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.
51 - 75 of 119 blog posts
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In the world's poorest countries, cities could be the Sustainable Development Goals test
7 June 2016Ahead of next week's dialogue event on the challenges and opportunities posed to Least Developed Countries by the Sustainable Development Goals, Gordon McGranahan examines how cities and urbanisation can contribute to attaining development goals.
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An urban approach to 'leaving no one behind'
2 June 2016Taking an urban approach can help identify who is at risk of 'being left behind' and how this can be avoided
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Collaborations in urban humanitarian response – introducing the Global Alliance for Urban Crises
31 May 2016The way we prepare for and react to humanitarian crises in towns and cities will be enhanced by a more collaborative approach
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Recognising urban rights: global debates and local struggles
26 May 2016Global debates can help frame how human rights in the city are recognised but are often far removed from processes that affirm rights at local level
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Facing an increasingly urban world
13 May 2016An estimated 54.5 per cent of the world's population live in urban areas, compared with 37.9 per cent 40 years ago. In this context, can Habitat III deliver the 'new urban agenda' we need?
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Revealing the hidden refugees in African cities
6 May 2016A growing number of refugees and displaced people are living in cities in East Africa and the Horn of Africa – but governments are slow to recognise and meet their needs
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Is community-based adaptation suited to cities?
26 April 2016In the week of the urban-themed 10th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation, we ask what is needed for this approach to succeed in urban spaces
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Responding to cities under siege
21 April 2016How can humanitarian programmes improve civilian protection in war besieged cities?
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Can we transform our cities?
19 April 2016Can cities prosper while meeting their responsibilities for acting on climate change? This is the focus of a new book by IPCC authors, co-edited by IIED's David Satterthwaite
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Why low-carbon urban development in African cities makes economic sense
1 April 2016City governments in East Africa are grappling with rapid urbanisation and widespread poverty. Pursuing low-carbon urban development could offer a many of benefits
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Improved water access unaffordable for urban poor
22 March 2016On World Water Day, a new briefing shows that the urban poor are missing out on the benefits of 'improved' water services because the costs are too high
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Where are the local indicators for the SDGs?
9 March 2016As discussions on the SDG indicators are under way in New York, David Satterthwaite asks where are the indicators that report on local needs and support local action in urban areas
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Is more inclusive urbanisation essential to the 2030 Agenda?
2 March 2016Efforts to better accommodate rural migrants moving to cities could play an important part in resolving conflicts in the 2030 Agenda and ensuring no-one is left behind
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Why we do 'slum' profiles
22 February 2016Jockin Arputham, the founder of the National Slum Dwellers Federation in India, explains the benefits of developing a slum-dweller led strategy for securing land tenure and services
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Indonesian civil society discusses its urban future
21 January 2016Guest blogger John Taylor reports back from Indonesia's third Urban Social Forum, where citizens came together to imagine the kind of cities they want to live in
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Nourishing livelihoods: the food vendors sustaining Nairobi's slums
15 January 2016Selling food in Nairobi's informal settlements can provide cheap meals and create vital livelihoods, especially for women, but these providers are usually ignored and remain invisible
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Comparing approaches to riverbank vulnerability in Indonesia
8 January 2016What lessons can be learned from two markedly different cases of vulnerability among urban riverbank settlements in Indonesia?
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Making sure Fort Portal's 'modernisation' plan feeds the poor
11 December 2015An innovative research project in Fort Portal, Uganda is seeking to prevent a rise in inequality as the city modernises
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Workers in informal economy need say in global environmental agendas
7 December 2015The green economy will benefit from better relations between urban authorities and informal workers and enterprises. Guest blogger Donald Brown examines ways to achieve this
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Barricading Karachi: how private security contributes to dividing the city
1 December 2015Violence in Karachi will not be reduced until more effective and equitable solutions to policing and urban planning are found. Guest blogger Donald Brown examines the ways physical barriers affect space and people.
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Wanted: more inclusive, resilient, sustainable cities
20 November 2015Eighty per cent of Latin Americans live in urban areas. The result is a complex and challenging urban agenda that needs to be addressed through integrated and inclusive policies. An IIED and IIED- América Latina workshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina, looked at examples of Latin American cities that are striving to become more inclusive, resilient and sustainable, from across the region
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Ten urban planning principles every humanitarian should know
10 November 2015As cities are increasingly where humanitarian action responds to crises, can urban planning principles help humanitarians intervene more effectively?
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Building trust through dialogue with street-food vendors
5 November 2015Street-food vendors' businesses are often threatened in the name of progress, but a new initiative from IIED and Hivos is looking to bridge the divide, protecting livelihoods and an important source of cheap food
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A picture of urban living
30 October 2015What does the word 'urban' mean to you? Our photo gallery shows how we are working with partners to document and highlight the often neglected circumstances in low-income urban communities, and to advocate for change
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Exploring inclusive urbanisation and other migration crises
28 October 2015In the run-up to World Cities Day, with its theme of 'living together', an IIED, IDS and UNFPA workshop will examine why the migration that helps to create cities is so often resisted, and how a more inclusive urbanisation can be achieved. Gordon McGranahan raises six key questions