BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. Urban development must ground itself in the principle of coexistence with nature, said Arnulf Rybicki, a representative of the City of Dortmund's Directorate for Construction and Infrastructure, Trend reports.
The official made the remarks during a session titled "Building Nature-Positive Cities Housing, Resilience, and Sustainable Urban Futures" held within the framework of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.
According to him, a significant portion of Dortmund's urban territory—exceeding 60%—is occupied by green zones, including fields, forests, trees, and parks. He noted that within the framework of a satellite data analysis covering more than 155 urban regions worldwide, Dortmund earned recognition as the fourth greenest city among those studied.
Rybicki emphasized that Dortmund plans to further expand its green infrastructure, integrating it into all urban development projects. As an example, he cited the Phoenix See project in southern Dortmund, which involved the transformation of a former steel mill industrial site into a lake surrounded by green areas and residential housing.
He also pointed out that the city's priority focuses not on extending development into natural territories, but rather on renovating and repurposing brownfield industrial zones into new urban spaces.
Today marks the fourth day of WUF13 in Baku.
The first day included a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New Urban Agenda, a ministerial roundtable, assemblies for women and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban prosperity. An official ceremony marking the raising of the UN and Azerbaijani flags also took place.
The second day stood out for the inaugural Leaders' Summit, featuring high-level discussions on the global housing crisis, urbanization policy, and urban resilience. Concurrently, the opening of the Mexico City pavilion took place, serving as a significant platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin American region and preparing for WUF14.
The third day of WUF13 featured a comprehensive program of events covering the global housing crisis, the formation of safe and inclusive cities, climate resilience, artificial intelligence and urban governance, green urbanization, social equity, and sustainable transport.
WUF13, which has attracted more than 40,000 registered participants from 182 countries, will continue until May 22. Held under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities,” the forum brings together governments, international organizations, experts, and representatives of civil society to strengthen global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development.
