World Cities Day (October 31): Better City, Better Life

More than half of humanity now lives in towns and cities, and by 2050 it will be about two-thirds. World Cities Day, observed by the United Nations every year on October 31, asks a big question: how can cities become greener, fairer, safer and better places to live for everyone?

World Cities Day facts
Date	October 31 every year
Established	UN General Assembly resolution 68/239 (December 2013)
First observed	2014
Led by	UN-Habitat
General theme	“Better City, Better Life”
Ends	“Urban October”, which begins with World Habitat Day (first Monday of October)
Hashtags	#WorldCitiesDay #UrbanOctober

Where the Idea Came From

The theme “Better City, Better Life” was the slogan of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. Building on that event, China and UN-Habitat proposed a global day for cities, and the UN General Assembly adopted it in December 2013. Each year a different host city holds the global celebration and UN-Habitat announces a sub-theme.

Cities in Numbers

Indicator	Approximate figure (UN estimates)
Share of world population living in urban areas	More than 55%
Expected urban share by 2050	About 68%
Share of global GDP produced in cities	More than 80%
Share of energy-related CO₂ emissions from cities	About 70%
People living in slums or informal settlements	Over 1 billion

Big Challenges Facing Cities

• Affordable housing — rents and land prices rise faster than incomes in many cities.
• Climate change — floods, heatwaves and rising seas threaten coastal megacities like Dhaka, Jakarta, Lagos and Miami.
• Traffic and air pollution that harm health and productivity.
• Water, sanitation and waste services that cannot keep up with growth.
• Inequality — rich and poor neighbourhoods sometimes sit side by side with very different services.

Ideas Making Cities Better

Idea	Example
Mass transit	Bus rapid transit in Bogotá and Curitiba; metro systems in Delhi and Dhaka
Cycling cities	Copenhagen and Amsterdam, where bikes outnumber cars
Green space	Singapore’s “City in Nature” vision with rooftop gardens and parks
15-minute neighbourhoods	Paris’s plan to put daily needs within a short walk or bike ride
Smart services	Digital payment, open data and sensor-based traffic lights
Slum upgrading	Programmes that add water, drainage, toilets and legal land rights

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

World Cities Day supports Sustainable Development Goal 11: make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Its targets include safe and affordable housing, accessible public transport, less air pollution, better waste management and more green public spaces for everyone.

How You Can Take Part

1. Walk, cycle or use public transport for a day.
2. Join a neighbourhood clean-up or tree-planting event.
3. Attend a public meeting about planning in your area.
4. Support local businesses and street markets.
5. Share a photo of your favourite public space with #WorldCitiesDay.

👉 Also October 31: World Savings Day

👉 Plan ahead: All October observances

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