"It's all about networking. Some call it a 'talking shop,' but I prefer to think of the Forum as a machine for raising awareness and getting things done," said Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. The Third Session of the World Urban Forum was the place for networking, something many delegates got to experience firsthand, such as the mayor from Chad, who spoke with the Minister of Housing in Afghanistan about rebuilding war-torn neighbourhoods; and the leader of a women's group from earthquake-devastated Jogjakata, Indonesia, who got tips on disaster relief from a Sri Lankan psychologist who worked with tsunami victims.

The past 30 years have seen a revolution in technologies that can be used to make positive change in an open and democratic way to create sustainable cities. WUF3 exemplified how technologies are currently helping the sharing of best practices and actionable ideas. New partnerships and communities were also formed that will continue to influence the future of cities.

Below are some of the many approaches and ideas that were discussed at WUF3 in Vancouver:

• In many of the dialogues, participants and speakers noted the need to go beyond talking. For example, in the Shape of Cities dialogue session, speakers warned of the gap between rhetoric and action.
  


• An emphasis on partnerships was highlighted at the Forum. For example, over 400 organizations partnered to lead 163 networking sessions. Sessions were chosen that had multi-stakeholder partnerships, bringing together national governments, community-based organizations, local governments, and others.
  


• The current reality is that public-private partnerships are essential to sustainable urban development. Cities will not be able to meet the infrastructure or essential services needs of their citizens without actively engaging the private sector. Cities such as Porto Alegre, Brazil have actually enacted a private sector policy in order to formalize the relationship between the public and private sectors.
  


• Inclusion was one was of the most often-repeated ideas that came out of WUF3. Participants commented on the need to move past participation towards real active engagement and inclusion in decision-making and implementation. During the Future of Cities special session, a representative from the slum dwellers in India noted that with their knowledge and money, they are the key to meeting the Millennium Development Goals. This message was repeated again and again by women, slum dwellers, indigenous peoples, and others.
  



• In the women's roundtable, participants spoke about the solutions they are implementing in their communities. "Long before there were Millennium Development Goals," one of them said, "we are achieving the Millennium Development Goals in my community." Poor people are the number one experts on poverty and must be engaged in order to improve the living conditions of the urban poor.
  


• Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogota, said that "a citizen on a $30 bicycle is equal to one in a $30,000 car."
  


• Doug Ragan, organizer of the World Youth Forum, said young people around the world are working on solutions to problems in areas ranging from gender equality and leadership to environmental and economic issues.
  


• A slum dweller during the special session on the Future of Cities asked, "What do we mean when we say 'a city without slums'?" It is important to include those affected in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.
  


• Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Housing from the Government of South Africa, described a lesson she learned at the World Urban Forum in Barcelona. When she went to Barcelona to represent her country, whose urban poor constitute 30% of the population, she was challenged on her right to represent them adequately. At WUF3, Ms. Sisulu came prepared to speak on their behalf, and forged a formal partnership with the Federation of the Urban Poor.
  

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