| Advancing Urban-Rural Linkages: Digital Technology and Innovative Solutions for Food Flows and Territorial Resilience in East Africa | 2025 | Food security and sustainable urban-rural connections are critical to territorial resilience in East Africa, yet many challenges persist. Smallholder farmers, traders, and policymakers face obstacles such as inefficient value chains, poor infrastructure, and a lack of access to digital tools that could optimize food distribution and market participation. As cities grow and demand for food increases, there is an urgent need to integrate digital innovations into food systems to improve efficiency, transparency, and inclusivity. This strategy paper explores the role of digital technology in enhancing food flows and territorial resilience in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. It presents case studies on successful digital solutions, including mobile applications, e-commerce platforms, and smart agricultural innovations, which are transforming food markets and supply chains. Developed through a collaborative effort involving UN agencies, academia, international NGOs, and government stakeholders, this publication provides a roadmap for implementing digital tools in food systems. |
| Climate Mitigation in Intermediary Cities: Policies for Systemic Change in Kenya and Mozambique | 2025 | Rapid demographic growth and urban expansion are transforming intermediary cities in Kenya and Mozambique. However, limited governance and planning capacity – along with scarce financial resources – are driving these cities towards car-dependent systems, which lock in carbon emissions, reduce accessibility and undermine quality of life. Without timely intervention, current choices risk embedding high emissions and social inequalities for decades to come. Building on the OECD methodology for Systems Innovation for Net Zero and Well-Being, this report develops and applies a practical approach tailored to the realities of intermediary cities in developing countries. Through visioning exercises, systems mapping, and the identification of key areas for transformational change, the analysis demonstrates how Kiambu, Nakuru, Beira and Quelimane can reorient infrastructure investment, land-use planning and mobility policies to achieve low-carbon, people-centred growth. The approach is practical, adaptable and relevant for other fast-growing cities. Local and national policymakers, development partners, planners and investors will find clear diagnostics, actionable insights and replicable tools to align immediate decisions with long-term climate and well-being goals, turning today’s narrow window of opportunity into lasting progress. |
| Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2025: AI and Cities | 2025 | D'ici 2050, 2,3 milliards de personnes de plus vivront en ville, soit l'équivalent de la population mondiale de 1950. Cette expansion fulgurante exerce une pression insoutenable sur le logement, les transports et l'énergie, principalement en raison des inefficacités systémiques de l'urbanisation traditionnelle. Au cœur de son analyse, le rapport « Perspectives d’avenir pour les villes 2025 : IA et villes » aborde une question unique et ambitieuse : 10 % des ressources urbaines existantes peuvent-elles soutenir le développement durable et de qualité de la ville ? En déplaçant l’attention de la consommation des ressources vers une optimisation intelligente, ce rapport affirme qu’une efficacité radicale est la seule voie possible pour l’avenir. |
| Learning from the pandemic recovery for a more green and resilient future for all. Cities and human settlements of Small Island Developing States | 2025 | |
| Nature-based Solutions in Urban Regeneration | 2025 | Practical guide to integrating Nature-based Solutions into urban regeneration. It explains what works at basin, city and neighbourhood scales; links NbS to the SDGs; and shows how co-governance, inclusive design and financing deliver resilience, biodiversity and livelihoods, with international case studies. |
| Urban October Report 2024 | 2025 | Youth are on the frontlines of climate action in an increasingly urbanized world. As cities grow and climate risks intensify, young people are leading the charge with bold ideas, activism, and local solutions. This publication explores their vital role in shaping sustainable, resilient cities, highlighted throughout Urban October. |
| Multilayered Vulnerability Profile for Charagua, Bolivia | 2025 | |
| Global assessment of Responsible AI in cities | 2025 | The Global Assessment of Responsible AI in Cities offers a comprehensive overview of how artificial intelligence is transforming urban environments worldwide. Drawing from a global survey, 70+ case studies, and expert consultations, the report uncovers the benefits and risks of rapidly expanding AI adoption in cities. It highlights how AI is improving mobility, public services, safety, and planning, while also exposing critical challenges—from data privacy and high implementation costs to skills shortages and regulatory gaps. |
| Comparative Research on Urban Development and Management Laws: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Kenya, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, South Korea, and the United Kingdom | 2025 | UN-Habitat, as part of the Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building (ISCB) project in Viet Nam, funded by the Government of Switzerland through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), has conducted comparative legal case studies from 11 countries (Australia, Brazil, Chile, Kenya, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, South Korea, and the United Kingdom) to support the drafting of Vietnam’s Urban Development and Management Law. |
| Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2025: AI and Cities | 2025 | К 2050 году городское население увеличится еще на 2,3 миллиарда человек, что сопоставимо с общей численностью городского населения мира в 1950 году. Такое стремительное расширение городов оказывает немыслимое давление на жилищную сферу, транспорт и энергетические ресурсы, что в значительной степени вызвано системной неэффективностью традиционной модели урбанизации. В основе доклада «Консультативный прогноз по городам будущего 2025: ИИ и города» лежит единственный масштабный вопрос: можно ли обеспечить высококачественное и устойчивое развитие города за счет 10% его существующих ресурсов? Перенося акцент с потребления ресурсов на их интеллектуальную оптимизацию, авторы доклада утверждают, что кардинальное повышение эффективности — это единственный жизнеспособный путь дальнейшего развития. |