VMR - Voluntary Metropolitan Review

According to the OECD, metropolitan areas are defined as a population between 500 000 and 1.5 million people. For instance, the region of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has several such metropolitan areas which are often agglomerations of different separate cities and towns which became integrated into a larger size urban areas. These separate areas often retain some form of autonomy making it very challenging for the larger metropolitan agglomeration to coordinate sustainable growth of its infrastructure, personal mobility, safeguarding food security, managing waste and social development such as education, health, security and housing rules and regulations. This side-event focuses on the implementation of SDG 11 at a metropolitan scale which goes beyond the traditional VLR (Voluntary Local Review) reporting and introduces instead a VMR (Voluntary Metropolitan Review).

Concept Note

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VMR - Voluntary Metropolitan Review

IIAS/DARPG Conference, 11 February 2025

Session Chair: Raymond Saner, Basle University & CSEND, Geneva, Switzerland

Stronger Together Voluntary Metropolitan Coordination Across Local Boundaries on SDGs and Governance - Cases from Europe and Asia

Are there any models and mechanisms for effective planning and governance coordination within metropolitan and mega-urban regions? How can the rapid growth of urban areas be guided toward sustainability in Asia, Africa, and South America? Can urban regions be planned and governed in coordination across local administrative boundaries, including land- and resource-efficient, low-carbon, climate-resilient, inclusive, and competitive urban development in a country and in growing urban regions?

November 7, 2024 | 15:00 - 16:30, SDGs in Action

Summary
Are there any models and mechanisms for effective coordination within metropolitan and mega-urban regions on planning and governance? How can rapid growth of urban regions be guided towards sustainability in Asia, Africa and South America? Can urban regions be planned and governed in coordination across local administrative boundaries, inclusive of land- and resource efficient, low-carbon, climate-resilient, inclusive and competitive urban development in a country and in growing urban regions? How can effective models be replicated?

Urbanization often is not well managed and urban development goes in many or most cases well beyond the territories of local city administrations. This happens for small and medium cities, and it is normal for metropolitan and mega-urban regions. These ‘natural cities’ don’t have administration and coordination which makes effective land use planning, effective and efficient infrastructure and service provision, and risk- informed planning to minimize and manage climate-related disasters very challenging. Coordinating and integrating master planning, land use, transport and open space protection planning will result in synergies and benefits for all areas, jurisdictions and residents. There are cases in which such coordination is practiced and in various forms of mechanisms and institutional and governance arrangements. Various models of successful national planning and urban region coordination will be shared, including top-down and voluntary approaches. Agreeing on achieving SDGs can be an incentive to coordinate across local jurisdictions.

Raymond Saner & Lichia Yiu

CSEND, April 2024.

A growing number of P.O.s expressed interest in contributing to the SDGs and the international and multi-stakeholder efforts to find solutions to the multiple crises and long-term issues pertaining to sustainability, such as pandemics, war, food insecurity, poverty, climate change, and a general sense of insecurity. POs keen on joining the international community to contribute to the implementation of the SDGs are advised to visit the sources given in this article and subsequently assess their strengths and weaknesses in regard to Advocacy, Diplomacy, and Capacity Building in the domain of the SDGs in Developing and Least Developed countries.

Raymond Saner, “Implementing the SDGs by subnational governments- urgent need to strengthen administrative capacities”, WASD Conference, Thematic Panel/Knowledge Partnership, Geneva 12 April 2018

Raymond Saner, “Financing the localization of the SDGs through PPPs: Need to assess advantages & disadvantages by local governments”; International Conference on the Localization of the SDGs and the Co-Construction of the Means of Implementation, Yonsei University, South Korea ROK, 23-24 February 2019

Lichia Saner Yiu, “Agile and Sustainable Cities: Managing System Vulnerability through Process Transparency”, International Conference on the Localisation of the SDGs and the Co-Construction of the Means of Implementation

International Conference on the Localisation of the SDGs and the Co-Construction of the Means of Implementation , Yonsei University, South Korea ROK, 23-24 February 2019

Raymond Saner, “Strengthening coordination of urban development PPPs with the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs”, 6th International UNECE PPP Forum, Barcelona, 4-6 May, 2022.