An integrated territorial approach to sustainable development

A balanced approach to territorial development considers different scales of cities and human settlements, systemically connected among them and with their territories, thus ensuring reliable supply and value chains that connect urban and rural supply and demand, while contributing to food security and nutrition systems. Urban and territorial planning and management that puts housing at the centre, builds infrastructure and services, and facilitates trade should be at the basis of the quest towards sustainable development.

The High-Level Roundtable will demonstrate why policy-making should pay more attention to spatial dimensions. It will analyse how integrated territorial development approaches outlined in the New Urban Agenda, can be more effectively deployed nationally, regionally and locally as a means to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The session will deepen the exchange on different territorial development approaches and how they can be implemented to achieve the sustainable urban development. Various concepts relating to “integration” will be unpacked, ranging from horizontal integration (sectors), to vertical integration (scales). Justifications for looking at different forms of urban areas as well as their linkages will be discussed.

At a policy level, the session will examine the conditions that make integrated territorial development a success, exploring enabling governance and financing mechanisms. In the end, participants will reflect on how they can introduce these lessons in their particular contexts.

Three key dimensions of territorial integration are reflected in the New Urban Agenda:

• A territory is influenced by policies and strategies made at a higher government level. This therefore brings up the need for coordination among various ministries, government departments and planning levels for integration between various spatial strategies and sector policies (New Urban Agenda paragraph 92 – policy and planning processes).
• Activities and investments in a territory not only rewrite the geography of space but also relations in society, economy and environment. Territory is thus an organizing factor for both spatial and non-spatial relations. In particular spatial integration requires coordination across scales and effective urban-rural linkages (New Urban Agenda paragraph 136).
• Restructuring of space is a key tool to increase value and revenues from land. However, this requires effective integration between project design and implementation plan. Thus, a territorial strategy must be supported by governance and financing mechanisms (New Urban Agenda section – effective implementation).

Q1: Why are countries looking at integrated territorial development approaches?

Q2: What are the different approaches to integrated territorial development both in theory and practice? What does integration entail, from which perspectives?

Q3: Which tools support coherence between spatial strategies and sector policies?

Q4: Governance: Who are the key stakeholders? How are the governance challenges being solved? Which partnerships can support the effective implementation of territorial development plans and policies? What specific capacities need to be developed?

Q5: Financing: How can integrated territorial development strategies be financed and by whom? What makes them attractive to various banks and other financing agencies and potential investors? What are the caveats?

Q6: Measuring Success: How do we measure success? What data and indicators exist and what needs to be developed for territorial development approaches?