WCCD and the importance of city data highlighted by new UN Report launched today in New York
President & CEO of the World Council on City Data &
Director of the Global Cities Institute at the University
of Toronto, Professor Patricia McCarney was in New
York on May 18th, at the launch of UN-Habitat’s “World Cities Report 2016.” A flagship
publication of UN-Habitat, the report establishes cities as a
transformative force and sets the tone for the new urban agenda to be
adopted at Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador in October
2016. Professor McCarney and her colleague Professor Stren authored
the opening chapters of this game-changing report, “From Habitat II to Habitat III: Twenty Years of Urban
Development” and “Urbanization as a Transformative Force.”
The work of Professor McCarney and that of the WCCD was widely applauded
at the event, with Eduardo Moreno - UN-Habitat Director for Research Capacity
Development - pointing to the work of the WCCD as helping to close the global
gap on the city data deficit. The need for data to guide and monitor
progress and investment in cities has never been greater. Over the last two
decades, cities have emerged as the world’s economic platforms for production,
innovation and trade and it is in cities where private sector jobs are being
created. McCarney argues in this new UN report that city data is
essential for evidence-based decision making and policy development that will
support increasing productivity, create employment opportunities, improve
quality of life and inform large-scale investment in infrastructure so pivotal
for cities in Canada and worldwide.
The transformative power of urbanization will continue to be driven by
the rapid deployment of Information and Communications Technology making
cities smarter and more resilient. "Cities have become a positive and
potent force for addressing sustainable economic growth, development and
prosperity and for driving innovation," concluded Professor
McCarney.
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