African Cities at a Crossroads highlights how Africa’s rapid urbanization presents a powerful opportunity to drive growth, jobs, and better living standards. It shows that with the right investments in infrastructure and services, cities can unlock productivity, strengthen resilience, and become engines of sustainable development

The Arab region faces multiple converging challenges including rapid urbanization, water scarcity, environmental degradation and, in some contexts, conflict and displacement. Additionally, the increasing risks of climate change impacts, coupled with these interconnected issues, place mounting pressure on already strained urban systems and natural resources. In this context, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) offer a promising pathway to address these challenges. By harnessing ecosystems to enhance…

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.