The United Nations General Assembly designated 31 October as World Cities Day. The annual World Cities Day aims to promote interest in global urbanization, cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities for addressing the challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world. The general theme of World Cities Day is Better City, Better Life , while each year a different sub-theme is selected to promote the successes of urbanization, or address specific challenges resulting from urbanization. The 2017 Theme for World Cities Day is ‘’Innovative Governance, Open Cities.’’ This year, the United Nations has selected the theme Innovative Governance, Open Cities to highlight the important role of urbanization as a source of global development and social inclusion. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The S