Decarbonizing housing and buildings at the City-Industry-Climate Nexus

Housing and buildings sit at the core of the climate–housing nexus: they are highly exposed to climate hazards while also accounting for a significant share of urban energy demand and emissions. At the same time, the building and construction sector remains off track to achieve decarbonization targets, and much of the housing stock needed by 2050 has yet to be built. This creates both a risk of carbon lock-in and a major opportunity for transformative change. This session will combine the presentation of the recently launched UNIDO white paper on Decarbonizing Cities and Urban Communities with a focused dialogue on green buildings and housing as a cornerstone of urban decarbonization. Drawing on UNIDO’s work on cities, including its Bridge for Cities initiative, the session will highlight how city–industry collaboration and cross-sector partnerships can help translate housing and climate ambitions into implementable pathways. It positions buildings not as isolated assets, but as part of wider urban–industrial systems shaped by construction materials, industrial supply chains, urban energy infrastructure, and local governance frameworks. By linking housing policy, building design, and industrial decarbonization, the session aims to bridge high-level climate and housing commitments with practical implementation pathways at city level. Insights from the discussion will also contribute to UNIDO’s Bridge for Cities 2026, supporting collaboration among cities on innovation, digitalization and AI, and the green transition.