This knowledge product showcases innovative approaches on climate-resilient urban plans and designs as demonstrated in five cities in the Philippines.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a temporary crisis of confidence in the future of cities. However, a broad consensus is that urbanization remains a powerful twenty-first century mega-trend; and that well-planned towns and cities remain central to the sustainable development trajectory. There is a sense of optimism that the crisis may provide us with the opportunity to build back differently, more inclusively, greener and safer. 

UN-Habitat’s Catalogue of Services provides the current range of ways in which the organization can support national and local governments, partners and stakeholders to address their development challenges and advance sustainable and inclusive urban development using its services, expertise and tools.

This publication provides the basis for a much-needed Urban Resilience Framework, including an examination of urban disaster risk and resilience in the SADC region, vulnerability profiles for each country, city level analyses of vulnerability, and measures to foster institutional and policy discussions.

The Urban Recovery Framework (URF) is a key instrument to enhance response to urban crises. The aim of the URF is to create an enabling environment for more effective recovery in urban areas, affected by natural or man-made crises, including conflict.

The 'State of Addis Vol.II: Towards a healthier city', focuses on how the COVID 19 pandemic unfolded in the city of Addis Ababa. The report explores the impact of the pandemic on the city; the response from the authorities and civil society; and the relation of urban infrastructure to urban health and resilience in the context of Addis Ababa.

Under the guidance of UN-Habitat Lebanon, and as part of the emergency response to the massive explosion at the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, IBI Group was commissioned to provide technical oversight and testing services for the Rubble to Mountains initiative, a project aimed at reusing construction and demolition waste (CDW) in environmentally sustainable urban-restoration developments.

The Guidelines for Managing Asbestos at the Bakalian Disposal Site has been prepared by IBI Group, under the direction of UN Habitat, Arcenciel, and the Rubble to Mountains initiative, to guide the investigation, remediation, and management of potential asbestos-contaminated debris stockpiled from the recent Port of Beirut explosion at the Bakalian Disposal Site. These guidelines are based on Canadian, British, and international best practices and tailored to Lebanese conditions.

The Beirut City Profile offers an important multisectoral and spatial analysis of the City of Beirut, including a diagnosis of the wide spectrum of challenges that the city has encountered over the past decades, including the most recent and devastating shock, the Beirut Port explosion. The profile aims to help offer a common understanding of how multiple shocks and vulnerabilities manifest across the city.