BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. Countries of the Global South should develop their cities with due regard for local realities, traditional architecture, and climatic conditions, rather than copying Western models of urbanization, Mellina Tenfish, a student at the Faculty of Political Science at Université Paris Nanterre, said, Trend reports.
She made the remark during the international conference “The Role of Youth in Urban Planning in the Decolonization Process,” held as part of the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.
According to her, the housing crisis has become one of the main problems facing the current generation.
“Today, more than 2.8 billion people live in substandard housing conditions, about 1 billion in slums, and nearly 300 million people are homeless,” she said.
Tenfish noted that in the Global South, the situation is exacerbated by rapid urbanization.
In her words, cities are growing faster than governments can keep up with creating affordable housing, transportation infrastructure, schools, and water supply systems.
She emphasized that rising housing and land prices are pushing young people, low-income families, and migrants to the outskirts of cities and into disadvantaged neighborhoods.
“This leads to the formation of segregated cities, where modern and well-equipped areas exist separately from overcrowded and underprivileged neighborhoods,” the Algerian representative stated.
Tenfish paid particular attention to the impact of the colonial legacy on urban development. According to her, the colonial system deliberately shaped cities based on a division between well-developed areas for the colonizers and peripheral zones for the local population.
“Colonial urban planning imposed architectural, land-use, and economic models that were alien to local communities,” she noted.
Tenfish also criticized the widespread tendency to copy Western development models. “The idea that development requires copying the West is harmful to countries in the Global South,” she emphasized.
According to her, the use of unsuitable building materials and the disregard for local traditions lead to environmental and social problems, including the disappearance of public spaces and traditional forms of employment.
The Algerian representative emphasized the importance of youth participation in shaping urban policy. “We must not be mere observers. Young people must become active participants in defending the right to decent and affordable housing," she stated.
She also called for the preservation of traditional and bioclimatic architecture, as well as the maintenance of local cultural practices in the process of urbanization.
Today, the fourth day of the WUF13 conference is taking place 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.
