Pandemic showed that cities must be reimagined and transformed for a healthier life whilst re-prioritising response to challenges amplifying inequalities.

This year, the UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) World Urban Forum — organised by the city of Katowice in Poland — focused on policies, actions and strategies that can promote a better urban future.

Olivier Vion, Petr Salak, and Mahak Agrawal represented ITACUS - the ITA Committee on Underground Space at the World Urban Forum 2022. ITACUS collaborated with its long-time partner International Society of City and Reginoal Planners (ISOCARP) to organise engagements and events at the Urban Expo.

Mahak shares “It was a pleasure to represent ITACUS and to be one of the few innovative conversation starters and groundbreakers at the United Nations Habitat WUF 11 Urban Expo. As we connected, interacted and engaged with multidisciplinary experts from across the world and in a city proximal to Ukraine, one key learning for me — to prepare ourselves and respond to opportunities for a better urban future, we don’t just need to anticipate change; we need to accept the change and iterate our plans of action”.

ITACUS acknowledges the need for change and is continuously iterating plans of action  — above and below ground.