Rapid urbanisation, climate volatility, fiscal constraint and rising social expectations are exposing the limits of traditional approaches to urban planning and investment. The challenge is not a lack of ambition or funding, but rather how decisions are made, investments are structured, and delivery is governed and coordinated.
Addressing the gap between investment and outcomes requires cities to move beyond asset-level justification towards integrated, geography-specific portfolios and place-based business cases that reflect how places function and are experienced in practice.
Developed in collaboration with the Davos Baukultur Alliance and UN-Habitat, this white paper supports that shift. Drawing on global case studies, executive insight, and practical tools, it sets out how public sector leaders can apply a place-based approach using levers already within their control.
