Today is World Habitat Day

Photo courtesy of
‘Sustainability’
courtesy of ‘SWP Moblog’

Did you know that half the world’s population lives in cities?  Or that within the next generation, more than two-thirds of the population will be urban? The United Nations designates the first Monday of October as World Habitat Day, a day to reflect on the state of our urban environments and reaffirm a commitment to providing decent, affordable housing worldwide.  There are three great ways to celebrate World Habitat Day: advocate for housing to Congress, educate yourself on current urban housing issues, or donate time or money to an organization that focuses on housing issues.

There are a number of events here in DC to mark the occasion, including a forum on Livable Communities today at Howard University at 3 PM.  The forum is entitled “Planning our Urban Future” and features the Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, the HUD Deputy Secretary, the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, and DC’s very own deputy mayor.  There are also several events happening throughout the week that focus on housing and urban environments.

Shannon grew up in the greater DC area/Maryland suburbs, went to Virginia for college and grad school (go Hoos!), and settled in DC in 2006. She’s an urban planner who loves transit (why yes, that is her dressed as a Metro pylon for Halloween), cities, and all things DC. Email her at Shannon (at) WeLoveDC.com!

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