Blog Post
Aerial skyline of Baku, Azerbaijan.

Lincoln Institute at the Thirteenth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) 

By Catherine Benedict, Mayo 7, 2026

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy will continue its long legacy of participation in UN-Habitat’s World Urban Forum (WUF) at the 13th session from May 17 to May 22 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Lincoln Institute is convening two sessions—a WUF Academy panel on land value capture and an Urban Cinema screening of its multimedia case study video “Still the One”. Lincoln Institute Chief Program Officer Enrique Silva will be participating virtually in the flagship Academia and Research Roundtable, convened by UN-Habitat, and we’ll also be partnering with organizations on several other sessions. 

Learn more about the sessions featuring Lincoln Institute programs below.  

 

TUESDAY, MAY 19 

4:00–5:30 p.m. AZT, 8:00–9:30 a.m. ET | Land Value for All: Advancing Housing Equity in African Cities (Multipurpose Room 05) 

Rapid urbanization across Africa is outpacing public budgets, which constrains governments’ ability to deliver housing, infrastructure, and basic services. At the same time, rising urban land values—largely driven by public investment and planning decisions—present an opportunity. Land value capture enables cities to reclaim part of these socially created gains and reinvest them in affordable housing, climate-resilient infrastructure, and more equitable urban development. 

Building on UN-Habitat’s forthcoming African Flagship Report on Land Value Capture, this session will examine how African cities are operationalizing land value capture to deliver socially just housing. Through practical case studies from South Africa, Rwanda, and Egypt, the discussion will explore how inclusionary zoning, land readjustment, and density-based incentives can align private development with public goals. 

The panel will address the political, technical, and institutional conditions required for effective land value capture, including governance, land and market data, incentive calibration, and community participation. Bringing together city officials, planners, policymakers, developers, and researchers, the networking event will generate actionable lessons for embedding land value capture within planning systems and translating urban growth into tangible housing and infrastructure outcomes, while strengthening Africa’s voice in global urban finance debates. 

Session Type: Networking Event 

Format: In-person 

Convener: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH 

Partner: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy 

Facilitator: Astrid Haas, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy 

Panelists: 

  • Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, GIZ 
  • Jack Ngarambe, Ministry of Infrastructure, Rwanda 
  • Carlos Fernando Galan, City of Bogotá 
  • Sibongile Mazibuko, National Treasury, South Africa 
  • Heba Allah Khalil, American University of Cairo 
  • Enrique Silva, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (by video) 

THURSDAY, MAY 21 

9:30–11:30 a.m. AZT, 1:30–3:30 a.m. ET | Land Value Capture for Affordable Housing, Slum Upgrading, and Climate Action: Practical Lessons from the Global South (Multipurpose Room 12) 

This training combines a concise conceptual foundation with in-depth, practice-oriented case studies from South Africa, Argentina, Colombia, and Brazil. It begins with an overview of the economic rationale for LVC, then surveys core instruments—including incentive zoning, sale of building rights, and development obligations—and their relevance for housing provision and informal settlement upgrading. Participants are also introduced to key legal and institutional conditions that enable or constrain LVC implementation in different governance contexts. 

Through case walkthroughs, guided discussion, and interactive reflection, participants will gain actionable insights into how LVC instruments are designed, implemented, and adapted in practice. The training emphasizes transferability, helping participants assess how similar approaches could be applied in their own cities to expand housing finance options and advance more equitable and sustainable urban development. Presented cases will illustrate how LVC can align housing delivery, climate resilience, and inclusive urban development objectives. 

Session Type: WUF Academy 

Format: Hybrid 

Convener: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy 

Partners: Stellenbosch Municipality, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Fundação Getulio Vargas 

Facilitator: Luis Quintanilla, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (by video) 

Panelists: 

  • Ciro Biderman (Moderator), Fundação Getulio Vargas 
  • Cynthia Goytia, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella 
  • Chantel Hauptfleisch, Stellenbosch Municipality 
  • Claudia Acosta, Fundação Getulio Vargas 

 

1:00–3:00 p.m. AZT, 5:00–7:00 a.m. ET | Academia and Research Roundtable (Roundtable Room A) 

The WUF13 Academia and Research Roundtable will therefore serve as a platform to further mobilize academic knowledge and innovations to build actionable solutions to address the global housing crisis, within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 11) and the New Urban Agenda. The session will focus on opportunities to leverage the roles of academic and research institutions to address critical knowledge and capacity gaps and effectively deliver housing solutions that realize the right to adequate housing for all. For this, the two-hour roundtable will be organized into two complementary panels, each examining innovative and scalable mechanisms to address capacity gaps for effective and systemic housing solutions from distinct yet interconnected perspectives. 

The roundtable shall provide the opportunity to set forward a shared Research and Capacity Development agenda for UN-Habitat’s Strategic 2026–2029 Plan, informed by the perspectives of experts from diverse regions. Finally, it will result in concrete recommendations from the academia and research community to be integrated into the WUF13 outcome document. 

Session Type: Roundtable 

Format: Hybrid 

Convener: UN-Habitat 

Panelists: 

  • Camila Cociña, International Institute for Environment and Development  
  • Uchendu Eugene Chigbu, Namibia University of Science and Technology 
  • David Dodman, Institute for Housing Studies 
  • Pushpa Pathak, Centre for Policy Research 
  • Karen Chapple, University of Toronto 
  • Margarita Greene, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile 
  • Fariz Ismayilzada, ADA University 
  • Enrique Silva, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (by video) 
  • Gulchohra Mammadova, Azerbaijan Architecture and Construction University 
  • Edgar Pieterse, University of Cape Town; African Centre for Cities 
  • Lucy Slack, Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) 
  • Alexa Martinez Soto, Tecnológico de Monterrey 
  • Karla Planter, University of Guadalajara 

 

3:30–4:15 p.m. AZT, 7:30–8:15 a.m. ET | Still the One: Preserving Affordable Housing in Burlington’s Old North End (Urban Cinema) 

This multimedia case study video examines the impact of Burlington, Vermont’s affordable housing strategies on the Old North End (“the ONE”)—a historically low-income neighborhood that boasts a robust stock of affordable housing while facing rising costs of living and demand for housing. It traces the history of Burlington’s efforts back to the 1980s, when the city government under then-mayor Bernie Sanders established programs and policies to produce affordable housing and combat gentrification and displacement. Following the screening, Director Dakin Henderson will host a panel discussion with Champlain Housing Trust’s [Brenda Torby or Michael Monte]. 

Session Type: Urban Cinema 

Format: Hybrid 

Convener: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy 

Facilitator: Dakin Henderson, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (by video) 

Panelists: 

  • Michael Monte, Champlain Housing Trust 

FRIDAY, MAY 22 

11:15–12:15 p.m. AZT, 3:15–4:15 a.m. ET | Land Governance and Land-Based Solutions for Housing and Launch of the State of African Cities Report 2026 (UN-Habitat Arena) 

This Arena Event brings together two complementary and mutually reinforcing conversations within a single 60-minute window. The first half explores how innovative land governance tools and people-centered land administration can unlock adequate housing and drive the transformation of informal settlements in rapidly urbanizing contexts. Drawing on practical experiences from cities and countries across Africa and beyond, this segment will highlight selected Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) tools. These tools will be showcased as components of broader institutional, policy, and governance reforms that have proven scalable and transformational in enabling in situ upgrading, reducing displacement, and expanding access to adequate housing. The second half officially launches the State of African Cities Report 2026, which positions urban land as a critical lever for transformation—not only as a financial asset, but as the foundation for housing, service delivery, tenure security, climate resilience, social equity, and the urban social contract. 

Together, the two parts move the audience from practical land tools to continental policy and finance, anchored in the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the New Urban Agenda, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The session will feature tool highlights, reflections from case studies, and interactive audience engagement, generating concrete and policy-relevant messages for national and local governments, practitioners, and partners seeking to advance rights-based and inclusive housing solutions by leveraging the full economic, social, and ecological value of land. 

Session Type: Arena Event 

Format: Hybrid 

Convener: UN-Habitat—Land, Housing and Informal Settlement Section and Regional Office for Africa 

Partners: World Resources Institute, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Slum Dwellers International (SDI), Kadaster, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Habitat for Humanity 

 

12:00–13:30 p.m. AZT, 4:00–5:30 a.m. ET | Public Property Management as a Land-Based Strategy for Urban Development (Multipurpose Room 16) 

In Brazil, contemporary public land policy seeks to integrate social use, environmental protection, territorial planning, and urban inclusion by allocating public assets for housing policies, land regularization, urban facilities, ecosystem preservation, and the strengthening of traditional communities. This approach directly contributes to addressing sociospatial inequalities and building more resilient cities. 

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy brings internationally recognized expertise in land policy, urban planning, and sustainable land use, with extensive experience in land policies, public finance, and natural resource conservation. The session will foster a high-level exchange on how public land can be strategically mobilized to meet urban development challenges. 

Session Type: Networking Event 

Format: Hybrid 

Convener: Secretaria do Patrimônio da União (SPU) 

Partner: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy 

Lead image: Aerial photo of Baku, Azerbaijan skyline. Credit: graphixel via Getty Images.