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

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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

Preview of 22713iied

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

View of Monterrey, Mexico

New coalition to transform cities – and lives

News, 10 May 2021

Informal housing with open sewer

Broadening the understanding and measurement of urban poverty

Insight, 05 May 2021

A mask-wearing man stands behind a food stall

A framework for a transformative urban recovery

Active Project

Women selling spices in the street

Getting attention to a much-neglected health agenda: occupational health and safety

Insight, 27 April 2021

An empty street in Barikab, Kabul, Afghanistan

Researching displacement: how do we know we are asking the right questions?

Insight, 19 April 2021

People observe burnt down structures

Fire disaster makes more than 1,000 homeless in Freetown

Insight, 29 March 2021

Women demonstrating

How community mapping of storm water drains is fighting evictions in Karachi’s informal settlements

Insight, 24 March 2021

Views from Ilo, Perú

The often forgotten role of small and intermediate urban centres

Insight, 03 February 2021

Women looking at a flooded road.

Bridging the gap: how women-led federations are strengthening communities in Patna's informal settlements

Insight, 23 December 2020

A man writing notes while a woman watches.

Informal settlement data and local community responses to COVID-19 and climate risks

Article, 08 December 2020