IIED’s urban legend wins global UN-Habitat award
David Satterthwaite, a researcher, author, professor and long-standing senior associate at IIED, has been chosen to receive UN-Habitat’s prestigious Scroll of Honour Award for 2024.
David Satterthwaite makes a presentation at the TEDxHamburg City 2.0 event to advocate for new approaches to aid (Photo: TEDxHamburg)
IIED’s long-standing senior associate David Satterthwaite has won the 2024 UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award, which recognises “outstanding contributions to sustainable urbanisation and the improvement of urban life worldwide”.
UN Habitat selected Satterthwaite for this international accolade in recognition of his achievements in “revolutionising urban development by advocating for improved housing and living conditions for marginalised urban residents”.
The researcher, who lives in London, has dedicated more than 50 years to delivering positive change in urban development, informal settlements and climate change adaptation. He is a former director of IIED’s Human Settlements research group, as well as a professor, author, co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and recipient of the Volvo Environment Prize.
He is one of five Scroll of Honour Award winners selected this year by UN-Habitat from 127 nominations submitted across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania. According to UN-Habitat, the winners “reflect best practices and innovations that contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities”.
Praise for partners
Commenting on the UN-Habitat honour, Satterthwaite said: “The award means greater visibility and learning for the amazing work done by our partners.”
Anacláudia Rossbach, executive director of UN-Habitat, said: “Our Scroll of Honour Award winners are proof that innovative solutions are within reach… We commend everyone who submitted nominations and call on all stakeholders to intensify efforts to make cities more sustainable.”
The five winners will be honoured at an event in Querétaro City, Mexico, taking place to mark World Habitat Day on 7 October 2024.
Satterthwaite is the editor of Environment & Urbanization, the world leading environmental and urban studies journal. He was a co-ordinating lead author of the chapter on urban adaptation in the Fifth Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
