Urban

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

Also related to

Urban development

Urban Matters blog

Informal settlements (slums)

An illustration showing people and flowers in front of tall buildings.

Building better cities: responding to the twin challenge of inequality and climate change

23 June 2022

People building informal houses on stilts behind rising water.

IIED at WUF11

Event on 26 June 2022

A man sitting on a bench surrounded by large trees.

The role of urban green space: how London got its parks

David Satterthwaite
16 June 2022

Shack housing on the side of a hill.

No climate justice without housing justice

23 June 2022

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

Tackling air pollution in informal settlements in Kenya

Began 2017

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

07 June 2022

Two women wearing masks hand over a bag to another woman wearing a mask

Q&A: Two years on, blog series maintains its focus – in changing and challenging times

09 May 2022

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 looking at ways to achieve resilient, low-carbon and inclusive urban development

The transition to a predominantly urban world

A series of blogs and interviews exploring what social, political and environmental factors cause cities to thrive or decline

Urban crises and forced displacement

A programme of work bringing together diverse perspectives on humanitarian emergencies and forced displacement, to inform new directions in urban crisis response

Housing justice

A programme of work producing knowledge and methodologies for housing policy and initiatives that promote wellbeing and sustainability in cities of the global South

Publications

View more Urban publications

21271iied.pdf

City planning with displaced communities: the benefits of inclusion

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From risks to resilience: action research into informal workers' health and wellbeing in Indore, India

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Prioritising action on health and climate resilience for informal workers

21006iied.pdf

Better cities are possible: responding to the twin crises of climate change and inequality

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The Urban Crises Learning Fund evaluation final report

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Doing more with less: COVID-19 relief by community networks in Southeast Asia

20951iied.pdf

Scaling up community-led COVID-19 responses: five key lessons

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The contribution of cities to local and planetary health - equity, ecosystem services and nature

20846iied.pdf

Amplifying grassroots COVID-19 responses in Kenya

20571Xcover.pdf

Citizen participation in planning: from the neighbourhood to the city

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

Blog, 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

Blog, 08 December 2021

A small brick building with two steps leading to a corrugated iron door houses a pit latrine.

The case for sewers

Blog, 19 November 2021

Screengrab of a videocall with eight people in a meeting room and five more online participants

Digital tools amplify the voice of women in Peruvian communities

Blog, 11 November 2021

Informal housing and tall buildings behind.

Definitions matter – part one

Blog, 10 November 2021

Large yellow digger vehicle parked in front of slum dwellings.

Citizen participation in planning: from the neighbourhood to the city

Event on 24 November 2020

Camp site with several informal tents made of fabric and plastic.

Are humanitarian agencies starting from scratch again in Haiti?

Blog, 24 October 2021

Entrance to a garden

Taking stock: community responses to COVID-19 in cities

Blog, 19 October 2021