Urban Matters
Urban environments will see the greatest growth and change in coming years. IIED's Urban Matters blog focuses on urban poverty, climate change in cities and rural-urban linkages. It is part of IIED’s hub for research and action to influence policy and practice. Building on our longstanding work on equitable, inclusive, sustainable and resilient urban development, it represents the voices of our staff and partners in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
1 - 25 of 171 blog posts
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The often forgotten role of small and intermediate urban centres
3 February 2021Much of the world’s urban population lives and works outside large cities, yet often the economic, political and social importance of these urban centres, including their support to rural development and policy innovation, is given too little attention
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Bridging the gap: how women-led federations are strengthening communities in Patna's informal settlements
23 December 2020Following devastation from COVID-19 and monsoon rains, women collectives have been instrumental in securing crucial infrastructure provisions and service delivery
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City residents and urban refugees: from shared living to shared futures
7 December 2020Tools used to document the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in one of Nairobi's largest informal settlements are also being used to chart how the lockdowns disproportionately affected displaced people
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Rubbish dump turned lush urban farm
3 December 2020A new urban farm, springing up on a former garbage dump in Chiang Mai, Thailand has become a lifeline for the area’s urban poor communities
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Outside the large cities
13 November 2020David Satterthwaite looks back on research carried out in small and intermediate urban centres, over nearly five decades
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Urban flooding: the case of Karachi
27 October 2020Governments are quick to blame devastating floods on climate change. But many reasons for these floods are to do with what governments have not done. Arif Hasan reviews why disastrous floods are taking place in Karachi and what is needed for this to change
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Call to international funders: address grassroots organisations’ priorities, not yours
14 October 2020As COVID-19 persists and spreads, urban poor organisations need funding that is flexible enough to meet the evolving needs of their communities
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Getting housing back onto the development agenda in the time of COVID-19
2 October 2020Ahead of this year’s World Habitat Day themed ‘Housing for All’, David Satterthwaite sets out why adequate housing is fundamental for health, safety, inclusion in society, and access to employment and services – and for preventing the spread of COVID-19
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Disability, inclusion and cities: can COVID-19 trigger change?
1 October 2020COVID-19 has exacerbated the disadvantages experienced by disabled people in low-income communities of the global South. Here, Ignacia Ossul-Vermehren explains how urban community organisations are offering effective short-term support and inspiring inclusive longer-term strategies
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How regional and national capital cities influence urban change
10 September 2020David Satterthwaite discusses how building government institutions in capital cities contributes to urban change
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COVID-19 highlights three pathways to achieve urban health and environmental justice
27 August 2020The pandemic is an opportunity for cities to dramatically rethink use of housing, transport and public spaces in ways that would serve all citizens, especially the socially vulnerable
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Lima's community-organised soup kitchens are a lifeline during COVID-19
7 August 2020In Lima’s informal settlements, ollas comunes – community-led soup kitchens – are reviving strong traditions of self-organised crisis response and resilience among the urban poor.
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Alada Ghor: working with low-income communities to design a rapid response to COVID-19
30 July 2020A group of young architects in Bangladesh have worked alongside low-income communities to develop a practical, hands-on guidebook to help residents manage the impacts of the virus
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Bringing urban refugees into local planning
20 July 2020Can we move from emergency to developmental response to the large and growing numbers of refugees living in urban areas by bringing them into local planning processes?
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The global geography of world cities
9 July 2020Various lists and indicators are used to determine which cities are deemed ‘world cities’. David Satterthwaite examines different indicators and discusses which cities come out on top
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How Dhaka's urban poor are dealing with COVID-19
1 July 2020COVID-19 presents not only a health crisis, but a food crisis for Dhaka’s poorest. Guest blogger John Taylor describes how urban poor communities have risen to the challenge
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Cities’ development trajectories
16 June 2020David Satterthwaite examines the factors driving the development of cities
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Community-led COVID-19 response: the work of the Philippines Homeless People’s Federation
9 June 2020Based on member interviews and accounts, the Philippines Homeless People’s Federation describes how community organisations have rallied to support vulnerable groups, hit hardest by the pandemic
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COVID-19, JAGA Mission and the value of already existing solutions
4 June 2020Guest blogger Antarin Chakrabarty reflects on one Indian state’s successful programme to provide work and incomes to migrants, enabling a rapid and efficient government response when crises such as COVID-19 hit
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Internal and international influences on urban change
27 May 2020David Satterthwaite takes a closer look at drivers and influences of urban change
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COVID-19 in Guayaquil: from global notoriety to family responses
20 May 2020From the virus-ravaged Ecuadorian city come personal accounts of struggles to survive
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Responding to COVID-19 in a high-density low-income district in Mumbai
13 May 2020A representative from a grassroots federation in Mumbai describes how the community is self-organising for an effective COVID-19 response
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Karachi, informal settlements and COVID-19
6 May 2020How our Karachi's informal settlements managing the COVID-19 lockdown and how can existing government structures support the city’s settlements during the COVID-19 recovery, and beyond
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What drives the world’s changing urban geographies?
23 April 2020David Satterthwaite discusses how evolving economies and new technologies have changed the shape of urban centres
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Transitioning to a better global ‘new normal’
22 April 2020COVID-19 has changed our world. To mark Earth Day 2020, and the global call to act on climate change, we ask: what lessons can we apply from the pandemic response to help tackle other global crises, including the climate emergency?