Urban

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

Also related to

Urban development

Urban Matters blog

Informal settlements (slums)

Man selling fruit and vegetable on the busy streets in India.

Closing the data gaps on heat stress and developing strategies for resilience

15 October 2026

Woman pumping water using from a well in Zambia.

Drought unmasks structural failures and systemic inequalities in Mazyopa informal settlement

Marcelle Mardon and Melanie Chirwa
25 August 2026

Image of grafitti of child crying on a building in Favela Metro-Mangueira. The buildings next to it are torn down.

Can people-centred justice stop forced evictions?

Camila Cociña and Paula Sevilla Núñez
09 July 2026

Dandara people's agroecological garden in Recife, Brazil.

Nature for climate in cities: exploring nature-based solutions for informal settlements

April 2025 - April 2027

Make Change Happen episode 39

Living with urban drought: Make Change Happen podcast episode 39

25 August 2026

Various people being interviewed at the World Urban Forum.

How IIED helps young housing activists be heard

Impact story 2 minute read

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

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Facilitating spaces of association for youth citizenship in India

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Promoting youth participation in urban governance in Nepal

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Nature for climate in cities

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

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

622 entries

People sitting around a table, discussing and building model houses out of colorful paper materials and glue.

Why ‘living heritage’ matters for community-led, post-disaster recovery

Insight, 30 July 2025

Aerial view of a village in Uganda flooded.

IIED invites submissions to facilitate discussion around IPCC climate change and cities report

News, 24 July 2025

Group of people gathered for a protest in Sao Paulo, hoping a big sign that reads 'Despejo Zero'.

Strengthening knowledge systems for housing justice: lessons from civil society coalitions against evictions

Active Project

Houses being built in Namibia. Group of people standing looking at them, pointing and talking.

What works for low-income households? Assessing the effectiveness of government housing projects in Namibia

Insight, 17 July 2025

Panoramic view of Amman, Jordan circa 2009.

Protracted Palestinian exile and the “right to have rights”

Insight, 20 June 2025

A woman bends over as she cooks in small poorly ventilated room.

Rising heat levels mean increased risks for women in informal settlements

Insight, 17 June 2025

People walk on a muddy path between metal huts on either side of the 'road'. In the foreground a door to a building is open and written on it is 'Capto Inn Hotel'.

But, for now, I think I am okay: realities for LGBTQI+ refugees in Nairobi

Event on 03 July 2025

Group of people standing in a circle, talking and laughing.

Brazilian philanthropies’ vision to tackle social and climate injustices

Insight, 22 May 2025

Several people bending town and pointing at a piece of flipchart paper on the floor, with a lot of writing on it.

Slum upgrading is climate action

Insight, 21 May 2025

Arial view of housing in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The missing social infrastructure: financing housing justice as a strategy to advance global agendas

Insight, 02 May 2025