Urban areas are increasingly the sites of humanitarian crises, from natural disasters to conflict and displacement. Through a programme of research, documenting and learning from experience and development of tools and approaches, IIED is working to build the knowledge and capacity to respond of humanitarian actors working in urban areas, and of urban actors facing humanitarian crises.
Makeshift camps for internally displaced people sprang up in Kathmandu after the severe earthquake in Nepal in April 2015. Relief workers are struggling to help displaced people find durable shelter as the country braces for the monsoon season (Photo: SIM Central and South East Asia via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
How do cities cope with influxes of displaced persons fleeing a conflict or disaster, particularly if these cities are already struggling to provide services and infrastructure to residents? How can humanitarian agencies better collaborate with urban managers and work with existing structures in responding to crises in urban contexts?
The three-year Urban Crises Learning Fund project seeks to address these, and other questions, by reflecting on past humanitarian responses, filling evidence gaps through primary research, and learning from experiences in other fields.
By engaging humanitarian agencies in the process of research and learning, alongside urban stakeholders from municipal officials to civil society, the learning fund seeks to contribute to a more in-depth understanding of how the humanitarian sector can most effectively operate in urban contexts and work with urban actors.
This is imperative in an increasingly urban world facing both slow- and fast-onset crises, from food shortages to conflict and natural disasters.
What IIED is doing
IIED is leading a three-year programme of research, documentation of past experiences, development of tools and guidelines, and shared learning across humanitarian actors and other urban stakeholders. There will be three main strands of work:
- Two learning partnerships, running for two years, will learn from and document the effective principles and practices that are already being used by international humanitarian actors, local government, civil society, donors and other stakeholders. One learning partnership is led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and is generating toolkits and guidance notes to do this more effectively. The other is led by Habitat for Humanity and is generating knowledge from past approaches to urban responses.
- Research grants will be used to support innovative thematic and regional research on key issues shaping humanitarian responses in urban areas, and
- Events and workshops will disseminate best practices and advocacy messages, discuss policy changes, disseminate and analyse learning from urban programming in humanitarian contexts, and build the capacity of key actors.
Publications
The Urban Crises Learning Fund evaluation final report, Alix Wadeson, Nicola Giordano (2022), Project evaluation
Humanitarian response for development: lessons from Tropical Cyclone Winston, Keren Winterford, Anna Gero (2018) IIED Briefing
Humanitarian response for development in Fiji: lessons from Tropical Cyclone Winston, Keren Winterford, Anna Gero (2018) Working paper
Refugees, healthcare and crises: informal Syrian health workers in Lebanon, Sharif A Ismail, Adam P Coutts, Diana Rayes, Sophie Roborgh, Aula Abbara, Miriam Orcutt, Fouad M Fouad, Gladys Honein, Nour El Arnaout, Aya Noubani, Hana Nimer, Spencer Rutherford (2018) Working paper
Empowering local actors in an urban crisis, Diane Archer (2018) Reflect & Act
Urban Refugee Economies: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Alison Brown, Peter Mackie, Kate Dickenson, Tegegne Gebre-Egziabher (2018) Working paper
Syrian health workers in Lebanon: supporting an informal workforce in crisis, Sharif A Ismail, Adam P Coutts (2018) IIED Briefing
Accountability to Affected Populations in Urban Crises: Who Cares? Alan Brouder (2017) Working paper
Dhaka City Earthquake Simulation, C. Kelly (2017) Working paper
Making Community Engagement a Priority: A Case-Study on Earthquake Response in Simon Pelé, Haiti, Rachel Senat, Renee Barron, Camillo Boano, Estella Carpi, Louis Mary Leon, Mike Meaney (2017) Working paper
Participatory Approach to Urban Planning in Slum Neighbourhoods of the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince, Anna Calogero, Benjamin Biscan, Silvere Jarrot (2017) Working paper
Partnership, Coordination, and Accountability in Urban Disaster Management: A Review of Policies in Bangladesh, Afroza Haque, Dr. A S M Maksud Kamal, S. M. Kamrul Hassan (2017) Working paper
Think Urban and Learn from the City: Exploring Urban Dimensions of Humanitarianism, Camillo Boano, Ricardo Martén (2017) Working paper
Water Market Actors in Dhaka: Strengthening Earthquake Resilience and Preparedness, Graeme English, Luiza Cintra Campos, Jonathan Parkinson (2017) Working paper
When Academics Become Humanitarians: A Post-Disaster Programme by the State University of Haiti, Rachel Sénat (2017) Working paper
The ‘Learning from Crisis’ Humanitarian Formula: Bridging Disaster and Normality, Estella Carpi (2017) Working paper
Urban refugees in Delhi: refugee networks, faith and well-being, Anubhav Dutt Tiwari, Jessica Field, Yamini Mookherjee (2017) Working paper
Strengthening local councils to bridge the aid gap in Aleppo, Saagarika Dadu-Brown, Abhimanyu Dadu (2017) IIED Briefing
Endogenous protection practices for children on the move during emergencies in Gao, Herman Pingwendé Zoungrana (2017) Working paper
Exploring the role of empowerment in urban humanitarian responses in Freetown, Joseph Mustapha Macarthy, Alexandre Apsan Frediani, Sulaiman Foday Kamara, Milimer Morgado (2017) Working paper
Refugee economies: lessons from Addis Ababa, Alison Brown, Peter Mackie, Kate Dickenson, Tegegne Gebre-Egziabher (2017) IIED Briefing
Protecting children on the move: using endogenous practices in urban Mali, Herman Pingwendé Zoungrana, Baye Diakite, Atta Harber Mahamane (2017) IIED Briefing
Thinking bigger: area-based and urban planning approaches to humanitarian crises, Victoria Maynard, Elizabeth Parker, Rahayu Yoseph-Paulus, David Garcia (2017) IIED Briefing
Long-term implications of humanitarian responses: the case of Chennai, Garima Jain, Chandni Singh, Karen Coelho, Teja Malladi (2017) Working paper
Making Lebanon’s water flow: delivering better basic urban services, Anna Walnycki (2017) IIED Briefing
Urban planning in Banda Aceh: supporting local actors after the tsunami, Rahayu Yoseph-Paulus, Victoria Maynard, Elizabeth Parker, David Garcia (2017) Working paper
Urban refugees in Delhi: identity, entitlements and well-being, Jessica Field, Yamini Mookherjee, Anubhav Dutt Tiwari (2017) Working paper
Civilian Protection in Urban Sieges: Capacities and practices of first responders in Syria, Chas Morrison (2017) Working paper
Upholding the rights of urban refugees in Uganda, William Monteith, Shuaib Lwasa, Gloria Nsangi, Hakimu Sseviiri, Disan Byarugaba (2017) IIED Briefing
Migrant and refugee transit: the role of local authorities in humanitarian response, Maren Larsen, Elma Demir, Maja Horvat (2017) IIED Briefing
Emergency cash transfers and women’s economic empowerment in post-earthquake Nepal, Zahrah Nesbitt-Ahmed (2017) Working paper
Surviving in Cairo as a closed-file refugee: socio-economic and protection challenges, Nourhan Abdel Aziz (2017) Working paper
Rethinking post-disaster relocation in urban India, Garima Jain, Chandni Singh, Teja Malladi (2017) IIED Briefing
Women and children fleeing Boko Haram: their experiences in Nigerian cities, Aliyu Barau (2017) IIED Briefing
Fitting aid to context: community experiences of aid delivery in northern Syria, Deborah Cummins, Sarah Moharram (2017) Working paper
Urban refugees in Delhi: self-reliance can’t be exclusively entrepreneurial, Jessica Field, Anubhav Dutt Tiwari, Yamini Mookherjee (2017) IIED Briefing
Cash transfers during urban crises: lessons for women’s economic empowerment, Zahrah Nesbitt-Ahmed (2017) IIED Briefing
Integrating livelihoods and protection for displaced persons in urban humanitarian response, Laura Gauer Bermudez (2017) Toolkit
Enacting urban cash for work programmes in Lebanon in response to the Syrian refugee crisis, Pamela Sitko (2017) Toolkit
Security of tenure in urban areas, Norwegian Refugee Council (2017) Toolkit
Targeting in Urban Displacement context, Gabrielle Smith, Lili Mohiddin, Laura Phelps (2017) Toolkit
Urban area-based approaches (ABAs) in post-disaster contexts, David Sanderson, Pamela Sitko (2017) Toolkit
Urban Response Analysis Framework, Lili Mohiddin, Gabrielle Smith, Laura Phelps (2017) Toolkit
Urban Multi-sector Vulnerability Assessment Tool for displacement contexts (UMVAT), Lili Mohiddin, Gabrielle Smith, Laura Phelps (2017) Toolkit
Urban Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination, Jarrett Basedow, Clay Westrope, Andrew Meaux (2017) Toolkit
Urban Context Analysis Toolkit, Brian Sage, Andrew Meaux, Wale Osofisan, Mary Traynor, Tatiana Reye Jove (2017) Toolkit
Supporting water service providers during conflicts, Loan Diep (2017), IIED Briefing
Urban planning following humanitarian crises: Supporting local government to take the lead in the Philippines following super typhoon Haiyan, Elizabeth Parker, Victoria Maynard, David Garcia, Rahayu Yoseph-Paulus (2017), Working paper
Aid in context: the importance of market-based approaches to aid delivery in northern Syria, Deborah Cummins, Sarah Moharram (2017), IIED briefing
Tackling violence against women and girls in urban humanitarian crises: the case of Gaza, Catherine Müller, Jean-Pierre Tranchant (2017), IIED briefing
Refugees in urban Egypt: it's time to reassess UNHCR’s 2009 Policy on refugee protection and solutions in urban areas, Lina Lotayef, Nourhan Abdel Aziz (2017), IIED briefing
Protecting civilians in urban sieges: how to best support 'first responders', Chas Morrison (2017) IIED briefing
A review of context analysis tools for urban humanitarian response, Andrew Meaux, Wale Osofisan (2016), IIED Working Paper
A review of needs assessment tools, response analysis frameworks, and targeting guidance for urban humanitarian response, Lili Mohiddin, Gabrielle Smith (2016), IIED Working Paper
Humanitarian responses by local actors: Lessons learned from managing the transit of migrants and refugees through Croatia, Maren Larsen, Elma Demir, Maja Horvat (2016), IIED Report
Responding to the Syrian crisis in Lebanon: collaboration between aid agencies and local governance structures
by Marwa Boustani, Estella Carpi, Hayat Gebara, and Yara Mourad (2016), IIED Human Settlements Group Working paper
Making cash work for cities and towns affected by humanitarian crises, Gabrielle Smith, Lili Mohiddin, Diane Archer (2016), IIED Briefing paper
A review of evidence of humanitarian cash transfer programming in urban areas, Gabrielle Smith, Lili Mohiddin (2015), IIED Report
Humanitarian response to urban crises: a review of area-based approaches, Elizabeth Parker and Victoria Maynard (2015), IIED Human Settlements Group Working paper
Setting a new research agenda for urban crisis and humanitarian response, Donald Brown and Cassidy Johnson (2015), IIED Briefing paper
Understanding the nature and scale of urban risk in low- and middle-income countries and its implications for humanitarian preparedness, planning and response, David Dodman, Donald Brown, Katie Francis, Jorgelina Hardoy, Cassidy Johnson and David Satterthwaite (2013), IIED Human Settlements Group Working paper
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