Enhancing Urban Safety and Security addresses three major threats to the safety and security of cities: crime and violence; insecurity of tenure and forced evictions; and natural and human-made disasters. It analyses worldwide trends with respect to each of these threats, paying particular attention to their underlying causes and impacts, as well as to the good policies and best practices that have been adopted at the city, national and international levels in order to address these threats.

The report adopts a human security perspective, concerned with the safety and security of people rather than of states, and highlights issues that can be addressed through appropriate urban policy, planning, design and governance.

This publication, which focuses on crime and violence, is the first of three volumes of the Abridged Edition of the Global Report 2007.

The main purpose of this volume is to present, in summary form, the main findings of the Global Report 2007 on crime and violence and, on the basis of this, to suggest policy directions for reducing crime and violence within urban settlements.

This publication, which focuses on security of tenure and forced evictions, is the second of three volumes of the Abridged Edition of the Global Report 2007.

The main purpose of this volume is to present, in summary form, the main findings of the Global Report 2007 on security of tenure and, on the basis of this, to suggest policy directions for enhancing security of tenure and reducing forced evictions within urban settlements.

This publication, which focuses on natural and human-made disasters, is the third of three volumes of the Abridged Edition of the Global Report 2007.

The main purpose of this volume is to present, in summary form, the main findings of the Global Report 2007 on natural and human-made disasters and, on the basis of this, to suggest policy directions for mitigating the impacts of natural and human made-disasters on urban settlements.

This publication is the abridged and Arabic language edition of Financing Urban Shelter: Global Report on Human Settlements 2005.

Financing Urban Shelter presents the first global assessment of housing finance systems, placing shelter and urban development challenges within the overall context of macroeconomic policies. The report describes and analyses housing finance conditions and trends in all regions of the world, including formal housing finance mechanisms, microfinance and community funding, highlighting their relevance to the upgrading of slums. Recent policy developments in the area of shelter finance are discussed at the international and national levels. The report also examines policy directions that could be taken to strengthen shelter finance systems, particularly with respect to realizing the Millennium Declaration target of improving the lives of slum dwellers.

This publication is a abridged edition of Financing Urban Shelter: Gobal Report on Human Settlements 2005 (the main report).

The Challenge of Slums presents the first global assessment of slums, emphasizing their problems and prospects. It presents estimates of the numbers of urban slum dwellers and examines the factors that underlie the formation of slums, as well as their social, spatial and economic characteristics and dynamics. It also evaluates the principal policy responses to the slum challenge of the last few decades. The report argues that the number of slum dwellers is growing and will continue to increase unless there is serious and concerted action by all relevant stakeholders. The report points the way forward and identifies the most promising approaches to achieving the Millennium Declaration target on improving the lives of slum dwellers.  

Cities in a Globalizing World presents a comprehensive review of the world’s cities and analyses the positive and negative impacts on human settlements of global trends towards social and economic integration. The report highlights the impacts of globalization in removing barriers and increasing the influence of market forces on policies and city development, including the increased isolation and marginalization of many, especially poor and vulnerable social groups.

It documents current housing and urban living conditions, and examines policies and initiatives for improved quality of life across all sectors of urban society. The report presents lessons for urban planning and management policies in support and promotion of inclusive cities and good urban governance.