BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Transitioning to more
advanced technologies is possible, but their mere existence does
not mean they should be implemented immediately. Roland White made
the remarks during an event titled “Beyond External Financing: Can
Cities Increase Their Own Revenues While Also Addressing Housing
Challenges?” Trend
reports.


According to him, the process must begin with defining the
objective and overall strategy before making any technological
choices. “Only after that can you make the right technology
decisions. One important choice, for example, concerns property
taxation. Suppose you have an area-based system. Such systems
generally work reasonably well, but ultimately they are less
effective and less fair than ad valorem systems, which are based on
value rather than broad categories and ranges,” he said.


White noted that a key question is whether cities plan to
transition from area-based taxation to value-based systems.


“To move to an ad valorem system, you need market data. You can
have the best technology in the world, but without high-quality
market data feeding the system, you still cannot accurately assess
property,” he said.


He stressed that in some cases it may make more sense to retain
existing systems or improve them only incrementally.


“At some point, transitioning to more advanced technologies may
be justified. But the mere existence of a smarter technological
solution does not mean it should be adopted immediately,” he
added.


Today marks the fifth day of WUF13 in Baku.


The first day included a ministerial meeting dedicated to the
New Urban Agenda, a ministerial roundtable, assemblies for women
and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban
prosperity. An official ceremony marking the raising of the UN and
Azerbaijani flags also took place.







The second day stood out for the inaugural Leaders' Summit,
featuring high-level discussions on the global housing crisis,
urbanization policy, and urban resilience. Concurrently, the
opening of the Mexico City pavilion took place, serving as a
significant platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin
American region and preparing for WUF14.


The third day of WUF13 featured a comprehensive program of
events covering the global housing crisis, the formation of safe
and inclusive cities, climate resilience, artificial intelligence
and urban governance, green urbanization, social equity, and
sustainable transport.


One of the highlights of the third day was the signing of a
sister-city memorandum between the Azerbaijani city of Shusha and
the Turkish city of Trabzon.


The fourth day of WUF13 featured a broad program of events
dedicated to urbanization, climate change, inclusive urban
development, housing policy, and sustainable governance.


One of the important events of the UN Special Programme for the
Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Cities Forum, held on the fourth
day, was the announcement of Almaty’s official accession to the
“Declaration of Intent on the Establishment of the SPECA Smart
Climate-Resilient Cities Forum.”


Also, for the first time in WUF history and at Azerbaijan’s
initiative, the “WUF13 NGO Forum: Global Partnership and
Decision-Making” was held.


WUF13, which has attracted more than 40,000 registered
participants from 182 countries, will continue until May 22. Held
under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and
communities,” the forum brings together governments, international
organizations, experts, and representatives of civil society to
strengthen global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban
development.