While the global urban population is expected to grow by 3 billion in the next 50 years, cities continue to face a myriad of challenges including insufcient housing, poor infrastructure, inadequate basic services, hunger, corruption, insecurity and depletion of natural resources. Lack of decent jobs, pollution, climate change, and the prevalence of natural and human-made disasters also threaten the ability of cities to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development goals.