Speca Forum of Cities Housing Solutions for Inclusive and Resilient Urban Futures

Globally, cities are increasingly recognised as engines of sustainable development and catalysts for transformative change. As urbanisation accelerates across all regions, the international community has affirmed that resilient and inclusive cities are indispensable to achieving internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals. Ensuring access to adequate, affordable, safe, and energy-efficient housing, as enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 11, remains one of the most significant and cross-cutting policy priorities of our time. Central and West Asia exemplify both the scale of this opportunity and the ambition required to seize it. Urban populations across the region have grown by an estimated 35–45% over the past decade, reflecting a profound demographic transformation that is reshaping the economic, social, and spatial fabric of nations. This growth brings with it a rising demand for modern, climate-adapted, and affordable housing solutions. It is within this global momentum and regional dynamism that the SPECA Forum of Cities has been established - the first dedicated inter-city cooperation platform for the SPECA region. Initiated during COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2024, and founded by six cities - Almaty, Arkadag, Bishkek, Dushanbe, Ganja, and Samarkand - the Forum reflects a shared conviction that collaborative action among cities can unlock transformative outcomes that no single city could achieve alone. Conceived as a standing mechanism for policy exchange and sustained engagement with multilateral processes, including the World Urban Forum, the UN climate negotiations, and the broader UN-Habitat normative agenda, the Forum places access to affordable, climate-resilient, and energy-efficient housing at the centre of its founding mandate. WUF13 marks the formal inauguration of the SPECA Forum of Cities. It convenes the founding city governments, their respective national ministries, the host city of Baku, and key regional and international partners to establish the Forum's working modalities and launch its first cycle of substantive multilateral policy dialogue - contributing, from the regional level, to the advancement of the global urban agenda. The session will be structured around three interconnected themes, each grounded in the operational realities of SPECA cities reflecting on the WUF13 overarching theme of "Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities": 1. Affordable Housing in a Context of Rapid Urbanization Urban growth in SPECA cities continues to outpace housing supply. The session will examine how cities are managing this gap, through regulatory reform, public-private partnerships, social housing programmes, land use policy and brownfield site rehabilitation, and where regional collaboration can accelerate progress. 2. Climate Resilience and Energy Efficiency in the Housing Sector The majority of residential buildings in SPECA countries predate energy and seismic standards, now considered a baseline across comparable economies. Cities will discuss approaches to large-scale retrofitting, green building standards, and integrating climate risk assessment into urban development and housing investment decisions. 3. Smart City Approaches to Housing Governance Data-driven planning, digital service delivery, and integrated governance frameworks offer cities new tools for managing housing markets and improving service quality. The session will explore how SPECA cities are deploying smart city technologies and what institutional conditions are needed to do so effectively at scale. Guiding questions 1. What are the most pressing housing challenges your city is facing in the context of rapid urbanisation, and how are you addressing them? 2. Which policies or approaches have been most effective in expanding access to affordable, adequate, and inclusive housing? 3. How is your city integrating climate resilience, energy efficiency, and safety considerations into housing development and existing housing stock? 4. In what ways are digital tools and smart governance approaches improving housing planning, delivery, and management? 5. How can the SPECA Forum of Cities best support cooperation among cities to scale solutions and address shared housing and urban development challenges?