Artigenda
World Habitat Day
When: Annually, the first Monday of October.
World Habitat Day is a day declared by the United Nations (UN) that takes place on the first Monday of October. The day is supposed to make people think about the state of urban areas.
Do not confuse this day with International City Day, which takes place on 31 October. This day is also known as World Cities Day. The day has been around since 2014, when the focus is on the world’s major cities. Previously, there was World Habitat Day. This day originated in the 1980s and is about more than just the world’s big cities.
Towns and cities
So on this day, it’s all about the urbanised area. Cities, towns and villages. In English, they talk about towns and cities. So basically villages and cities. What is the impact of the ever-advancing cities on the surrounding areas, for example the surrounding smaller towns or villages? What is the impact on nature? Urbanisation has an impact on the environment and the poverty line. At least in certain parts of the world.
The first edition of World Habitat Day dates back to 1986 and had the theme “Shelter is My Right.” With this, the UN wanted to show that even in an urbanised area, it is not common for everyone to have a roof over their head, but this should be a right. This has unfortunately not changed in all subsequent years. In subsequent years, it was certainly not always about homelessness. Issues like safety and the environment were also considered important enough to pay attention to.
Special
It is quite extraordinary: in some parts of the world, people want to move to cities from rural areas. In other parts of the world, people want just the opposite. It’s all about how dreams may or may not come true. Urbanisation can play a role in this. Along with growth and associated problems. On World Habitat Day, it is a good time to reflect on this. Which theme will be addressed this year can be read at the special website about this day.
Image at the top of this page: Unsplash.
