The UIA’s pact for the future

21/09/2024
THE FUTURE STARTS NOW: Architecture towards a Greener, Better, Safer Habitat and Sustainable Urbanisation
 
We live in a globalised, digital and increasingly urbanised world. By 2050, two-thirds of humanity will live in urban areas. The role of the built environment in regard to the well-being of people and the preservation of human life on this planet is enormous.
 
Architecture towards a Greener, Better, Safer and Affordable Habitat is an overarching goal to our Sustainable Development.

Shelter is a basic human right, but habitat extends beyond the physical shelter in which we live, work and carry out our daily activities. It encompasses the broader territory where our lives unfold.

Urbanisation, with a balanced relationship between cities and their surrounding territories, is essential for sustainable – ecological, social economic and cultural – development. We should work towards a consensus on development that respects progress in relation to culture, heritage, inclusion and diversity.

Architecture is a discipline of public interest that gives shape to these human needs. It is a social responsibility that calls for balance between cultural, social, economic, environmental and technical values.

Our common agenda is compromised: only 17% of the SDG targets are on track to be achieved.

Faced with persistent inequalities and rapid environmental degradation, we emphasise that dignity for all people is a fundamental principle for architecture: there is no beauty in exclusion.

In light of this, we urge all parties to acknowledge that sustainable urbanisation and the role of architecture must be prioritised in this pact for the future.