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 98 blog posts
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Who can we trust to measure urban poverty?
13 June 2017International definitions of the poverty line don't take into the account the additional costs of living in cities. Sarah Colenbrander says the urban poor can help institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank develop accurate, local, definitions of urban poverty
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Bloomberg and public health: did he get it right?
7 June 2017While welcoming the support from Michael Bloomberg for a new city-focused global public health initiative, David Satterthwaite and Sarah Colenbrander raise concerns about what is not included
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Coping with forced displacement: lessons from cities
11 May 2017People forced to leave their homes are often displaced for many years, and most end up in urban areas. So how can host cities become more resilient while managing such crises? A meeting last week shared learning from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, reports Diane Archer
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Reducing risks in urban centres: think 'local, local, local'
8 May 2017Urban centres can be among the world's most healthy places to live and work – but many are among the least. How healthy they are is powerfully influenced by local government competence, local information, and support for local action
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Sustainable cities: the nexus between resilience and resource efficiency
5 May 2017A new report explores how cities can increase their resilience and resource efficiency – but highlights possible tensions between these two environmental agendas
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Addressing the needs of vulnerable groups in urban areas
26 April 2017For the billion urban dwellers living in informal settlements, there are many risks – for instance, from contaminated water, to accidental fires, to flooding. Those who are more susceptible to these or less able to cope are termed vulnerable. But they are not vulnerable if the risks are removed. We need to focus more on removing the risks and less on endless lists of 'vulnerable groups', argues David Satterthwaite
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Urban risks: where are the top five biggest blind spots?
18 April 2017Whose lives are most at risk in urban areas of the global South – for instance from preventable diseases and disasters? And what are the most serious risks they face?
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Reframing food security for an urbanising world
10 April 2017Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger by 2030 means taking account of changes in both rural and urban contexts. Cecilia Tacoli reports back from a workshop organised with IFAD on some of the issues raised
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Refugee livelihoods in Ugandan cities: mind the gap between policy and practice
22 March 2017Uganda has one of the most open-door refugee policies in the world. But improving the lives of urban refugees on the ground requires government and community organisations to work together to put these policies into practice
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Cash transfers in urban crises: do they work for women?
8 March 2017Twenty months on from the earthquakes in Nepal, new research will examine whether cash transfers are helping women to participate in, and contribute to, the Kathmandu Valley's local economy
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How risk accumulates in African cities – and ways to break the cycle
30 January 2017At a meeting of community organisations in Ibadan, Nigeria, local government officials and academics explored how to deal with the risks facing Africa's urban poor. Challenging long-held assumptions about how African cities work – and who holds the power – will be key to tackling the build-up of risk
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The new Trump index: how much does one individual threaten the planet?
1 December 2016An index from 2001 needs updating to reflect how policies championed by US President-elect Trump threaten global ecological sustainability
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Ward diaries: crucial evidence for planning in Mumbai's slums
28 November 2016Jockin Arputham, the president of Slum/Shack Dwellers International and founder of the National Slum Dwellers Federation in India, explains how data from slums, gathered by slum dwellers themselves, is helping to provide vital services where they are needed most
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Towards a humanitarian's handbook for cities in crisis
16 November 2016New research from the Urban Crises Learning Fund's Stronger Cities Initiative explores the tools available to humanitarians responding to urban crises, and asks whether they are fit for purpose
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Climate responsive cities: a road towards the 'New Urban Agenda'?
15 November 2016A new book, written by local practitioners and edited by IIED, shows how cities across Asia are applying their own approaches to managing climate change risks, and finds that good governance underpins an effective response
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Urban planning after crisis: lessons from Southeast Asia
10 November 2016If humanitarian agencies are to help cities recover and rebuild after a crisis, they must work closely with local governments. A new IIED-supported research project will travel to Indonesia and the Philippines to see how it's done
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Local funds allow informal-settlement residents to shape development
1 November 2016An event at Habitat III explored how innovative forms of community finance could be used to improve informal settlements and provide much needed adaptation to climate change
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Is this too easy?
26 October 2016Voices from grassroots communities are being heard at Habitat III, but will this make a difference where it counts? Diana Mitlin writes from Quito
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Show me the money!
18 October 2016Ahead of a side event at Habitat III, Anna Walnycki highlights how funding is needed for grassroots upgrading of informal settlements in the face of evictions
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Will Africa have the world's largest cities in 2100?
7 October 2016A new report suggests that most of the world's largest cities in 2100 will be in Africa – including many with over 40 million inhabitants. This blog suggests growth in numbers will hinge more on the extent of economic development
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The shifting power of cities
5 October 2016Population predictions for the world's largest cities in the 21st century (part 2): New figures show the population of the world's largest cities set to soar. This rapid growth calls for better, more sustainable cities
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Cities on the twenty-ninth day
3 October 2016Population predictions for the world's largest cities in the 21st century (part 1): rapid urbanisation, if managed sustainably, could ease the pressure of exponential growth set for urban areas
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Data that supports local development
22 September 2016Global goals and targets often rely on national data, but local data are needed to inform action on the ground and to monitor progress on the goals
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Connecting settlements, cities and basins: realising SDG 6 at scale
25 August 2016World Water Week is an important opportunity to tackle the gap between global ambitions to achieve fair access to water and sanitation – and realities on the ground
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Responding to transit refugees in Croatia
19 August 2016How do local authorities and humanitarian agencies collaborate when refugees are in transit? An IIED-supported research project is looking at the transit refugee response in Croatia