How urban regeneration can catalyse slum transformation. This UN-Habitat paper links physical, economic, social, environmental and governance actions to upgrade housing and services, secure tenure, grow livelihoods and embed climate resilience—reducing displacement and spatial injustice—with lessons from Jamaica, Kenya, Brazil and Colombia.

Clarification Note for UN-Habitat’s ‘Inclusive Communities, Thriving Cities’ Flagship Programme: frames urban regeneration as an integrated, inclusive, area-based process to reduce spatial inequality and advance the SDGs; clarifies terms (renewal, revitalisation, regeneration); maps key entry points; and showcases global practice.

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.

How can urban regeneration drive climate resilience? This UN-Habitat paper sets out a practical, inclusive approach—linking planning, nature-based solutions and equitable development—to help cities reduce risk, adapt and thrive. Illustrated with cases from Haiti, Nepal, Mozambique and Mexico.

A concise guide to how Local Development Agencies knit planning, finance and governance to regenerate disadvantaged areas and tackle spatial inequality Local Development Paper V6_2409…, with lessons and cases from Gothenburg, Barcelona, Turin, Santiago, Singapore and Nelson Mandela Bay—aimed at local governments and partners.

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.

This White Paper is a collaboration of UN-Habitat’s Urban-Rural Linkages Program with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) as background for discussions at the upcoming UN Food System Summit Stocktaking (UNFSS+4). The paper draws upon recent working papers, expert group meetings including the GAIN-FAO-Rikolto Local and Traditional Food Markets Global Technical Meeting (June 2024), programmatic delivery, and reports from organizations referenced in this paper. Noting the…

Nestled along Kyrgyzstan’s Naryn River, the town of Naryn faces challenges such as environmental vulnerabilities, socio-economic disparities, and infrastructure gaps despite its cultural heritage and natural resources. The Naryn Urban Resilience Program, led by UN-Habitat Urban Lab with local and international partners, offers strategies for inclusive, sustainable urban development. Key outputs include a Town Profile, Strategic Spatial Plan, Design Guidelines, and a Capital Investment Plan.…

The paper ‘Urban Regeneration for Localizing the Sustainable Development Goals’ focuses on demonstrating how urban regeneration can drive progress across at least 15 SDGs and advance 45 targets. It includes four case studies from different regions to illustrate the impacts and lessons learnt.