India's ClimateSmart Cities Assessment Framework empowers cities to tackle climate change. It's a progressive initiative with tangible actions that aims to improve the lives of citizens while building resilience to climate-related shocks.
Urban green spaces (UGS) serve as an important natural resource for cities. They provide a variety of social, economic and environmental benefits which enhance the health and well-being of urban dwellers and the overall sustainability of cities. This article by Romanus Opiyo reflects on the benefits of urban green spaces and the opportunities for the deliberate provision of such areas through urban planning interventions given the improved well-being and health aspects associated with the UGS
It is the responsibility of both the national and municipal governments to assure pedestrian safety, which is a fundamental human right. In this brief article, Louis Kusi Frimpong addresses the relationship between a lack of pedestrian infrastructure and health outcomes, as well as some pedestrian infrastructure required to enhance pedestrian safety on roads in Africa.
Young people in Cali are taking over the city with tactical urbanism to address their concerns and are asking urban planners to also include the youngest of society. As adults tend to plan spaces in terms of effectiveness and productivity, Michel Zuluaga addresses the need to include more young people in those processes and shares some successful experiences.
Young people have fantastic ideas how to create liveable cities of the future - we need an environment that fosters their creativity, says Mario Raimundi Pruss from the Young City Makers Programme.
Ben Arimah presents UN-Habitat’s World Cities Report 2022, the crossroads we're at, and the options we've got.
Changing discourses have characterised New Delhi's housing policy over time. Piyush Tiwari and Jyoti Shukla outline developments and call onto the public and private housing institutions to provide equal access to decent and affordable housing.
Sumaya Saluja from The Asia Foundation on inclusion, equality and participatory governance for liveable cities.
The Indian state of Odisha has initiated a slum upgrading programme that acknowledges residents as city makers. Preeti Prada Panigrahi presents its advantages and successes.
Half of the world’s population is made up of women, but their representation in decision-making bodies at the local, national, and international level leaves much to be desired. Macoura Dao Coulibaly, Mayor of Foumbolo, Côte d'Ivoire, on strengthening women in local government.
The world is at a turning point. The COVID-19 pandemic has acted as an accelerator of technological disruption and inequalities, interlocked with the existential threat of the climate crisis. The only way forward is to transform our future. This is no less than a universal educational project to empower every person from the earliest age and throughout life with the knowledge, competences, and attitudes to live in dignity and act for the common good. Since more than half of humanity lives in urban areas, cities have a major role to play in realising the right to education for citizens throughout the world.
In a world beset by multiple crises, mayors are multitaskers, crisis managers and frontline responders – and crises never wait in line. Katja Dörner, Mayor of Bonn and ICLEI Co-Chair for Climate Action on circular cities and Bonn’s promising path to becoming zero-waste.
On the 20th anniversary of the City Statute, it is essential to reflect on its legacy of social inclusion in Brazilian cities, recognise its strategic role within national urban frameworks throughout the world and understand how a more radical transformation of our cities can be inspired by mechanisms that this legislation offers.
Cities have immense potential to foster capacities for lifelong learning, argues Raúl Valdés-Cotera from the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.
"Kulunas" – youth gangs – have been part of Kinshasa's neighbourhoods for two decades. Marc-André Lagrange and Thierry Vircoulon analyse their origins and why their ever more violent repression is not going to increase safety in Kinshasa.
