This brief provides information on legal mechanisms to protect the Housing, Land and Property (HLP) rights of women in Afghanistan. The guidance note is not a legal document, but provides information and analysis from the Housing, Land and Property Task Force (HLPTF). The HLPTF is a sub-cluster of the Protection Cluster, and part of Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Country Team. The content of this brief is extracted from UN-Habitat’s (forthcoming) Housing, Land and Property Rights Guide.

Urban regeneration is a crucial process for cities, involving the redevelopment, transformation, and reutilization of urban land and assets through collaboration with multiple stakeholders. In China, urban development is shifting from rapid urbanization to sustainable regeneration. Wuhan, a major city, has been exploring this transition. Reports by the UN Human Settlements Programme and Wuhan Planning Institute offer insights into Wuhan’s successful regeneration models and concepts.

The report provides groundbreaking insights into the current state of smart city developments globally. By analyzing trends, challenges and opportunities, it offers a robust evidence base to foster inclusive, sustainable and people-centred smart cities. With recommendations for policymakers and other actors, it serves as a global reference for advancing digital transformation and innovation in urban areas while addressing regional disparities and digital divides.

The Multilayered Vulnerability Assessment (MVA) tool, developed under UN-Habitat's RISE-UP flaghip programme, helps communities and cities assess vulnerabilities by mapping and assessing the intersection of climate risks, urbanization trends, biodiversity loss, and land degradation. It identifies and appraises vulnerability hotspots from spatial overlaps and areas of concentrated vulnerability which helps to better inform planning, resource mobilization and investment for systemic urban…

This publication presents findings from a European Union and UN-Habitat commissioned Political Economy Analysis (PEA) on factors that influence policy, government institutions, and local communities in the context of displacement and rapid urbanisation in Burco, Jowhar, and Afgoye.

World Cities Report 2024: Cities and Climate Action

This edition of the World Cities Report provides a wide and far-reaching analysis of the current and expected climate impacts on different regions and cities, as well as the differing vulnerabilities urban populations face due to factors such as poverty, inequality, ethnicity, gender, disability and other characteristics. Notwithstanding the acute financial and institutional shortfalls many face, the Report shows that cities are…

In response to growing urban migration challenges in Egypt, the Kafr El Battikh Spatial Profile. offers a comprehensive spatial analysis of Kafr El Battikh city and practical urban strategies and recommendations for integrating migrants, refugees, and marginalized host community through sustainable urban planning providing a foundation for strategic and actionable urban development plans.

In response to growing urban migration challenges, the Migration Informed Urban Planning: A 3-Step Guidebook offers practical strategies for integrating migrants displaced persons and host communities promoting equitable urban development. Drawing on experiences from Cameroon, Egypt, and Jordan, it equips urban planners, policymakers, and local governments with tools to create inclusive, resilient cities through sustainable urban planning.

Water is the basis for life, and meeting water supply demand is a global challenge, particularly in developing countries. In 2020, it was estimated that two billion people lived in water-stressed regions with no access to a safely managed drinking water service on premises, available when needed and free of contamination. This condition is expected to worsen in some regions due to climate change and rapid population growth. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2020 estimates that…