Over the past 30 years, the number, scope and complexity of tools for assessing the environmental impact of buildings has increased dramatically. Examining the emergence of building sustainability assessment and benchmarking as a global phenomenon as well as some of their political and practical barriers can be useful in order to understand their possible role in realizing objectives of the ‘New Urban Agenda’ and the policies to be influenced by it.

The publication presents an alternative of implementation of a new system for the allocation of subsidies and contributions in public residential services in Colombia.

Policy and programme experiences from different countries have shown the correlation between government legitimacy, stability and peace. The Afghanistan Urban Peacebuilding Programme (AUPP) addresses this complex relationship between governance and peace. The “Safety in Afghan Cities” report, developed from the programme’s baseline survey, presents public perceptions on urban safety in eight of Afghanistan’s most strategic cities, including Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, Herat, Kunduz, Nili…

The overall aim of this HCPD is to promote the New Habitat Agenda: ensuring the sustainability of urban growth as a driving force as well as a source of equitable development with the power to change and improve lives. UN-Habitat plays an active role in urban development and urban policy. Through partnerships with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (MLHUD), UN-Habitat has assisted in identifying key urban issues and areas needing support to improve urban development in Uganda.

Health at the heart of urban development strategies

The paper elaborates on the conceptual and practical framework of the principles of planned urbanization, characteristic of the integrated approach adopted by UN-Habitat to address the challenges of rapid urbanization in the developing world, namely (1) Rules and Regulations, (2) Urban Design, and the (3) Financial plan.

Due to a more stable phase in the prolonged conflict of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, UN-Habitat recommends the initiation of permanent reconstruction and moving away from an emergency shelter in the area. The reconstruction process is recommended to reflect the local political, socio-cultural and physical context of the area and build on sustainable use of local building materials. In addition, generation of employment and local economic development through participatory processes…

A report that reviews the urbanization process over the last 20 years, analyses existing issues and new challenges and provide orientations for future urbanization

Climate Change is big news all over the world. Coastal water utilities and those of small island states, especially in the developing world, already bear the brunt of climate change, often to much higher degrees than their inland counterparts.This guidebook is designed to help utilities identify and assess climate change manifestations that impact adversely on their operations and formulate a credible response.