Around 1.1 billion people live in informal settlements, yet their systems remain invisible to urban planning. Far from deficient, these neighbourhoods operate as complex resource networks. The challenge is no longer understanding them – but planning with them.
Short-term rentals are reshaping Mexico City’s housing market. As gentrification and displacement accelerate, protests reveal how tourism, remote work, and weak regulation deepen the urban housing crisis. By Clara-Luisa Weichelt
Community-led rumah flat in Jakarta show how housing can function again as a social good, not a speculative asset. Elisa Sutanudjaja traces this shift towards more just and affordable cities.
Gulf purpose-built cities like Masdar and NEOM often fall short of their grand visions, becoming underpopulated and more symbolic than lived. Yasser Elsheshtawy calls for more grounded, socially responsive approaches that prioritise everyday life over spectacle.
From half-finished flyovers and hours of standstill to “limited public funding,” public transport across the Global South is chronically underfunded. The consequence? Eroded public trust. Tuhu Nugraha shows how blockchain technology could turn promises into verifiable progress on sustainable infrastructure – enabling shared responsibility, fairness, and renewed trust.
Across the Global South, families like Asma Banu’s live under eviction threats while powering cities. Her story demands dignity, secure tenure and basic services for all. By Muaz Hussain
Abuja, Nigeria’s fast-growing capital, is home to Garki Village, a prominent slum area. Often dismissed as an eyesore, it challenges conventional ideas of housing interventions. Maryam Abbakyari shows how empathy and co-creation with residents can transform slum upgrading from technical fixes into climate-responsive, culturally rooted solutions.
In Mozambique, low-density urban expansion can either enable inclusive livelihoods or entrench marginalisation, depending on how land is allocated, serviced and integrated with urban networks. Sara Márquez Martín and Mercilia Lombe show how new policies and participatory projects like Chamanculo C pave the way for inclusive, sustainable urban futures.
The global housing crisis is a disaster – and it’s unjust. Ariana Karamallis argues for radical change that shifts power to the majority: the people who are affected.
Tokyo's roof gardens are more than just aesthetic urban features. Urban geographer John-Guy Perrem on the distinction of Tokyo’s roof gardens and the city’s increasingly commercialised public spaces.
Are we all going to live in mushrooms soon? Alexander Jachnow explains how fungi-based construction could be the solution to make building practices more sustainable.
City planners and data scientists Santiago Fernández Reyes and Apaar Bansal explain how a new visual tool they developed can bridge the land use and transport policy gap – and push policymakers to provide adequate housing that is better located.
“A house for all” is a promise made by the South African government, which has not yet been fulfilled. Annette May, of Isandla Institute, highlights this ongoing struggle and advocates for policy reform to address systemic challenges in housing delivery.
Vertical gardens combat plastic pollution and urban heat, offering sustainable solutions for low-income areas. Olumuyiwa Adegun showcases two prototypes that have the potential to transform urban landscapes and prove sustainable housing does not need to be expensive or high-tech.
Urban Citizens in India are still struggling with housing inadequacy and (un)affordability. Piyush Tiwari and Jyoti Shukla call on public and private housing institutions to provide equal access to decent and affordable housing.
