The objective of this publication is to review the efforts of selected national governments around the world to plan and manage urbanization in a way that is more sustainable, productive and inclusive than in the past. A new generation of national urban policies (NUPs) is emerging that is more aware of the gravity of the issues. The spatial concentration and growth of the global population in poor and middle-income countries during the twenty-first century presents important opportunities as well as major challenges.

Large-scale urbanization has the potential to generate substantial benefits for economic development, social progress and efficient use of natural resources. However, burgeoning cities with high population densities also expose countries to heightened risks of social dislocation and environmental degradation. Either way, there is little doubt that the form and character of urban growth over the next few decades will have a major bearing on the well-being and life chances of several billion people. It will also influence global migration flows and international stability, and will affect the resilience of the world’s ecosystems in the context of climate change and increasing resource scarcity.

The purpose of this publication is to review the experience of national urban policies (NUPs) in selected countries around the world in order to draw broad lessons that would inform other countries interested in formulating or implementing their own policies. The urban challenges and opportunities are very contextually different, so the responses need to vary accordingly. It matters a great deal whether a country is urbanizing slowly or rapidly, in response to push or pull factors, with few or many resources to invest in urban infrastructure and services, and with strong or weak institutional capabilities. There is no single model of NUP with a standard outcome and a universal approach that can be replicated in different places.