The New Urban Agenda represents a shared vision for a better and more sustainable future. If well-planned and well-managed, urbanisation can be a powerful tool for sustainable development for both developing and developed countries.

We live in an urban world: more than 55 per cent of the world population lives in urban areas today and this number will grow to 68 per cent by 2050. Cities are particularly vulnerable to Climate Change as the concentrate large populations and a centres for the national economy and social-economic development. In order to build the climate resilience of the national population and economy, building resilient cities and human settlements is essential. National Adaptation Plans are the most…

In 2018,an estimated 27 percent (13 million) of Kenya’s population lived in cities and towns, of varied sizes, across the country. Towards the year 2050, this share will approach 50 percent of the total country population, which will be an equivalent of 44 million people.

This Toolkit provides minimum standard guidelines and practical tools for creating safer and more accessible public transportation systems for women in African cities. It aims at showing public transport operators how to improve their services for women and at local and national government authorities. UN-Habitat and the Flone Initiative developed the Toolkit based on the research conducted in Nairobi, Kenya, showing that women have travel patterns from men and often experience sexual…

Rapid urbanization as well as the gradual rise in standards of living have sparked the demand for services and with it, the construction of new infrastructure. Given that infrastructure is intrinsically tied to all aspects of urban life, improving infrastructure should ideally lead to increased individual or community resilience. This Enhancer explores the intrinsic link between infrastructure and resilience.

The human rights-based approach elaborated in this Enhancer helps identify a pattern of human rights fulfilment between individuals (the rights-holders) and the state, whose duty it is to protect their rights. According to this Enhancer, non-discrimination, participation, accountability, and the rule of law must be central principles of resilient urbanisation.

The consumption of natural resources has increased to unsustainable levels due to population growth and rapid urbanisation, with cities now using billions of tonnes of raw materials to sustain their urban lifestyles. The concept of resource efficiency, outlined in this Enhancer, offers the opportunity to promote responsible use of resources while maintaining a good standard of living.

The Social Resilience Guide considers a variety of topics, from inhabitants’ wellbeing to the delivery of services, with a particular focus on vulnerability and inclusive and protective measures. This Guide has three angles of analysis: understanding vulnerability from a social perspective; assessing the availability of services in response to people’s needs; and formulating actions for resilience that adapt to local needs.

More than one-quarter of the world’s urban population lives in informal settlements. Informal settlements create marginalisation and segregation, and their inhabitants are often more vulnerable to health risks, natural disasters, unreliable wages, hazardous working environments, and a lack of basic services. This Enhancer outlines a series of indicators to help local governments evaluate informality in their city, and identify its root causes in order to manage it appropriately.