Planning

Urban planning provides the framework for sustainable city transformation. It aligns land use, infrastructure, housing, mobility, and environmental systems through integrated, data-driven strategies. Embedding climate resilience, biodiversity, and inclusivity into planning ensures that urban growth reduces emissions, protects ecosystems, and delivers equitable access to opportunities for all residents.

 

Urban planning provides the structure for sustainable development. It aligns land use, infrastructure, and environmental systems to ensure cities grow efficiently and equitably. Integrated planning brings together multiple sectors—transport, housing, energy, and nature—to reduce emissions, enhance resilience, and deliver opportunities for all. Strategic planning helps cities anticipate change and shape a sustainable future rather than react to it.

 

Explore more resources in the GPSC Digital Library, featuring case studies, toolkits, and technical guidance from cities around the world. Use the filters and categories to navigate by theme or topic and find content tailored to your city’s priorities.

Upcoming Events
View all

Online

Supporting Green Infrastructure Planning in Cities: Tools, Data Needs, and City Perspectives

31 March - 31 March 2026, 8:30 EDT

Background Introduction Agenda Presentation Recording The Urban Nature Program , co-led by the World Bank through its Global Platform for Sustainable Cities (GPSC), with support from the GEF, UNEP, and ICLEI, aims to scale up financing to help cities and sub-national governments implement actions
Related content
View all
Planning

Flooding in East Africa: The impacts on and implications for cities in East Africa, with a case study of Dar es Salaam

This report is aimed primarily at policymakers in emerging megacities, where the population is set to reach more than 3 million by 2050, but also at practitioners and other interested parties. The
Knowledge Product

Learn more
Planning

Water, Security and Conflict

This paper summarizes our current understanding of water and security threats and their links to conflict, migration, and food insecurity. It is intended for professionals in the defense, diplomacy

Knowledge Product

Learn more
Planning

Urban Land and Housing Market Assessment: A Toolkit

The Urban Land and Housing Market Assessment Toolkit aims to assist practitioners in undertaking a standard upstream diagnosis to inform policies and programs in the housing sector at the city level
Knowledge Product

Learn more