In response to questions raised during NUP Connect and in parallel with the work of elected representatives participating in the Focus Group – Narrative tasked with developing a clear institutional political overview of the NUP, the General Secretariat will publish a series of institutional articles starting in August 2025 highlighting key elements of the ongoing process.

The New Urban Project brings cities together around a shared political vision aimed at regenerating the habitability of historic centers.

Habitability is the foundation of the New Urban Project because it leverages the main characteristics of historic cities in holistic urban dynamics. With this in mind, heritage is the main resource for transforming the city and the driving force behind collective innovation through four main issues:

• Adapting cities to climate change and reducing its impact
• Capitalizing on the ability of historic districts to reinvent themselves
• Promoting the characteristics of heritage cities that underpin habitability
• Prioritizing heritage as an irreplaceable resource for sustainable development

To meet these issues, member cities are considering implementing actions that simultaneously and coordinately develop four Strategic Axes that define the coherence and ambition of the OWHC approach:

• Requalify the Habitat to encourage the local population to stay and attract new residents by imposing stricter regulations on tourist accommodation, providing the public services needed by a permanent population, and adapting the housing supply to meet the changing needs of the population.
• Refresh the city to combat urban heat islands and promote urban planning dedicated to a better quality of life, planned within the framework of inter-departmental coordination, citizen involvement, and the recovery of public spaces allowing for the rewilding of the city.
• Transform Mobility to offer accessible, safe, and comfortable shared transportation designed on the basis of a thorough understanding of the behaviors, habits, and needs of city users.
• Regenerate the urban environment to consider historic centers as laboratories for urban innovation, where tangible and intangible heritage inspires interventions capable of transforming the city, its uses, and its services, ensuring historical continuity and responding to contemporary challenges.