Urban

Addressing urban environmental issues for cities that work for people and planet

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Urban development

Urban Matters blog

Informal settlements (slums)

Image of grafitti of child crying on a building in Favela Metro-Mangueira. The buildings next to it are torn down.

Can people-centred justice stop forced evictions?

Camila Cociña and Paula Sevilla Núñez
09 July 2026

A 'green' view of Freetown, with urban buildings in the distance observed over an expanse of trees.

Freetown: pioneering nature-based solutions for sustainable urban development and climate adaptation

24 April 2026

People sit outside under a canopy behind tables with the words "reuse, recycle and reduce".

Youth strategies from informal settlements: harnessing civic media to drive change around urban governance and housing

Camila Cociña and Alexandre Apsan Frediani
18 May 2026

Head and shoulders photos six podcast presenters.

Housing challenges are not solved by forced evictions. What is the way forward? Make Change Happen podcast episode 38

30 April 2026

People walking on the streets on Karachi.

Are international financial institutions becoming disconnected from reality?

Arif Hasan
29 May 2026

A bearded man stands at a podium with a screen behind him.

Urban legend: one man, 50 years, countless seeds of hope

Long read 13 May 2024

Related collections

Learn more about focused areas of IIED's urban work

Better cities are possible: achieving resilient, low-carbon and inclusive urban development

A series of articles exploring the critical shifts in governance, policy and action needed to transform informal settlements on a warming planet

The transition to a predominantly urban world

A series of insights and interviews designed to share the experiences of community leaders, professionals, researchers and government from the global South

Urban crises and forced displacement

A programme of work on urban refugees and internally displaced peoples that also supports municipal authorities to respond to crisis and protracted displacement

Housing justice

A programme of work involving research, capacity development, policy advisory and advocacy initiatives that advance housing justice

Publications

View more Urban publications

Preview of Cover image: Youth-led civic media for urban governance Case studies from India and Nepal

Youth-led civic media for urban governance

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Unlocking urban climate finance: barriers and progress in African cities

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Drought’s inequalities: towards inclusive climate adaptation in Zambia

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Engaging young people from informal settlements in housing and urban governance

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From nature-based solutions to naturing infrastructure: towards a care-centred approach

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From capacity to capability: urban living labs as a route to gain influence

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From power to influence: counter-mapping for urban living labs

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Connecting tenure security and climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa

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Heat impacts on informal settlements

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Why collective organisations matter for resilience

615 entries

Roadside stalls

For street vendors, finding water and toilets isn’t just a nuisance, it’s cutting into earnings

Insight, 12 August 2019

People gather around a table at an outdoor meeting

Tackling widespread hunger in cities means listening to the urban poor

Insight, 05 August 2019

A busy street

The rise of Nairobi’s concrete tenement jungle

Insight, 31 July 2019

A street scene with pedestrians, stallholders, motorbikes and cars

Making Indian cities inclusive means making them more walkable

Insight, 05 June 2019

A flooded street in an informal settlement

To stay ahead of climate change, cities need to act now

Insight, 04 June 2019

A group of fishermen on a boat in Bangladesh

Leave no one behind: assessing policy choices

Archived Project

A view of the migrant informal community of Marathahalli, Bengaluru

‘Participatory’ adaptation plans aren’t working for migrants in cities

Insight, 09 May 2019

Women work in an Agarbatti (incense stick) factory (Photo: Urban Health Resource Centre)

Unsmart, unsafe cities for informal workers: effective policy change will need better data

Insight, 05 April 2019

Tents in a refugee camp

Responding to protracted displacement in an urban world

Archived Project

Mogadishu attracts people from all over the country, making it the second-fastest growing city in the world, with a 4% annual rate of urbanisation growth (Photo: Baron Reznik, Creative Commons via Flickr)

The challenge of finding money to build shelter in Mogadishu’s informal settlements

Insight, 28 January 2019