Urban Matters
Urban environments will see the greatest growth and change in coming years. IIED's Urban Matters blog focuses on urban poverty, climate change in cities and rural-urban linkages. It is part of IIED’s hub for research and action to influence policy and practice. Building on our longstanding work on equitable, inclusive, sustainable and resilient urban development, it represents the voices of our staff and partners in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
101 - 125 of 160 blog posts
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Improved water access unaffordable for urban poor
22 March 2016On World Water Day, a new briefing shows that the urban poor are missing out on the benefits of 'improved' water services because the costs are too high
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Where are the local indicators for the SDGs?
9 March 2016As discussions on the SDG indicators are under way in New York, David Satterthwaite asks where are the indicators that report on local needs and support local action in urban areas
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Is more inclusive urbanisation essential to the 2030 Agenda?
2 March 2016Efforts to better accommodate rural migrants moving to cities could play an important part in resolving conflicts in the 2030 Agenda and ensuring no-one is left behind
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Why we do 'slum' profiles
22 February 2016Jockin Arputham, the founder of the National Slum Dwellers Federation in India, explains the benefits of developing a slum-dweller led strategy for securing land tenure and services
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Indonesian civil society discusses its urban future
21 January 2016Guest blogger John Taylor reports back from Indonesia's third Urban Social Forum, where citizens came together to imagine the kind of cities they want to live in
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Nourishing livelihoods: the food vendors sustaining Nairobi's slums
15 January 2016Selling food in Nairobi's informal settlements can provide cheap meals and create vital livelihoods, especially for women, but these providers are usually ignored and remain invisible
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Comparing approaches to riverbank vulnerability in Indonesia
8 January 2016What lessons can be learned from two markedly different cases of vulnerability among urban riverbank settlements in Indonesia?
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Making sure Fort Portal's 'modernisation' plan feeds the poor
11 December 2015An innovative research project in Fort Portal, Uganda is seeking to prevent a rise in inequality as the city modernises
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Workers in informal economy need say in global environmental agendas
7 December 2015The green economy will benefit from better relations between urban authorities and informal workers and enterprises. Guest blogger Donald Brown examines ways to achieve this
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Barricading Karachi: how private security contributes to dividing the city
1 December 2015Violence in Karachi will not be reduced until more effective and equitable solutions to policing and urban planning are found. Guest blogger Donald Brown examines the ways physical barriers affect space and people.
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Wanted: more inclusive, resilient, sustainable cities
20 November 2015Eighty per cent of Latin Americans live in urban areas. The result is a complex and challenging urban agenda that needs to be addressed through integrated and inclusive policies. An IIED and IIED- América Latina workshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina, looked at examples of Latin American cities that are striving to become more inclusive, resilient and sustainable, from across the region
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Ten urban planning principles every humanitarian should know
10 November 2015As cities are increasingly where humanitarian action responds to crises, can urban planning principles help humanitarians intervene more effectively?
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Building trust through dialogue with street-food vendors
5 November 2015Street-food vendors' businesses are often threatened in the name of progress, but a new initiative from IIED and Hivos is looking to bridge the divide, protecting livelihoods and an important source of cheap food
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A picture of urban living
30 October 2015What does the word 'urban' mean to you? Our photo gallery shows how we are working with partners to document and highlight the often neglected circumstances in low-income urban communities, and to advocate for change
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Exploring inclusive urbanisation and other migration crises
28 October 2015In the run-up to World Cities Day, with its theme of 'living together', an IIED, IDS and UNFPA workshop will examine why the migration that helps to create cities is so often resisted, and how a more inclusive urbanisation can be achieved. Gordon McGranahan raises six key questions
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Building fairer food futures
16 October 2015Powerful images from Uganda and Indonesia highlight the importance of informal food vendors in the food systems of the rural and urban poor
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The SDGs don't adequately spell out cities' role in implementation
12 October 2015The new development framework lays out a groundbreaking vision on the common good. But it doesn't say enough about how this is to be achieved, by whom and with what funding
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What might slum dwellers want from the SDGs?
5 October 2015Jockin Arputham has been fighting for the rights of slum dwellers for nearly 50 years. Ahead of World Habitat Day, he highlights what the Sustainable Development Goals could mean for slum dwellers
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Should cities invest in climate mitigation?
21 September 2015There are compelling economic opportunities for cities to reduce their carbon footprints – but will these measures be enough to stay below 2 degrees of warming?
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Why urbanisation matters in responding to humanitarian crises
15 September 2015While the plight of Syrian refugees trying to get to Europe is grabbing attention, far more are living in cities and towns in the region. IIED hosted a recent workshop to look at how their needs can be best met
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Namibia's women lead the way in housing development
10 September 2015Persistence, celebration and the First Lady's help have turned around the fortunes of women's savings organisations helping to meet Namibia's housing needs
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The SDGs and 'a new urban agenda'?
8 September 2015If the world delivers on the Sustainable Development Goals, will IIED be out of a job? The SDGs may have a lot to say about what needs to be achieved but not about how, by whom and with what funding and support. There is hardly any mention of local government and local civil society. But you cannot meet the commitments listed above or indeed most of the other goals and targets in urban areas without their support.
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Sanitation in informal settlements: a networked problem
26 August 2015Can understanding how people perceive sanitation help achieve sustainable access to sanitation in cities?
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Karachi's transport challenge
13 August 2015Karachi desperately needs a better transport system. Government efforts have repeatedly failed, yet the authorities are reluctant to allow innovative solutions to rule the road
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It's the thought that counts: how can Addis deliver for the world’s poorest?
8 July 2015When the world's leaders meet in Addis to decide how they fund the SDGs, the real question is whether this money will support the world's poorest to shape their own futures