The Centre for the Just City Global Partnership to Centre Spatial Justice in Urban Development

This networking event marks the international launch of the Centre for the Just City (CJC) https://just-city.org/, a TU Delft initiative that advances spatial justice as a critical and actionable dimension of sustainable urban development. Rooted in over a decade of research, education, and advocacy, the Centre brings together cities, researchers, planners, designers, and civil society to embed justice in the governance, design, and transformation of urban space. At WUF13, the Centre will formally inaugurate its global mission and open its platform to partners with a round table on how to bring spatial justice to the centre of urban policymaking and evaluation. This discussion is anchored on tools, principles, and practices already developed through real partnerships, including the Horizon Europe UP2030 project, where TU Delft and partners co-developed a suite of justice-centred tools to support cities’ transitions to climate neutrality in ways that leave no one behind, in partnership with 10 European cities, Istanbul and Rio de Janeiro. Apart from a round table that includes TU Delft, the London School of Economics, UCL-Bartlett, and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED-London), participants will hear from UP2030 city partners, academic collaborators, NGOs, and youth voices, and will take part in facilitated networking exercises to map shared priorities, local needs, and opportunities for future collaboration. The event will conclude with the ceremonial signing of the Just City Declaration, a living call to action to centre spatial justice in urban transformation. Key objectives 1. Launch the Centre for the Just City and its core mission 2. Discuss how to include spatial justice in policy design and evaluation more effectively 3. Showcase practical tools for operationalising spatial justice in urban transitions 4. Introduce real-world projects from cities and communities 5. Build a global alliance of academic, civil, and municipal actors 6. Facilitate dialogue, partnership, and concrete follow-up collaborations