With the number of slum dwellers expected to reach 889 million by 2020 it has been recognized that there is a need to move away from piecemeal project-based slum upgrading interventions.  Instead, it is necessary to bring slum upgrading to a citywide scale and implement a twin-track approach that promotes both the  upgrading of existing slums and simultaneously uses policy to prevent the multiplication of slums and urban informality.

This Training Module advocates for a coordinated approach to slum upgrading which works with UN Habitat strategic planning components – urban planning, urban legislation, and urban  economy – to provide the platform for a sustainable urban future. The approach encourages programme-based improvement of the physical and socio-economic conditions in informal settlements and promotes urban regeneration, transformation and their  integration into the overall city planning agenda.

Today and more than ever before, cities are home to humanity’s great expectations. The challenges are there for all to see day after day. Meeting those challenges would open up a wealth of opportunities for all.

Much as we should like to control them, the best we can probably do at this stage is to make sense of the forces behind urbanization, and try to steer them in the right direction.