Join us in Oslo or digitally as we mark World Cities Day to discuss how we can plan communities with water, rather than against it. As climate change accelerates, cities and communities around the world are increasingly confronted with difficult questions about where and how people can live safely. Flooding, sea-level rise, erosion, pollution, and housing pressures are reshaping urban development in coastal and riverine areas, while the impacts of climate change continue to affect vulnerable communities first and most severely.
On World Cities Day 2026, 29. October, Habitat Norway, GRID-Arendal, Slum Dwellers International (SDI), and partners from the Oslo region invite policymakers, diplomats, municipal leaders, researchers, practitioners, civil society organisations, and community representatives to a dialogue on locally led climate adaptation and the future of urban resilience.
📅 29 October 2026 | 17:00-19:00
📍 Hausmanns gate 19, 0182 Oslo (the premises of The Norwegian Forum for Development and Environment)
Online participation: https://teams.microsoft.com/
Building on discussions from World Habitat Day and this years World Urban Forum 13 in Baku, the event brings together international and Norwegian perspectives to explore how communities, municipalities, and national governments can work together to respond to climate risk in ways that are both effective and equitable. Particular attention will be given to the role of cities and community actors in achieving climate-resilient development, and the opportunities for stronger international cooperation and support for locally led adaptation efforts.
Kamila Gojobe, community organizer and national youth leader with Slum Dwellers International (SDI) Kenya, and Mikkel Harder, head of partnerships at SDI International, will participate in person at the event in Oslo to share experiences from community-led climate adaptation, participatory data collection, informal settlement upgrading, and partnerships with local governments across Africa and Asia.
The forum will focus on four key themes:
- Integrating housing needs, climate risk, and land-use planning in coastal and riverine areas.
- Using community knowledge, participatory mapping, and locally generated data to improve planning and decision-making.
- Building effective partnerships between municipalities, civil society organisations, researchers, and local communities.
- Learning across contexts: what Norwegian municipalities and institutions can learn from experiences in rapidly urbanising cities facing climate-related challenges.