The report titled, ‘The Global Urban Competitiveness Report 2017-2018: House Prices, Changing the City World,’ assesses urban competitiveness of 1,038 cities on a global scale.
According to the report, the real estate and housing markets have great impacts on urban competitiveness by way of housing prices, mobility of labor and goods, and attractiveness in terms of skills and human capital.
2 November 2017: The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the National Academy of Economic Strategy (NAES) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) have jointly released a report on cities’ competitiveness around the world, focusing on the relationship between housing and urban competitiveness.
Titled ‘The Global Urban Competitiveness Report 2017-2018: House Prices, Changing the City World,’ the report assesses urban competitiveness of 1,038 cities on a global scale by compiling their competitiveness indices and case studies for selected cities or city groups, such as the Silicon Valley, Guangdong and Madrid. It also examines the relationship between housing prices and urbanization, covering more than 11 cities worldwide.
Implementation of the NUA can help national and municipal governments localize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and achieve the SDGs, including SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities).
The report points out that urban competitiveness is closely related to socioeconomic competitiveness, and that “highly competitive economies are reflected in higher real estate prices.” With higher productivity and income for both the public and private sectors, cities with smart urban infrastructure can generate competent policy and business environments, which further attracts skills and capital, “creating a virtuous cycle of prosperity for all.” According to the report, the real estate and housing markets have great impacts on urban competitiveness by way of housing prices, mobility of labor and goods, and attractiveness in terms of skills and human capital.
During the launching event, themed ‘Global Urban Competitiveness Forum,’ held in Guangzhou, China, UN-Habitat Executive Director Joan Clos expressed support for the project, and for efforts to enhance understanding of the dynamics of urbanization and urban competitiveness across the globe.
Recognizing urbanization as a strategic source of development and employment, the report contributes to implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) adopted by world leaders in October 2016. Implementation of the NUA can help national and municipal governments localize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities). [Global Urban Competitiveness Report 2017-2018: House Prices, Changing the City World] [Publication Launching Page] [New Urban Agenda]