The Global Urban Competitiveness Report (GUCR) is a cooperative research conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and UN-Habitat focusing on sustainable urban competitiveness, urban land and urban finance. Led the project is participated by experts from CASS, UN-Habitat and well-known scholars in relevant fields.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts on cities – putting unprecedented pressure on municipal budgets and public services, exacerbating inequalities and revealing their extreme fragility to shocks.

Developed by the Global Alliance of Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), the report tracks the buildings and construction sector progress towards meeting the Paris Agreement goals, based on key indicators for energy use, emissions, technologies, policies, and investments globally.

Urbanization is happening differently today than in the past and occurring most rapidly in places with the fewest resources. Traditional approaches are not able to keep up, leaving billions of people with poor access to basic necessities, dragging down economies and damaging the environment.

That buildings should be well-ventilated is no rocket science.However, the current pandemic and revelation that SARS-CoV-2 can remain airborne for a considerable length of time has given this ancient awareness an urgent appeal.

This new report explores how climate and urban challenges could be addressed in tandem to set African cities on a path of prosperity and sustainable long-term development.