In the United States of that period, laws in many states enforced separate schools, transportation and bathrooms based solely on race. The military was still segregated, laws prohibiting interracial marriage remained in place and many housing developments enforced “whites-only” policies. 

One early resident and later UN staff member, Carlos Figueroa, remembered being friends with children from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin Ameria and the Caribbean. Growing up together, they sampled cuisines, learned about their cultures and picked up on small bits of their languages. 

By 1952, nearly 500 United Nations families resided in Parkway.

“It was enlightening to see kids from countries and cultures which are traditional rivals – Indians and Pakistanis, Arabs and Jews, for example – playing together, attending the same schools and, if not learning to love and trust one another, at least finding a way to get along in an atmosphere of cooperation and understanding,” Mr. Figueroa said.

Among the Parkway’s quaint low-rise homes, winding paths and open lawns lived staffers from over 50 countries, including Nobel Laureate Ralph Bunche.

“Since its earliest days, the United Nations has sought to be a leader in eliminating racial discrimination worldwide,” said Rula Hinedi, head of the UN tour guides, who recently led a fact-finding mission to Parkway Village. 

“There are few clearer intentions to put this principle into practice than the development of Parkway Village when the UN first decided to permanently locate to New York in December 1946.” 

Confronting segregation in NYC 

In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, New York City faced a serious housing crisis, and this was compounded by the return of 900,000 US servicemen from overseas. 

“New York seemed to be 150,000 to 250,000 apartment units short of the housing needs that were required at the time and yet there were thousands of diplomats getting ready to make their home in New York City,” New York historian, Chris McNickle, told UN News.

However, it was the requirement from the United Nations for the host city to provide housing for staff without discrimination that would cause an even greater challenge. Many housing developments in New York, such as Manhattan’s famous Stuy-Town or Fresh Meadows, practised racial segregation.

The organization knew that it would need somewhere to accommodate its incredibly diverse staff, especially at a time when “it was very difficult for black people to secure an apartment, sometimes impossible,” Mr. McNickle said.

Parkway Village, then just a plot of land nestled deep in a quiet corner of the borough of Queens, was the solution that the UN and the City of New York came up with.

The United Nations Village

Built from scratch in 1947 on 34 acres of undeveloped land, Parkway comprised 687 apartments sparsely located in small groups across the property, with views in every direction. 

Described by current resident, Judith Guttman, as the “country in the city”, the Village fostered a “communal” atmosphere for its residents. With buildings covering just 15 per cent of the space and the UN school and nursery on site until the early 1980s, Ms. Guttman said “it was so community-oriented and had a very culturally open atmosphere, that for many years no fences between the homes were built…it was the perfect place to raise kids.”

‘Atmosphere of cooperation and understanding’

Beyond the familial atmosphere, the development also provided a haven for civil rights activists, Nobel laureates and UN staff from countless countries who wouldn’t usually have been able to live together given the racial laws in place in that period.

One UN staff member who benefited from the village’s integration was Ralph Bunche, the first Black person to win the Nobel Peace Prize following his mediation efforts on behalf of the UN in the late 1940s Arab-Israeli conflict.

Moving past discrimination

As Parkway Village continues as an historical symbol of the UN’s push to promote racial equality, the UN independent human rights expert on contemporary forms of racism, Dr. Ashwini K.P., said that progress has been made.

“Over the past 80 years, the world has moved from openly codified racism toward a global consensus that racial discrimination is unacceptable,” she said. 

However, speaking ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, marked annually on 21 March, she added “racism continues to manifest in different forms” and “shape access to education, healthcare, economic opportunity, and political power.”

“Ending racial discrimination requires sustained political will, measurable accountability and a commitment to equality that is lived and not merely declared,” she said. “Confronting it openly is how we diminish its power and reclaim our collective humanity.”

More than 236,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged during the war and over 2.5 million housing units – around 10 per cent of the housing stock – have been damaged in some way or are inaccessible due to the ongoing conflict. 

The shortage of municipal housing combined with an under-regulated rental market and the large-scale displacement caused by people fleeing war, has placed severe pressure on housing availability and affordability, according to a report released by the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The UN estimates that around 10.6 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes – almost a quarter of its pre-war population, the majority of whom have left the country.

Two-thirds of the 3.7 million people who remain have struggled to pay for their new accommodation. For many, their reliance on the rental market has exhausted family savings.

Financial burden

According to the report the “financial burden of rent continues to weigh heavily on displaced households,” as they are forced to spend 50 per cent or more of their income on rent.

As the war in Ukraine continues, addressing the housing needs of displaced Ukrainians remains a critical priority.

“IOM is dedicated to helping internally displaced people, and the communities hosting them, build lasting futures. This includes training for new skills, connecting people with jobs, and securing stable homes,” said Robert Turner, IOM Ukraine’s Chief of Mission.

Humanitarian and development partners continue to support displaced people in accessing housing through financial and legal assistance, as well as through livelihood initiatives, complementing efforts by local authorities to expand or rehabilitate the municipal housing stock.

In response, more than 30 ministers and senior government representatives meeting in Geneva on Wednesday committed to stronger policies and increased financing to address housing affordability and sustainability across the region. 

The meeting was convened by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), whose 56 Member States span the continent as well as North America and Central Asia.

Families pushed into poverty

Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean highlighted the critical housing situation during a briefing to journalists.

“Many families are paying one quarter or even half of their disposable income just to keep a roof over their heads. So single parents, families with children, and young people are especially affected,” she said.

Furthermore, a 2024 UNECE report revealed that in most countries, housing costs are pushing over a third of low-income families into poverty.

The region is also facing “a pressing challenge of sustainability” as housing accounts for roughly 30 per cent of both energy use and carbon dioxide emissions.

Most of the housing stock “is ageing and energy inefficient” and retrofitting older homes can be difficult as “municipalities and housing providers often struggle with high upfront costs and limited access to finance.” 

Action and investment

At the meeting, ministers reaffirmed housing as a human right and adopted actionable commitments to increase accessibility.   

“Without general access to affordable, high-quality needs-based housing, many social and economic problems can arise, affecting different areas of public policy such as education, health, transport and environment,” said Martin Tschirren, head of Switzerland’s Federal Office for Housing, who chaired the meeting.

The commitments agreed by ministers stress the “urgent need for integrated, inclusive and forward-looking strategies that address the housing emergency”. 

While acknowledging the dynamic, diverse and context-dependent character of housing challenges – and important linkages to economic growth, employment and other sectors – ministers warned that the view of housing as a wealth generator and profit engine has led to increased speculation and insufficient public and private investment. 

In this regard, they called for measures such as more public investment and the expansion of public, cooperative, social and community-led housing models, in addition to private sector funding through green bonds, sustainability-linked loans, community land trusts or blended finance instruments. 

Adjusting taxes, reducing speculation

Ministers committed to adjusting land value taxation to make policies more equitable. They also called for a curb on short term tourist rentals to reduce speculation. 

Other measures outlined include increasing the available housing stock through strategies that prioritise retrofitting and promoting new construction that is climate resilient and energy efficient.

The meeting was held as part of the 86th session of the UNECE Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management, which ends on Friday. 

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As New Zealand cities evolve to accommodate denser housing, a concerning trend is emerging: urban green spaces are shrinking. While New Zealand’s cities are relatively small compared to global metropolises, their green space, though reasonable in total, is under pressure from rapid urban development. New research highlights complex relationships between urban intensification and the availability of green spaces, revealing significant losses of greenery over recent decades. This trend has particularly impacted private land due to subdivisions and increased paving of residential lots. Compounding this issue is the uneven distribution of green spaces both between and within cities.

For residents of these cities, the loss of green spaces is troubling, especially since surveys indicate urban dwellers place high value on green spaces for recreation, socializing, and cultural practices. Moreover, these green areas are vital to human health and wellbeing, offering a natural refuge in a fast-urbanizing world. As New Zealand contends with the housing crisis, the competition for space means green spaces are often left out of the equation—an oversight with wide-ranging consequences for urban resilience, particularly in the face of increasing climate-related events like flooding.

Green Spaces in Urban Resilience

The devastating effects of Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 floods underscored the critical role green spaces play in fostering urban resilience. Approximately 13% of New Zealand’s population resides in flood-prone areas, and this proportion will likely grow as the frequency of floods increases due to climate change. These events have prompted city planners and policymakers to focus on the idea of “sponge cities,” an urban design concept that leverages parks, gardens, and other green infrastructure to manage stormwater and mitigate floods.

Green spaces serve as a buffer during heavy rainfalls, absorbing excess water that would otherwise inundate homes and businesses. They offer a flexible, natural solution compared to hard infrastructure like drainage systems, which, while essential, can struggle to handle the increasing intensity of extreme weather events. To fully capitalize on these benefits, green spaces must be carefully integrated into cityscapes, positioned in flood-prone areas such as valleys and low-lying neighborhoods where water can safely accumulate.

However, the simple existence of green space on the fringes of a city or in its steep green belts is insufficient. Accessibility is key. Green spaces need to be within reach of urban populations if they are to serve as effective tools for resilience. Yet, as New Zealand’s cities grapple with a housing crisis, the pressure to build more homes often takes precedence over maintaining or developing new green spaces, especially in areas where land is scarce or prohibitively expensive.

Impact of Urban Intensification on Green Spaces

Urban intensification, a policy response to New Zealand’s housing shortage, has inadvertently led to a decrease in the amount of private green space. The conversion of large residential lots into smaller subdivisions has been a major driver of this trend. For instance, in Auckland, the amount of private green space per person dropped by 20% between 1980 and 2016. With forecasted population growth in most cities, these losses are expected to become even more pronounced in the coming decades.

This reduction in green space not only affects the aesthetic and recreational value of neighborhoods but also exacerbates existing inequities. Research shows that wealthier suburbs typically enjoy more green space per person than lower-income areas, resulting in unequal access to the health and wellbeing benefits these spaces provide. For example, in Wellington, urban areas boast double the tree cover compared to Auckland and Hamilton. Even within the same city, green space availability can vary dramatically. Some suburbs in Hamilton have up to eight times more green space than others, while in Wellington, green space availability varies drastically between neighborhoods that are only a few kilometers apart.

These disparities are concerning given that 87% of New Zealand’s population lives in urban areas. The uneven distribution of green spaces aligns with international trends, where affluent areas tend to have better access to parks and gardens, leading to improved health and social outcomes. In contrast, economically disadvantaged communities, which often have fewer green spaces, experience poorer health and higher levels of stress, a phenomenon known as “environmental inequality.”

Ecosystem Services and Social Vulnerability

The loss of green spaces and their unequal distribution has broader implications beyond aesthetics and recreation. Urban green spaces provide essential ecosystem services, such as flood mitigation, air quality improvement, and temperature regulation through shading. Research in Christchurch has shown that residents in economically and socially vulnerable neighborhoods have access to fewer of these ecosystem services. In contrast, wealthier areas enjoy a greater array of natural benefits, contributing to healthier living conditions.

Flooding, in particular, poses a significant threat to vulnerable communities. Green spaces act as natural sponges, absorbing water and reducing the risk of floods. However, as these spaces disappear or become less accessible, vulnerable residents are left without adequate protection. The reduction of private gardens, lawns, and other permeable surfaces due to urban intensification only exacerbates this problem. Central Wellington, for example, has one of the highest rates of paved surfaces in public spaces, a trend mirrored on private lots where gardens are increasingly replaced with driveways or courtyards.

This shift toward hard surfaces is more than just an aesthetic issue; it reduces the land’s ability to absorb rainwater, increasing the risk of flooding. The more impermeable surfaces a city has, the more strain is placed on its drainage systems, which may struggle to cope with the increasing severity of weather events linked to climate change. Addressing these challenges will require a rethink of how cities incorporate green spaces into their planning.

Strategic Solutions for Urban Green Spaces

Given the critical role green spaces play in urban resilience and public health, it is essential that they are treated as vital urban assets. To ensure that green spaces remain accessible and effective, they must be protected and enhanced through robust policy initiatives. Currently, the protection of green spaces varies greatly between local councils, with some cities doing more than others to safeguard these natural areas.

Our research suggests several key actions to reverse the trend of green space loss and ensure their equitable distribution:

• Prioritizing Green Spaces in Urban Policy: Urban green spaces should be considered essential to the wellbeing of all residents and as an integral part of climate adaptation strategies. Councils must develop and implement policies that protect and expand green spaces, particularly in high-density urban areas. Existing policies can be strengthened to ensure consistent protection across all cities.
• Reversing the Loss of Private Green Space: Local governments cannot be expected to compensate for the loss of private green spaces due to urban subdivisions. National policies must require the provision of adequate green infrastructure as part of urban intensification efforts. This could involve setting minimum green space standards for new developments or incentivizing green roofs and walls in higher-density areas.
• Investing in Maintenance and Development: Councils must continue to invest in both the creation and maintenance of green spaces, despite the financial pressures of urban growth. Deferred maintenance is a significant issue in many parks, affecting their accessibility and usability, particularly for people with mobility challenges. Well-maintained green spaces offer a wide range of benefits, from improved physical and mental health to enhanced urban resilience against climate change.
• Innovative Urban Design Solutions: Green spaces can be integrated into urban environments creatively, even in densely populated areas. For example, green roofs and vertical gardens can provide greenery without requiring additional land. Public spaces can be redesigned to incorporate more natural elements, such as rain gardens, which help absorb stormwater and reduce flooding risks.
• Addressing Inequities in Green Space Distribution: To tackle environmental inequality, councils and policymakers must ensure that all residents have access to green spaces, regardless of where they live. This may involve redistributing resources to create new parks in underserved areas or improving the accessibility and quality of existing green spaces in lower-income neighborhoods.

As New Zealand’s cities continue to grow and densify, the preservation and expansion of urban green spaces must be a top priority. These spaces are not just nice-to-have amenities but essential components of a healthy, resilient urban environment. The loss of green spaces, especially in lower-income and vulnerable communities, threatens to exacerbate existing social and environmental inequalities.

Strategic urban planning, backed by strong policy initiatives, can ensure that New Zealand’s cities remain green, sustainable, and resilient in the face of climate change and urban growth. The future of New Zealand’s cities depends on how well we balance the need for housing with the need to protect and enhance our green spaces, which are vital to the wellbeing of both people and the planet.