How and why does urban regulation affect informality and the fiscal health of a municipality?

How can non-tax instruments finance the costs of urbanization?

Are prices higher in a city with greater infrastructure provision?

Why do land prices not reflect increased urban development?

Is it feasible to provide inclusive housing following market laws?

These and other questions will be addressed in this face-to-face course (40 hours), aimed at professionals in the field of urban planning and management.

The course will take place at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago (Av. Dag Hammarskjöld 3477, Vitacura).

Lecturers include Cynthia Goytia, PhD; Marcela Román, MSc; Martim Smolka, PhD; Diego Aulestia, MA; Anaclaudia Rossbach, Msc, and others.

Application open until September 1, 2023.

All applicants must complete the application form linked on this page, which will be available between August 4 and September 1.

There is a maximum of 30 places available.

The result of the selection process will be announced in the second half of September.

Fees

There is no cost for the course.

Participants will be responsible for their own expenses related to travel and accommodation in Santiago, Chile.

From 2 to 4 December 2026, Montevideo will host the General Assembly of MINURVI, the in-person meeting that closes the work period under the Presidency of Uruguay and the Vice-Presidencies of The Bahamas and Panama. The Assembly will bring together ministers and senior housing and urban development authorities from across the region to present the outputs of the five working groups established this year (urban renewal and circular economy, the Amazon region, access to housing from a comprehensive habitat approach, vulnerability and climate change adaptation, and strengthening the use of territorial data and information), to discuss them in working sessions with the participation of international organizations and development banks, and to define the regional roadmap towards 2027. The agenda provides for the adoption of a political declaration reflecting the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean on the global urban agenda. It is organized by the Ministry of Housing and Land Management of Uruguay, with ECLAC and UN-Habitat serving as joint technical secretariats.

The event will be livestreamed.

Save the date. Further information on the programme will follow shortly.

Save the date: October 27 and 28:

Urban October: Regional Dialogue on Housing and Urban Development in Latin America and the Caribbean” will take place on 27 and 28 October 2026 in Montevideo, at the CAF premises (Sala Solís), in hybrid format, under Uruguay’s Pro Tempore Presidency of MINURVI. The meeting brings together national and local authorities, international organizations and development banks around five thematic panels: access to housing from a comprehensive habitat approach, multilevel governance, challenges in the Amazon region, territorial data and information for decision-making, and vulnerability and climate resilience. Wednesday’s session also includes the presentation of the Circular Economy workshop activities and a panel on MINURVI’s role within the global development agendas. Each panel is structured around guiding questions that frame the exchange among participants.

The meeting of the Forum of Ministers and Highest Authorities of Housing and Urbanism of Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI): Climate Resilience and Sustainable Growth in Human Settlements in Latin America and the Caribbean, will be held on Thursday, August 1, and Friday, August 2, 2024, in Brasília, Brazil. The meeting will primarily focus on climate resilience and sustainable growth in human settlements in Latin America and the Caribbean.

During the event, topics will include biodiversity and climate change resilience in human settlements in Latin America and the Caribbean, Build Back Better: an approach to post-disaster recovery for more resilient cities, and land and climate change. Additionally, a ministerial debate will be held to exchange and share experiences, best practices, and proposals to promote urban resilience.

The meeting will feature a diverse group of participants, including ministers and high-level authorities from Latin American and Caribbean countries, academics, and civil society representatives to foster a richer discussion.

Seventh Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development.

In the framework of the Seventh Meeting of the Forum of Latin American and Caribbean Countries on Sustainable Development to be held in person at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago from 15 to 18 April 2024, ECLAC together with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) are organizing this event to discuss and reflect on the opportunity presented by the development of voluntary local reviews to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Participants in this workshop will include national and local authorities from the Latin American and Caribbean region who have been involved in SDG territorialization efforts, as well as in the preparation of the Local and National Voluntary Reviews; Resident Coordinators of the UN system and representatives of their offices, and other UN system officials, particularly from DESA and ECLAC, as well as other stakeholders, including civil society and academia.

The overall objective of the event is to promote dialogue and reflection on the opportunity represented by the elaboration of voluntary local reviews for the strengthening of intersectoral, multilevel, multi-stakeholder and long-term governance.