His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Eng. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Badir inaugurated the forum “City Development in Light of New Global Trends” organized by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, represented by the Housing and City Development Sector, at the comprehensive residential center in Riyadh in conjunction with the World Cities Day 2021, in the presence and participation of a number of specialists and those interested in city development.
The forum discussed several topics, most notably the adaptation of cities for climate resilience, the role of the housing sector in developing cities and enhancing the quality of life, the role of innovation and development to enhance the sustainability of urban development, and the contribution of future urban resilience to the health and well-being of people.
His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Engineer Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Badir, explained in his speech today that the forum comes within proposals and recommendations to raise the standards of success of cities and increase their ability to minimize climate-related risks to their residents and their development by taking advantage of best practices, experiences and solutions to build possible strategic orientations for environmental and climate sustainability.
He stressed the Ministry's role in the development and management of cities through many programs and initiatives in partnership with the private sector, to contribute to the sustainability of city development and raise the quality of life to achieve the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
The specialists pointed out that cities have become attractive for housing, home to 55% of the world's population, generator of about 80% of the global economy, and a catalyst for the sustainability and improvement of the quality of life of residents, stressing the need to address the challenges faced by cities, the most important of which is climate change, due to its great impact on city residents and its association with climate disasters such as drought, floods, sea level rise, storms and hurricanes.
The specialists stressed the role of the Ministry in developing and managing cities through several programs and initiatives in partnership with the private sector, to contribute to the sustainability of city development and raise the quality of life to achieve the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
World Cities Day, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on October 31 of each year, reinforces the desire of the international community to advance cooperation among countries to exploit opportunities, address urban challenges, and contribute to urban development around the world.
