Culture and science must be given greater role in developing the cities of the future, argues UNESCO at Habitat III Conference (UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)

(Source: UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) According to UN-Habitat, the world's one million cities are home to 3.9 billion inhabitants, more than half the human race. Urbanization is an ongoing trend, and it is estimated that two thirds of the global population will live in cities by 2050. Urban settlements moreover generate 70% of the world's GDP and are catalysts of economic, social and cultural development. Habitat III will bring together some 15 Heads of State, 150 housing ministers, and hundreds of mayors, including those of Paris, Bogota and Johannesburg,...