international cooperation, we would like to express our strong appreciation for the establishment of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Adequate Housing for All as an important platform for policy dialogue and the exchange of experiences.
The Ministry highlighted that the thematic focus of the World Urban Forum 13 was centred on housing-related challenges, which undoubtedly represent one of the most pressing and universal global issues facing cities and societies today. These challenges span issues such as affordability, accessibility, quality of housing, and the ability of housing systems to respond to rapid urbanisation, demographic change, and growing social inequalities.
Regardless of whether the discussion involves the mayor of a small town, a national minister responsible for housing, a representative of the European Commission, or officials of the United Nations, adequate and affordable housing consistently remains very high on the global policy agenda.
Nevertheless, taking into account the multisectoral nature and complexity of urban policy, there are many other important challenges facing our cities. These include, among others, issues such as access to and quality of public services, the availability of affordable and well-connected public transport options, climate change and the clean energy transition as well as economic development and business opportunities.
The Ministry would like to recall a special project prepared by Poland on the occasion of the World Urban Forum 11, which took place in Katowice in 2022. This initiative serves as an excellent example of promoting the engagement of cities and local governments in translating global commitments into practical actions at the local level.
This project was called “the Action Plan For Cities”. It was prepared as the World Urban Forum legacy project of Poland. It aimed to mobilise Polish cities to take bold action towards sustainable transformation and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the local level.
It involved 104 Polish cities (out of 964 at this time), of different sizes, facing different socio-economic challenges. The project was designed to create framework 'action plans' for the participating cities, linked to specific Sustainable Development Goals, based on their experiences to date, which would help to implement them even more effectively in their local conditions.
At the same time, the 'Action Plan for Cities' was intended to present and disseminate good practices drawn from the already implemented Sustainable Development Goals. The programme also served to promote achievements in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, which are important from the perspective of the cities, and their achievements in finding answers to local problems - regardless of the scale of the implemented projects.
Photo: WUF13
This interview was prepared by Julian Müller
