This year, World Architecture Day will fall on 7 October. The day is traditionally celebrated globally on the first Monday in October to coincide with the United Nations’ World Habitat Day.
The day’s theme for 2019, as selected by the International Union of Architects (UIA), is “Architecture… housing for all”. It will focus on how architects can contribute to the realisation of affordable housing for all; the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2016); and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 11, “to make cities and human settlements safe, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable”.
The UIA Community Architecture Programme is dedicated to advancing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with a particular emphasis on Goal 11: Making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. With current estimations stating that by 2030, two thirds of the world’s population will live in cities, it is essential that urban environments develop in harmony with the UN guiding principles. This Work Programme aims to ensure that Architects are mindful of the Sustainable Development Goals in all the projects that they undertake.
Social inequality is becoming increasingly visible, especially in the urban environment, where people from various social strata live in close proximity. The increase in social inequality in urban areas has been shown to have a direct correlation with homelessness, unemployment, social deprivation, and health problems. The UIA Social Habitat Programme works to investigate these problems from an architectural standpoint, and to start implementing positive social action within the architectural community.
On World Architecture Day, 7 October 2019, people all over the world will spotlight architecture through events, exhibits and lectures. You can check the proposal of activities for the architecture week in the main cities of Spain here