The New Urban Agenda was adopted at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development in Quito, Ecuador, on 20 October 2016. At its very core it was a call for fostering “social cohesion, inclusion and safety in peaceful and pluralistic societies.” It sought to promote an urban environment, where the needs of all residents are respected and where all forms of discrimination, violence and harassment against the most vulnerable member of society are countered. Arab countries were quite keen to integrate these calls within their respective urban policies. Numerous visions, masterplans, and development projects adopted a rhetoric that was in line with these noble directives. And yet looking at the reality on the ground it seems that for the most part such orientations were largely sidestepped in favor of a neoliberal urbanization policy which favored the interests of investors at the expense of the majority of city inhabitants. Whether it is the erasure of a slum to be replaced with a high-end development in downtown Cairo; the redevelopment of a riverfront, in the process displacing a fishing village in Rabat; or the proliferation of outdoor markets, masquerading as inclusive public spaces in Dubai – notions of participation and inclusivity seem to be far off from official urban policies. And yet if one pays closer attention, there are efforts which aim at mitigating such tendencies. Through the work of NGO’s and even government organizations, trend have emerged which seek to accommodate a more inclusive urban policy which does not favor the few at the expense of the many. This panel, through the contributions of academics and practitioners aims at providing examples of cases which are indicative of such a trend and thus provide a beginning of sorts for a dialogue that will eventually lead to an urban environment that is open and accessible for all.