Towards a 360 degree Global Gateway Building Housing, Infrastructure and Local Economies Through Integrated Local Action

This partner-led event will explore how the EU Global Gateway can be implemented through a genuinely 360-degree approach that links infrastructure investments with housing, local economic development, climate resilience and democratic local governance. Too often, infrastructure is planned in isolation from the territories and communities it serves. This session argues that sustainable impact depends on connecting physical investments with local institutions, service delivery systems, local economies and citizen engagement. The discussion will open with an EU representative outlining the policy logic of the Global Gateway and its values-based, integrated offer, highlighting how connectivity, sustainability and competitiveness depend on the active involvement of local and regional authorities (LRAs) and cross-sector coordination across areas such as housing, transport, energy, water and waste. UN-Habitat will reflect on growth corridors and growth zones as spatial frameworks for aligning infrastructure, housing and economic development. Drawing on global experience, the presentation will show how corridor-based approaches can either exacerbate inequalities if poorly governed, or drive inclusive growth when local governments are empowered to plan, regulate land, manage services and engage communities. The SymbioCity approach will be presented as a practical method for operationalising a 360-degree perspective. By integrating environmental, social, economic and institutional dimensions, it demonstrates how cities can link infrastructure, housing, climate action and service delivery through participatory planning and strong local institutions, with particular relevance for Global Gateway investments in decentralised and multilevel governance contexts. A country example will illustrate how a 360-degree approach could be applied in practice, combining infrastructure investments with local capacity building, citizen participation, service delivery reform and local economic development. Finally, an international financing institution will offer a financier’s perspective on how governance, territorial planning and social inclusion are increasingly recognised as critical to long-term investment viability. Through dialogue between policy makers, cities, development actors and financiers, the event will demonstrate how local and regional authorities can be placed at the centre of turning Global Gateway ambitions into lasting impact.