Livingstone, the capital of Northern Rhodesia before independence and before Lusaka became the capital, is the largest town in Zambia’s Southern Province and the tourist capital of Zambia. It is also the main administrative centre for the southern region of Zambia and the main entry point into the country by road from southern African countries such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa.

However, Livingstone as a district has a number of development gaps: unequal distribution of infrastructure development, inadequate provision of social services, high poverty levels, degradation of the environment and natural resources, unemployment, and, for much of the city, underdevelopment.

Tamale is the fourth largest city in Ghana with a population of 293,881 people and a growth rate of 3.5%. The size of Tamale is approximately 922km sq. The city is the capital of the Northern Region and many people from all over the northern region have migrated into the city.

Economic activities in Tamale revolve around farming and trading. The northern region is one of the poorest regions in the country and most residents do not have access to the basic urban services.

Kokopo is the main administrative, commercial and educational centre for Papua New Guinea’s East New Britain province and the New Guinea Islands region. It has grown rapidly over the last 13 years from a small district town to becoming the fourth largest city in the country. It has a population of approximately 23,000 people (both urban and rural).

The formal areas of the city are well served with urban services like water, energy, sanitation, refuse collection, and road network. This is not the same however for the settlements and rural villages and people from these areas often resort to illegal means to access services. Kokopo will continue to grow due to its strategic location in the New Guinea Islands region and the rich agricultural base of the rural hinterland of the province.

Goroka is the administrative headquarters for the Eastern Highlands Province and it is located on the Okuk Highlands Highway. Goroka is a thriving busy city with its formal sector enjoying a wide range of urban services and amenities. The city attracts overseas and local tourists to its world re-known Goroka Show and Goroka Coffee Festival. Goroka City like other Melanesian cities exhibits a common feature of formally laid out modern patterns of urban development that are surrounded by informal and uncontrolled informal settlements development.

As the major coffee producing region of the country, the agriculture sector plays an important role in the economy of the province. Despite its favourable economic conditions, the incidences of poverty in Goroka City are apparent, as evidenced by the standard of living among the lower income population in the fringe areas of the city. Inadequate or a lack of urban services and amenities, high unemployment rates, environmental degradation, and uncontrolled and spontaneous growth of informal housing are key features of the city.

These urbanization issues are further exacerbated by high incidences of prostitution and HIV/AIDS among the urban population. The key concerns and challenges of Goroka City are apparent in terms of the following issues;

(a) governance and effective urban planning and management of informal sector housing and land mobilization to meet the growing demands of the urban population.

(b) the provision of basic urban environmental services.

Port Moresby is the capital city of Papua New Guinea and is the administrative, commercial and educational centre of the country. It has a population of a little over 400,000 with an average density of 16 persons per hectare. It developed based on its historical and strategic considerations. The main economic activities in Port Moresby are in the service industry.

The unemployment rate in Port Moresby is high with more than 50 percent of the unemployed in settlements and urban villages. Most of these people participate in some form of informal sector activities. 60 percent of the total land area in Port Moresby is alienated or state land while 40 percent is under customary ownership. The availability of basic urban services like water, energy, sewerage network, and sanitation and refuse collection is varied between the formal areas and the informal and settlement areas. While formal areas are often serviced, some people who live in settlements often resort to illegal means to access basic services.

Public transport needs improvement and the existing road network is poorly maintained particularly in the suburbs and the informal settlements. Health care and education facilities although available are sometimes run-down and poorly resourced. Port Moresby is set to expand due to its strategic location and strong trade agreements with its neighbouring countries in the Asia Pacific region.

The Papua New Guinea Urban Profiling consists of an accelerated, action-oriented assessment of urban conditions, focusing on priority needs, capacity gaps, and existing institutional responses at local and national levels. The purpose of the study is to develop urban poverty reduction policies at local, national, and regional levels, through an assessment of needs and response mechanisms, and as a contribution to the wider-ranging implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

The study is based on analysis of existing data and a series of interviews with all relevant urban stakeholders, including local communities and institutions, civil society, the private sector, development partners, academics, and others. The consultation typically results in a collective agreement on priorities and their development into proposed capacity-building and other projects that are all aimed at urban poverty reduction.

Urban Profiling is a rapid, action-oriented assessment of urban conditions, focusing on priorities, capacity gaps, and existing institutional responses at the local and national levels.

The purpose of the study is to develop urban poverty reduction policies at local, national, and regional levels, through an assessment of needs and response mechanisms, and as a contribution to the wider-ranging implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

Urbanization has improved the standard of living for many people in the country as it often brings in greater wealth and economic opportunities for the national population. But, unless these opportunities are well managed through balanced growth policies, it can leads to an increase in urban poverty, a rise in socio-economic inequality and informal settlements poorly served with basic services.

In recognition of the need to better address these issues, the Ministry of Lands and Survey (MLHS), has requested UN-Habitat support to undertake the urban profiling in the Solomon Islands.

The islands of Antigua, Barbuda and Redonda make up one nation. They are situated near the centre of the Caribbean archipelago, and are part of the Lesser Antilles and Leeward Islands groupings. They experience tropical maritime climate. There is little seasonal temperature variation, but there is usually an annual dry season that lasts from December to April and a wet season that spans from May to November. The average annual rainfall is around 1,150 millimetres (less than half that of Dominica?s or any of the other mountainous Caribbean islands), with periodic droughts (occurring roughly every seven years).

Antigua is the larger of the two main islands. It is roughly circular in shape, approximately 14 miles (22.5 kilometres) wide and 12 miles (19.3 kilometres) long with a jagged/indented coastline, and is 108 square miles and 280 square kilometres) in area. Antigua developed from a volcano that rose out of the sea about 34 million years ago, and differs from many other islands in that it contains both volcanic and limestone geological features. It is primarily divided into three geological regions: Northeast Limestone Highlands, Central Clay Plains and Southwest Volcanic Mountains/Hills/Valleys

The All Saints Urban Profiling consists of an accelerated, action-oriented assessment of urban conditions, focusing on priority needs, capacity gaps, and existing institutional responses at local and national levels. The purpose of the study is to develop urban poverty reduction policies at local, national, and regional levels, through an assessment of needs and response mechanisms, and as a contribution to the wider-ranging implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

The study is based on analysis of existing data and a series of interviews with all relevant urban stakeholders, including local communities and institutions, civil society, the private sector, development partners, academics, and others. The consultation typically results in a collective agreement on priorities and their development into proposed capacity-building and other projects that are all aimed at urban poverty reduction. The urban profiling is being implemented in 30 ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) countries, offering an opportunity for comparative regional analysis. Once completed, this series of studies will provide a framework for central and local authorities and urban actors, as well as donors and external support agencies.