The Century of Cities

The Century of Cities welcomes Sanjay Shukla, Managing Director of the National Housing Bank of India, as part of our special miniseries in collaboration with UN-Habitat. Sanjay explores a critical question: if the need for housing is clear, why does finance remain out of reach for millions? As cities grow, he suggests that solving the housing crisis depends as much on transforming financial systems as increasing housing supply. Emerging from conversations at World Urban Forum 13, Sanjay outlines a new vision for housing finance, one designed around how people actually live and earn. From informal workers to alternative lending models, he explores how finance can expand access rather than create barriers. 
As the global community prepares for the upcoming SDG 11 Review and the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the New Urban Agenda, conversations that began at World Urban Forum 13 will continue there. This episode is part of that broader dialogue on the future of cities.

The Century of Cities welcomes back Edgar Pieterse, Founding Director of the African Centre for Cities and Co-Chair of the African Mayoral Leadership Initiative, as part of our special miniseries in collaboration with UN-Habitat. As Africa becomes the world's fastest urbanizing region, Edgar examines one of the defining questions of this century: can the continent transform unprecedented urban growth into lasting prosperity? Housing, infrastructure, climate resilience, and economic transformation, he suggests, cannot be treated as separate agendas. The future of African cities depends on bringing them together.
From the Africa Urban Forum and the Nairobi Declaration to the global conversations at World Urban Forum 13, Edgar outlines an emerging vision for African urbanization, one that sees housing not simply as a social challenge, but as a catalyst for economic transformation, resilience, and opportunity. His outlook is ambitious yet grounded: with stronger city leadership, sustained investment, and regional collaboration, Africa has the opportunity to redefine what successful urbanization looks like in the 21st century.
As the global community prepares for the upcoming SDG 11 Review and the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the New Urban Agenda, conversations that began at World Urban Forum 13 will continue there. This episode is part of that broader dialogue on the future of cities.

Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, joins The Century of Cities as part of our special miniseries in collaboration with UN-Habitat. Building on conversations emerging from World Urban Forum 13 in Baku, Jonathan reflects on a world where rapid urbanization, climate pressures, migration, and rising construction costs have combined to create a housing crisis affecting cities across every region of the world.
At the heart of the conversation is a challenge to conventional thinking: solving the housing crisis is not simply about building more homes. It is about expanding access to the systems, opportunities, and pathways that make housing possible. From informal settlements and incremental housing to land rights, finance, and market access, Jonathan explores why housing solutions must be designed around the realities of how people live, build, and improve their communities. Housing, he argues, is not simply shelter. It is a foundation for opportunity, resilience, and human flourishing.
As the global community prepares for the upcoming SDG 11 Review and the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the New Urban Agenda, conversations that began at World Urban Forum 13 will continue there. This episode is part of that broader dialogue on the future of cities.

Anaclaudia Rossbach, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) at the Under-Secretary-General level and the very first guest on The Century of Cities, returns to explore why housing has become one of the defining tests of urban leadership in the 21st century. Drawing on insights from World Urban Forum 13 in Baku and the newly launched World Cities Report 2026, she reflects on a world where rapid urbanization is colliding with rising housing costs, growing informality, displacement, and homelessness—challenges affecting cities across every region of the world.
At the heart of the conversation is a simple but powerful idea: housing is not just a housing issue. It shapes economic opportunity, climate resilience, public health, and social stability. With two billion more people expected to live in cities by 2050, Anaclaudia explores why housing must move from the margins of policy discussions to the centre of political action. The challenge is immense, but so is the opportunity to build safer, more resilient, and more inclusive cities for the decades ahead.
As the global community prepares for the upcoming SDG 11 Review and the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the New Urban Agenda, conversations that began at World Urban Forum 13 will continue there. This episode is part of that broader dialogue on the future of cities.

Meric Gertler, former President of the University of Toronto and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the School of Cities, joins The Century of Cities to reflect on the remarkable evolution of cities and the institutions that help shape them. He recalls a time when cities were widely viewed as unmanageable, financially strained, and in decline, before emerging as globally recognized engines of innovation, talent, and economic dynamism. 
Meric explores the growing role of universities as civic institutions, innovation hubs, and catalysts for urban problem-solving. From climate action and entrepreneurship to talent development and global collaboration, he argues that universities are uniquely positioned to help cities navigate an increasingly complex future. His outlook is characteristically optimistic: cities remain among humanity's most resilient inventions, and their future will be shaped by the strength of the partnerships they forge across sectors, disciplines, and communities