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)

Informal settlement in Manila, Philippines on the water.

CBA20: Local solutions inspiring global action

Event on 11 May 2026

Drawing of a group of people standing and watching one person fix a sign on a building.

Socio-technical practices for just cities: E&U special issue celebration

Event on 23 February 2026

Woman pumping water into a plastic canister. She is wearing a traditional saree.

Strengthening urban resilience through collaboration: lessons from India, Kenya, Myanmar and the Philippines

08 December 2025

Woman sitting on a balcony wearing a face mask. Behind here, an informal neighbourhood of houses can be seen.

Five years on: how Brazil’s Zero Eviction Campaign is driving policy change for housing justice

Camila Cociña and Fernanda Moreira
06 November 2025

Group of men standing and talking in front of a building.

Bridging the gap between local, organised communities and city government

Sheela Patel and Celine d’Cruz
10 December 2025

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

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

Youth-led civic media for urban governance

Preview of 22732iied

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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Heat impacts on informal settlements

Preview of 22693iied

Why collective organisations matter for resilience

Cover of the paper, Housing justice and climate change in cities

Housing justice and climate change in cities

613 entries

In the foreground, a hotchpotch of buildings close together, towered over by large buildings in the background.

Firm and fair foundations to transform cities, transform lives

Article, 14 June 2022

Closely built shacks. In the background, trees. In the foreground, a river and, on the other side of it, smoke.

Introduction to urban health equity: addressing risks, promoting gender equality and fostering wellbeing in informal settings

Article, 09 June 2022

A group of women gather round the entrance to a building.

The health, wellbeing and climate benefits of slum upgrading

Article, 09 June 2022

A busy African street scene, with industrial buildings in the background.

Tackling air pollution in informal settlements in Kenya

Active Project

A woman sits in the courtyard of a building, washing clothes in a small bowl.

Risks to health in informal settlements

Article, 09 June 2022

A field of bare earth covered with rows of dried stalks.

Climate, health and urban informal economies – stories of need and change

Article, 07 June 2022

A young woman sits working at a sewing machine in a corner of a room.

Stitching with determination: stories of women garment workers in Indore, India

Article, 07 June 2022

A woman in a yellow sari and wearing a facemask is standing in a field of crops. She is putting the plants into a bag tied around her waist.

Resilience through flexibility – the story of peri-urban agricultural workers in India

Article, 06 June 2022

Two women wearing face masks are sitting at a table covered in boxes and bags of vegetables. Together they are preparing food.

Reframing the pandemic: COVID-19 relief by community networks tackles roots of poverty

Insight, 30 May 2022

Three women holding a sack of rice between them.

Seeking cheaper, better quality rice: the cooperative rice distribution project in Jakarta

Insight, 25 May 2022