It has been reported that crises in the Middle East have made housing projects and reconstruction processes in Arab cities more difficult by increasing energy and construction costs.
Modern.az reports that Ayman Al-Hefnawi, a representative of UN-Habitat, stated this during a discussion titled “The Middle East Crisis and its Impacts on Global Housing and Urban Planning” within the 13th session of the World Urban Forum held in Baku.
According to him, the “State of Arab Cities” report noted that cities in the region face serious difficulties in providing sustainable and affordable housing. However, in recent months, rising energy prices, problems in the supply chain, and the logistics crisis have further exacerbated the situation.
Ayman Al-Hefnawi stated that rising fuel and energy costs directly affect the price of construction materials, which makes it difficult to renew both new housing projects and informal settlements.
He emphasized that the current crisis has shown how interconnected urban systems are:
“Rising energy prices, disruptions in the supply chain, financial instability, and forced displacement directly affect housing affordability and the livelihoods of city residents.”
The UN-Habitat representative noted that new approaches should be added to urban planning policies in the current situation. According to him, emergency financial mechanisms, rapid reconstruction funds, and humanitarian-development cooperation models have become more important.
Ayman Al-Hefnawi added that the use of local construction materials, labor-intensive construction methods, and energy-saving projects should be one of the main directions of future urban planning strategies.
