Currently, most community life takes place in cities and urban areas. Since 2008, more than half of the world’s population has lived in cities, and this share is expected to keep growing toward 2050.

Cities concentrate people and resources, which allows them to deliver essential public services — water and sanitation, health, education, energy, emergency response, and recreation — more efficiently. This agglomeration also creates opportunities for economic development, innovation, and social interaction.

Yet, urban life is not without challenges. Cities can also become spaces of deep inequality and segregation, where access to opportunities is unevenly distributed.

In an increasingly globalized world, understanding the challenges cities face — and how they respond to them — is becoming essential. Moreover, cities are uniquely positioned to contribute to filling gaps in today’s fragmented global governance, offering local solutions to global problems.