Urban Chances, City Growth and The Sustainability Challenge: Chance2Sustain is a research programme that examined how governments and citizens in cities with differing patterns of urban economic growth make use of participatory (or integrated) spatial knowledge management to direct urban governance towards more sustainable development. Participatory spatial knowledge management is the main concept used to study this issue, as it reflects a strategic resource, which all stakeholders can contribute to urban governance processes towards sustainable development.

It includes both expert knowledge and several forms of non-expert knowledge, such as knowledge from (working) experience (tacit), embedded sectoral knowledge, and social (or community-based) knowledge at the  neighbourhood and city-wide level. Participatory processes of urban planning and management are strategic in eliciting these forms of spatially disaggregated (of specific) knowledge, which are usually not acknowledged in topdown, expert-driven models of urban governance and planning. Utilizing participatory spatial knowledge can make urban governance and planning more effective and gain wider acceptance, by incorporating both expert and local community knowledge. Although participatory spatial knowledge management is increasingly used in urban planning processes, its success depends on external political and economic conditions.

A legal framework providing for fiscal decentralisation and funding, for instance, is a strategic support. The influence of various external conditions has not yet been analysed much locally, and certainly not comparatively across different socio-political contexts, although it is a strategic question, given the inherent trade-offs and potential  political conflicts in combining environmental, social and economic goals (within sustainable development). Therefore, the programme focused on ten cities with contrasting economic and political conditions, with the main scientific objective of developing a model on participatory spatial knowledge management to direct urban governance to sustainable development.
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) was a dissemination partner for the research programme. This report summarizes the findings of the research and contains two policy briefs targeted at policy makers and practitioners.

This publication of Financing for Resilient and Green Urban Solutions in Tshwane, South Africa in examines the status of housing and urban infrastructure and how much investment is needed. The assessment particularly considered the status of housing finance instruments and costs, as well as the roles of local and national governments in facilitating investments. The report was also anchored on determining whether the identified investment needs address resilient housing and infrastructure and assessed challenges to financing such green urban solutions in Tshwane, South Africa.

It also examines the financial instruments, financing needs and financing opportunities and their impacts on the financial systems and identifies potential practical projects.

This publication of Financing for Resilient and Green Urban Solutions in Zhoushan, China in examines the status of housing and urban infrastructure and how much investment is needed. The assessment particularly considered the status of housing finance instruments and costs, as well as the roles of local and national governments in facilitating investments. The report was also anchored on determining whether the identified investment needs address resilient housing and infrastructure and assessed challenges to financing such green urban solutions in Zhoushan, China.

It also examines the financial instruments and their impacts on the financial systems and identifies potential practical projects.

This publication of Financing for Resilient and Green Urban Solutions in Beira, Mozambique in examines the status of housing and urban infrastructure and how much investment is needed. The assessment particularly considered the status of housing finance instruments and costs, as well as the roles of local and national governments in facilitating investments. The report was also anchored on determining whether the identified investment needs address resilient housing and infrastructure and assessed challenges to financing such green urban solutions in Beira, Mozambique.

It also examines the financial instruments and their impacts on the financial systems and identifies potential practical projects.

This report: Financing for Resilient and Green Urban Solutions in Mombasa, Kenya examines the status of housing and urban infrastructure and how much investment

is needed. The assessment particularly considered the status of housing finance instruments and costs, as well as the roles of local and national governments in facilitating investments. The report was also anchored on determining whether the identified investment needs address resilient housing and infrastructure and assessed challenges to financing such green urban solutions in Mombasa City and in Kenya in general.

It also examines the financial instruments and their impacts on the financial systems and identifies potential practical projects.

This report: Financing for Resilient and Green Urban Solutions in Cebu, Philippines examines the status of housing and urban infrastructure and how much investment

is needed. The assessment particularly considered the status of housing finance instruments and costs, as well as the roles of local and national governments in facilitating investments. The report was also anchored on determining whether the identified investment needs address resilient housing and infrastructure and assessed challenges to financing such green urban solutions in Cebu City and in the Philippines in general.

It also examines the financial instruments and their impacts on the financial systems and identifies potential practical projects.

Global commitment to the inclusive right to adequate housing was renewed at the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development – Habitat III. Housing will hence prove central to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 11: ‘Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’.

Across the  Arab region, around 18 % of residents live under each country’s national poverty line, with significant variation between the Gulf countries, which have an average per capita income of USD 29,000, and the Southern Tier countries (not including Somalia), which have an average per capita income of USD 1,300. Also significant disparities continue to exist between rural and urban areas. Informal Settlements have become the reflection of the mirror of poverty and lack of access to adequate housing.

Slums versus informal settlements: the term 'slum' is a "general context to describe a wide range of low-income settlements and/or poor human living conditions". Different criteria are used to define slums include physical, spatial, social and behavioral criterion. Informal or spontaneous settlements are settlements whereby persons, or squatters, assert land rights or occupy for exploitation of land which is not registered in their names, or government land, or land legally owned by other individuals. Squatters are people who occupy land or buildings without the explicit permission of the owner. The structures and location of the informal settlements of the region are characterized by two different patterns: substandard or makeshift structures in central slums, hazardous, and unsafe locations or suburban areas lacking access to basic services; and unplanned urban expansion mostly through the subdivision of agricultural land in violation of existing codes.

At this stage of the analysis, the data collection process was limited. It is based on two elements:

• A questionnaire filled by National focal points in some countries with variable quality and comprehensiveness of the information provided.
• Data based on literature review and research networks.
• Two-days Consultation workshop with representation from most Arab countries, development partners and civil society organizations where the data prepared was presented, discussed and further information was gathered in parallel thematic groups.

This report provides an overview of the status of informal settlements in the main Arab countries where data was accessible; explores the reasons of emergence, national definitions and forms of informality, national responding approaches and strategies; in addition to highlighting some useful case studies from these countries. This overview provides guidance to national governments by offering a preliminary framework for the preparation of national or local informal settlement upgrading strategies grounded in international and regional best practices and recognizing approaches and regional and national challenges.

The analysis of the different countries focused on the potential lessons learned through highlighting the  advancement level of their public policies responding to informal settlements, the mapping processes of their informal settlements, their physical state and socio-economic situations, the presence of pilot projects, and the involvement of the private sector or innovative finance mechanisms in the upgrading process.

Despite the data limitation, the review and analysis presented by country  conducted in this report enabled some observations on the common and specific challenges, the importance of social and economic aspects of informality, the need for innovative financial and governance mechanisms, and the importance of participation for sustainable strategies and programmes. The review of all approaches that have been addressed in different Arab countries and the examples of the different projects could be concluded in such in some main items as follows: The investment, financial and environmental impacts in most of cases not been tackled and there was concentration on the physical, and sometime social, aspects only. The sustainability of development aspects (financial, social, environmental) of projects has not been addressed in most of cases and there will be risks of sustainability of the development of the projects in future. This would emphasize the need for an integrated development approach to be embraced in development of informal settlement.

The overview also shows large possibility of cross learning among the region, specifically between comparable countries, or those whose political or governance situations are similar. The conclusion also highlights key cross cutting issues that have to be mainstreamed in upgrading approaches and programmes, namely: environment, migration and displacement, finance, gender, participation and local government.

Finally, the report lays out the way forward towards the formulation of the new programme -to be launched in WUF 10- “Towards Arab Cities without Informal areas” where this report and analysis present the first step, followed by the launch of a call for Arab cities to join the first phase of the programme supported by UN-Habitat in cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank. The regional programme will continue to learn from early implementation phases to support progressing of Arab cities that are inclusive, resilient and productive; integrating various sustainable goals and programs to ensure leaving no one, and nowhere behind.

Rent regulation is a system of laws controlling rents and tenant evictions aimed at ensuring that rentals are affordable. It reduces both the incidence and fear of homelessness by setting substantive and procedural guidelines to control increases in rent and tenant evictions, thereby preventing landlords from profiting from rental shortages and enabling tenants to remain in existing rentals.

This document examines the legal framework regulating the urban landlord and tenant relationship in Botswana, Kenya, Lagos State- Nigeria, and South Africa. It is not an essay on the ideology of rent regulation, but rather an examination of legislation those states enacted for regulating tenancies to identify what rules may be included in a comprehensive rent regulating regime that promotes security of tenure and affordable rental housing for the urban poor.

Currently, in Latin America, 78.0% of the population lives in cities, mainly in the capitals. This trend is also experienced by Colombia, with the great advantage that said population concentration is distributed in a system of 64 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, being Bogotá, in addition to the country's capital, the most important agglomeration. The effects of rapid urbanization in the country and the continent have made it possible to improve the coverage and access of large majorities to the goods and services of economic and social development, but it has also created new challenges, particularly for large metropolises. That is why the right to the city today acquires great relevance to guide public policies and the different forms of citizen participation.

The consideration that adequate housing as a basic unit for habitat construction represents an essential element of the right to the city and invites emphasis on its transformative attributes of quality of life and sustainable and inclusive urban development. The concept of habitat becomes more important because it addresses housing not only as an individual or family right but as a collective right of those who inhabit and enjoy cities.

The common challenge today is how to produce a habitat that helps "build a city." For this, it is necessary to move from housing policies to habitat policies, which consider the environments, plan the territory and the equipment and break the barriers of socio-spatial segregation.

For this reason, UN-Habitat proposes to return the “Housing at the centre” which should be understood not only as the centre of public policies, but also as the physical centre of cities, since construction in the peripheries not only does not responds adequately to the needs of the most disadvantaged groups, but the dispersion decreases, among others, the same productivity of the cities and their cohesion. Linked to this, the quality of housing and cities also depends on the ability to massively introduce alternatives to ways of building and the use of new materials. Eco-efficiency and eco-sustainability in the production of housing and habitat infrastructure not only improves the quality of life of urban dwellers and the resilience of cities but also generates new economic, work and innovation opportunities.

In all these areas, Bogotá represents a reference for the rest of Colombia. Not surprisingly, in the capital, about 2.7 million homes demand services with coverage and quality, being a huge challenge primarily for rulers and decision-makers. Therefore, the importance of a robust habitat policy by 2030, which undoubtedly contributes to providing conditions that boost housing supply and other habitat attributes, as well as access and opportunity in a context of equity, inclusion and prosperity.

This publication is a contribution to the formulation of this policy, under the leadership of the Habitat District Secretariat - SDHT. The results of the interdisciplinary work between UN-Habitat and the SDHT reveal disparities in the coverage and quality of housing, equipment and general habitat conditions between different areas of the city, so the achievements to come must translate into conditions of equity, cohesion, and prosperity for all citizens, taking into account the context of Bogotá and its metropolitan environment.

Environmental reviews, often in the form of environmental impact or strategic environmental assessments, play a fundamental role in the process of urban development. They are institutionalized decision-making arrangements in domestic legislation to address the environmental impacts and risks associated with a project. Strengthened environmental and social reviews in urban development processes and their integration into broader decision making frameworks will support the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and several of the Sustainable Development Goals by approving projects which are ecologically sensitive, socially-acceptable, and economically cost-effective. Six case studies in this book, from Uganda, South Africa, Fiji, Sri Lanka, Brazil, and the USA, present empirical evidence on the relationship between environmental and development decision-making in the urban context. The cases identify key implementation issues and options to address them efficiently at country and city levels. Building upon this, the work also outlines capacity building needs and coordination approaches that are appropriate to resource poor contexts.