Urban blogs
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Financing sustainable infrastructure: a tale of two cities
9 January 2018How can cities in poor countries raise funds for major infrastructure projects? Sarah Colenbrander and Denise Chan look at two success stories and suggest how local governments can build their financial skills and credibility with investors
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Urban crisis response needs a humanitarian sector shake-up
15 December 2017From 'natural disasters' causing large-scale destruction to slow-onset crises such as droughts, through to conflict and persecution, the number of people around the world needing humanitarian assistance is growing – and increasingly, they are found in urban areas
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Water in MENA: ripple effects in times of conflict
12 December 2017The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been hit by a wave of conflicts and crisis. A new study looks at how to improve resilience of water services in the region
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Post-crisis urban planning: lessons from Southeast Asia
6 December 2017New research confirms the importance of urban planning in empowering local governments and communities to manage their own recovery after a humanitarian crisis. Elizabeth Parker argues that humanitarian agencies can support the challenging planning process by sharing knowledge, experience, staff, tools and technology
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Beyond self-reliance: recognising the relationships that matter for urban refugees
7 November 2017Institutions such as religious and cultural associations are helping refugees meet their basic needs in urban settings. Humanitarian agencies should support, not ignore, the work of these groups, argues Will Monteith
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A special approach to slum upgrading: the Special Planning Area in Mukuru, Nairobi
18 October 2017The idea of a Special Planning Area might not immediately be alluring. But for the residents of Mukuru, one of the largest 'slums' in Nairobi, this mundane phrase hides the potential for a radical transformation in their homes and lives
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How can compact cities keep house prices under control?
14 September 2017A new study shows that increasing population density within cities generates significant economic benefits. But successfully harnessing the power of compact cities also requires large-scale investments in transport and housing
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Are impact investors missing a trick by overlooking local communities?
7 September 2017Guest blogger Katharina Neureiter explores whether impact investors are missing a trick by not engaging with community groups
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Financial inequalities; defining our age
22 August 2017A decade on from the global financial crisis, can the world's banks and financial institutions learn about value and values from grassroots savings schemes that help the world's lowest-income people?
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Who can we trust to measure urban poverty?
13 June 2017International definitions of the poverty line don't take into the account the additional costs of living in cities. Sarah Colenbrander says the urban poor can help institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank develop accurate, local, definitions of urban poverty
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Bloomberg and public health: did he get it right?
7 June 2017While welcoming the support from Michael Bloomberg for a new city-focused global public health initiative, David Satterthwaite and Sarah Colenbrander raise concerns about what is not included
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Coping with forced displacement: lessons from cities
11 May 2017People forced to leave their homes are often displaced for many years, and most end up in urban areas. So how can host cities become more resilient while managing such crises? A meeting last week shared learning from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, reports Diane Archer
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Reducing risks in urban centres: think 'local, local, local'
8 May 2017Urban centres can be among the world's most healthy places to live and work – but many are among the least. How healthy they are is powerfully influenced by local government competence, local information, and support for local action
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Sustainable cities: the nexus between resilience and resource efficiency
5 May 2017A new report explores how cities can increase their resilience and resource efficiency – but highlights possible tensions between these two environmental agendas
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Addressing the needs of vulnerable groups in urban areas
26 April 2017For the billion urban dwellers living in informal settlements, there are many risks – for instance, from contaminated water, to accidental fires, to flooding. Those who are more susceptible to these or less able to cope are termed vulnerable. But they are not vulnerable if the risks are removed. We need to focus more on removing the risks and less on endless lists of 'vulnerable groups', argues David Satterthwaite
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Urban risks: where are the top five biggest blind spots?
18 April 2017Whose lives are most at risk in urban areas of the global South – for instance from preventable diseases and disasters? And what are the most serious risks they face?
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Reframing food security for an urbanising world
10 April 2017Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger by 2030 means taking account of changes in both rural and urban contexts. Cecilia Tacoli reports back from a workshop organised with IFAD on some of the issues raised
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Refugee livelihoods in Ugandan cities: mind the gap between policy and practice
22 March 2017Uganda has one of the most open-door refugee policies in the world. But improving the lives of urban refugees on the ground requires government and community organisations to work together to put these policies into practice
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Cash transfers in urban crises: do they work for women?
8 March 2017Twenty months on from the earthquakes in Nepal, new research will examine whether cash transfers are helping women to participate in, and contribute to, the Kathmandu Valley's local economy
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How risk accumulates in African cities – and ways to break the cycle
30 January 2017At a meeting of community organisations in Ibadan, Nigeria, local government officials and academics explored how to deal with the risks facing Africa's urban poor. Challenging long-held assumptions about how African cities work – and who holds the power – will be key to tackling the build-up of risk
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The new Trump index: how much does one individual threaten the planet?
1 December 2016An index from 2001 needs updating to reflect how policies championed by US President-elect Trump threaten global ecological sustainability
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Ward diaries: crucial evidence for planning in Mumbai's slums
28 November 2016Jockin Arputham, the president of Slum/Shack Dwellers International and founder of the National Slum Dwellers Federation in India, explains how data from slums, gathered by slum dwellers themselves, is helping to provide vital services where they are needed most
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Towards a humanitarian's handbook for cities in crisis
16 November 2016New research from the Urban Crises Learning Fund's Stronger Cities Initiative explores the tools available to humanitarians responding to urban crises, and asks whether they are fit for purpose
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Climate responsive cities: a road towards the 'New Urban Agenda'?
15 November 2016A new book, written by local practitioners and edited by IIED, shows how cities across Asia are applying their own approaches to managing climate change risks, and finds that good governance underpins an effective response
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Urban planning after crisis: lessons from Southeast Asia
10 November 2016If humanitarian agencies are to help cities recover and rebuild after a crisis, they must work closely with local governments. A new IIED-supported research project will travel to Indonesia and the Philippines to see how it's done