Urban

Addressing urban environmental issues for cities that work for people and planet

Also related to

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

Preview of 22731iied

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

Preview of 22714iied

From capacity to capability: urban living labs as a route to gain influence

Preview of 22713iied

From power to influence: counter-mapping for urban living labs

Preview of 22697iied

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

An aerial view of Nairobi, with slums in the foreground alongside green space

Tomorrow’s cities: reducing disaster risk for the poor

Active Project

Building split in half

From protector to evictor of slum residents – reversal of roles for the judiciary

Insight, 24 February 2022

A group of people stand around a map on a table.

Kota Kita: facilitating citizen-led urban development

Article, 22 February 2022

View of informal housing by a lake, with a boat in it. In the background modern buildings and skyscrapers

Advancing inclusive and resilient urban development targeted at the urban poor

Archived Project

People sit on the floor in group under cover facing a standing man making a presentation/speech

Building resilience to climate change through slum upgrading – the case of Jaga Mission in Odisha, India

Insight, 07 February 2022

Aerial view of an informal settlement and an urban centre in the background

Rethinking household surveys reveals true picture of health inequality

Insight, 18 January 2022

A woman crouches on the flor next to a stove to make a meal

Multiple housing and climate-related vulnerabilities of informal workers in Indore, India

Insight, 16 December 2021

Busy road with people and motorbikes.

Film exploring the lives of urban refugees wins best documentary at Kenyan film festival

News, 14 December 2021

Skyline view of a city with houses and short buildings in the front and skyscrapers in the background.

Q&A: Citizen participation in planning − from the neighbourhood to the city

Article, 10 December 2021

A man lines up six bright water bottles under a series of outside taps

Definitions matter – part two

Insight, 08 December 2021