Demonstrates that most arguments leading to the current bias against rental housing are highly flawed. Argues for more tenure-neutral housing policies, and urges governments to modify regulatory frameworks, develop credit programmes and other forms of assistance to support housing production, with a view to creating more rental housing and to improve the existing stock.

Summary of existing UN-Habitat publications, reports and other documents on building materials and construction technologies. Provides readers with an overview of work undertaken by UN-Habitat in these fields during the last two decades. Provides a general introduction and summary of each reviewed report, as well as an indication of their availability in printed and/or electronic formats.

Summary of the Colloquium deliberations, which were focused around three main objectives, e.g. to stimulate development of the cooperative approach in the housing sector by a) Facilitating exchange of information and experience regarding the cooperative approach in the housing sector; b) Understanding the challenges and possibilities that exist within the cooperative approach in different countries; and c) Improving co-ordination and collaboration between stakeholders in the cooperative housing sector, to encourage the development of joint activities. The report also contains the full text of the statements and papers presented at the Colloquium.

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.

This toolkit is a contribution to the Global Campaign on Urban Governance, an initiative led by UN-Habitat in collaboration with a whole range of partners whose development goal is to contribute to the eradication of poverty through improved urban governance. This toolkit will contribute to the wider dialogue, advocacy and capacity-building efforts towards good urban governance. The tools contained herein will form part of an electronic database of tools encompassing various principles promoted by the Campaign.