The “Atlas of Afghan City Regions 2016” is a seminal publication on the spatial and governance data covering five major city regions, which are, Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Jalalabad and Mazar-i-Sharif, and 28 strategic district municipalities.

The findings highlight the potential to consider ‘metropolitan’ planning and governance in these five city regions, to harness the power of urbanization as a source of development and promote balance rural-urban territorial development. The land use and dwelling data is collected using high resolution satellite imagery.

The methodology is innovative, reliable and cost-effective, and in combination with field checks and city workshops, ensures accurate data collection while also engaging local stakeholders and building human and institutional capacities for improved urban data monitoring and use.

The Atlas and associated data-set lays the foundations for improved spatial planning for urban growth in the coming decade, as well as improved targeting, monitoring and evaluation of metropolitan investments to strengthen rural-urban linkages and agricultural value chains.