Sustainable Urban Development

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More than half of the global population already lives in urban areas. As a consequence of migration, natural demographic growth and urban boundary expansion, it is projected that in 2050 two thirds of the global population will live in cities. About 90 percent of future urbanization will happen in emerging and developing countries, especially Asia and Africa, where small and medium-sized cities grow the fastest.

In cities challenges and potentials of global development converge. A still increasing number of city-dwellers live and work informally and lack access to adequate social and technical infrastructure. Cities produce approx. 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and infringe on rural land-uses and resources. But, they are also hubs of economic growth, social and environmental transformation and climate adaptation extending to the connected rural and worldwide areas.

A global road map for sustainable urban development during the next twenty years was agreed on at the Habitat III World Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development in October 2016 in Quito. At the World Urban Forum 2018 in Kuala Lumpur concrete steps for the implementation of this New Urban Agenda were discussed.

This web special compiles research of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) on the issue of “urbanisation”.

Publications

Coordinating the energy transition: electrifying transportation in California and Germany
Goedeking, Nicholas / Jonas Meckling (2024)
in: Energy Policy (195), article 114321

Exploring the influence of power on the governance of climate im/mobility in Accra and Dakar
Ekoh, Susan S. (2024)
Discussion Paper (10/2024)

Kenya's protests happened in every major urban center - why these spaces are explosive
Gutheil, Lena (2024)
published on theconservation.org, 27.06.2024

Urban labs beyond Europe: the formation and contextualization of experimental climate governance in five Latin American cities
Roll, Michael / Florencia Almansi / Jorgelina Hardoy / Simone Gatti / Ariadne Samios / Lucas Turmena / Mariana Campos / Gorka Zubicaray (2024)
in: Environment and Urbanization 36 (1), 173-194

Decentralization and its effect on urban governance in Africa
Gutheil, Lena (2024)
in: Ifri Studies (April 2024), Paris: Ifri

TUC Urban Lab Profile: Alliance for the Residencial Edgar Gayoso, Teresina, Brazil
Guerra, Flávia / Monique Menezes / Lucas Turmena / Alejandra Ramos-Galvez / Simone Sandholz / Michael Roll / Camila Alberti / Tátila Távora (2024)
TUC Profile No. 10, Bonn: United Nations University - Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)

TUC Urban Lab Profile: Alliance for the Centre of Recife, Brazil
Turmena, Lucas / Flávia Guerra / Altiere Freitas / Alejandra Ramos-Galvez / Simone Sandholz / Michael Roll / Isadora Freire / Millena Oliveira (2024)
TUC Profile No. 9, Bonn: United Nations University - Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)

TUC Urban Lab Profile: Naucalpan, Mexico
Roll, Michael / Marisol Romero Magallán / Andrea Ramírez / Flávia Guerra / Alejandra Ramos-Galvez / Simone Sandholz / Mariana Campos-Sánchez / Gorka Zubicaray / Óscar Jair Pozos-Espinosa / Andrea Villasís-Escobedo / Ana Iris Enríquez-Alcaraz (2024)
TUC Profile No. 8, Bonn: United Nations University - Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)

TUC Urban Lab Profile: León, Mexico
Ramírez, Andrea / Sabrina González Barbosa / Flávia Guerra / Alejandra Ramos-Galvez / Simone Sandholz / Michael Roll / Mariana Campos-Sánchez / Ana Iris Enríquez-Alcaraz / Andrea Villasís-Escobedo / Óscar Jair Pozos-Espinosa (2024)
TUC Profile No. 7 Bonn: United Nations University - Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)

TUC Urban Lab Profile: Barrio 20, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Guerra, Flávia / Julia Nesprias / Alejandra Ramos-Galvez / Lucas Turmena / Simone Sandholz / Michael Roll / Jorgelina Hardoy / Florencia Almansi / Macarena Ochagavía / Fernando Almansi (2024)
TUC Profile No. 6, Bonn: United Nations University - Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)

The dichotomous world of sanitation management: ‘Matter out of place’ in urban India
Subramanian, Saravanan (2024)
in: Applied Geography 165, article 103228

Early engagement and co-benefits strengthen cities’ climate commitments
O'Garra, Tanya /Viktoriya Kuz / Andrew Deneault / Christopher Orr / Sander Chan (2024)
in: Nature Cities, first published 19.03.2024

Why transportation should work for women in Africa
Asimeng, Theodore / Pooja Balasubramanian (2024)
The Current Column of 6 March 2024

Urban refugees and digital technology
Martin-Shields, Charles (2024)
Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press

Triggers and strategies of revenue bargaining: evidence from Mozambican municipalities
von Schiller, Armin (2024)
in: Anne Mette Kjær / Marianne S. Ulriksen / Ane Karoline Bak (Hrsg.), The Politics of Revenue Bargaining in Africa, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 83-105

Africa’s future will be decided in its cities
Roll, Michael (2023)
published on megatrends-africa.de, Blog Joint Futures 33, 8.12.2023

Intra-urban migration in African coastal and riparian cities
Ittner, Irit (2023)
in: Kunlé, Adeyemi / Suzanne Lettieri & Berend Strijland (eds.), African Water Cities, Rotterdam: Nai010 Publishers, 46-49

Emerging disputes over land and leadership in urban villages on the airport reserve in Abidjan
Ittner, Irit (2023)
in: Afrique Contemporaine 276, 175-201

Urbanisation and social cohesion: theory and empirical evidence from Africa
Sakketa, Tekalign Gutu (2023)
Discussion Paper 16/2023

Multi-risks attributed to climate change and urbanization in East Africa: a bibliometric analysis of a science gap
Fekete, Alexander / Saravanan Subramanian (2023)
in African Geographical Review, first published 11 September 2023

Towards a seat at the table: how an initiative of cities got their voices heard during Germany’s 2022 G7 presidency
Gronen, Maria Elisabeth / Yannick Sudermann (2023)
Discussion Paper 4/2023

Green jobs and the city: towards a just transition in developing countries
Kleibrink, Alexander / Anna Pegels / Michael Fink / Wolfgang Scholz (2023)
Policy Brief 1/2023

Coastal urbanities: mobilities, meanings, manoeuvrings
Siriwardane-de Zoysa, Rapti / Kelvin E.Y. Low / Noorman Abdullah / Anna-Katharina Hornidge (eds.) (2023)
Social Sciences in Asia, Band 42, Leiden: Brill

Do information communication technologies (ICTs) support self-reliance among urban refugees? Evidence from Kuala Lumpur and Penang, Malaysia
Martin-Shields, Charles / Katrina Munir-Asen (2022)
in: International Migration Review, first published 25.12.2022

China’s zero-Covid strategy: causes for public protests in Chinese cities and consequences for the world economy
Cissé, Daouda (2022)
published on blogs.soas.ac.uk, 15.12.2022

The impact of urbanisation on political regimes in Africa: A literature review
Gutheil, Lena (2022)
in: Megatrends Africa Working Paper 03 (December 2022)

How does urban rail development in China and India enable technological upgrading?
Asimeng, Emmanuel Theodore / Tilman Altenburg (2022)
Discussion Paper 14/2022

Die UNO-Städtekonferenzen – schöne Worte oder mehr?
Dick, Eva und Einhard Schmidt-Kallert (2022)
in: Caritas Schweiz 2022: Almanach Entwicklungspolitik 2023 "Urbanisierung im globalen Süden", Luzern: Caritas-Verlag, 135-148

Urbanization, the Climate Crisis, and the Role of the G7
Roll, Michael (2022)
The Current Column of 12 September 2022

Informe de resultados del encuentro Movilidad Urbana Sostenible: un diálogo interregional sobre la industria y el financiamiento del transporte público colectivo
Navarro Quesada, Daniel / Claudia Acosta / Diego Aulestia / Franco Jauregui-Fung (2022)
Santiago: Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL)

Civil society participation in urban governance in Africa: supporting CSOs’ political voice for a transformation of citizen–state relations
Gutheil, Lena (2022)
in: Megatrends Afrika Policy Brief 05 (July 2022)

Civil society participation in urban governance in Africa: supporting CSOs’ political voice for a transformation of citizen–state relations
Gutheil, Lena (2022)
Policy Brief 2022 05, 14.07.2022S (SWP, IDOS, IfW)

BRT Transjakarta: phasing in, performing and expanding a new system within a consolidated urban area: Report for the “Inclusive and sustainable smart cities in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” Project
Jauregui-Fung, Franco (2022)
Mitarbeiter sonstige, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)

Urban rail implementation in emerging economies: an opportunity for industrial development and technological learning?
Asimeng, Emmanuel Theodore (2022)
Mitarbeiter sonstige, German Institute of Development and Sustainablity (IDOS)

Land value capture and transit oriented development as a way of funding railway systems: The case of Hong Kong Rail + Property Model
Jauregui-Fung, Franco (2022)
Mitarbeiter sonstige, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)

Green jobs in cities: challenges and opportunities in African and Asian intermediary cities
Scholz, Wolfgang / Michael Fink (2022)
Discussion Paper 7/2022

A G7 infrastructure club: mobilizing the transformative power of cities to support multilateralism and the agenda 2030 in post-COVID G7/G20
Buchoud, Nicolas J. A. / Bai Xuemei / Milindo Chakrabarti / Edoardo Croci / Paramita Dey / Christian von Haldenwang / Holger Kuhle / Susan Parnell / Martin van der Pütten (2022)
in: T7 Task Force International cooperation for the global common good, 02.05.2022

COVID-19 safety measures and socioeconomic status in urban Zimbabwe
Jaji, Rose (2022)
in: Maria dos Santos Gonçalves / Rebecca Gutwald / Tanja Kleibl / Ronald Lutz / Ndangwa Noyoo / Janestic Twikirize (eds.), The coronavirus crisis and challenges to social development, Cham: Springer, 55-65

Urbanisation and rural development in developing countries: a review of pathways and impacts
Sakketa, Tekalign Gutu (2022)
Discussion Paper 5/2022

The nexus between climate change and human mobility and its relevance for urban areas
Schraven, Benjamin (2022)
in: Trialog (140/141), 10-12

Reclamation and expulsion. Frontiers of city expansion and the loss of public and communal space at Abidjan’s lagoonal waterfronts
Eguavoen, Irit (2022)
in: Urban Forum, first published 19.01.2022

Urban governance in conflict zones: contentious politics, not resilience
Esser, Daniel (2022)
in: Michael R. Glass / Taylor B. Seybolt / Phil Williams (eds.), Urban Violence, resilience and security: governance responses in the Global South, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 53-71

Ride-sharing apps for urban refugees: easing or exacerbating a digital transport disadvantage?
Martin-Shields, Charles (2022)
in: Trialog (140/141), 58-62

Digitalization and e-government in the lives of urban migrants: evidence from Bogotá
Martin-Shields, Charles / Sonia Camacho / Rodrigo Taborda / Constantin Ruhe (2021)
in: Policy & Internet, first published 10.12.2021

Shared challenges of cities in and beyond the Arctic
Götze, Jacqueline, Dorothea Wehrmann, Michał Łuszczuk, Katarzyna Radzik-Maruszak (2021)
The Current Column of 2 November 2021

How the corona crisis is calling into question the “right to the city”
Dick, Eva (2020)
The Current Colum of 9 April 2020

Digitalisation in the lives of urban migrants: evidence from Bogota
Martin-Shields, Charles P. / Sonia Camacho / Rodrigo Taborda / Constantin Ruhe (2019)
German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)

Human mobility intentions in response to heat in urban South East Asia
Zander, Kerstin K. / Carmen Richerzhagen / Stephen T. Garnett (2019)
in: Global Environmental Change 56 (May), 18-28

Land, poverty, conflicts and urban development – a short journey through two decades of land governance issues
Brüntrup, Michael (2019)
in: Rural 21, 18.04.2019

The neglected role of cities in the Global Compact on Refugees
Dick, Eva / Jana Kuhnt (2019)
The Current Column of 23 January 2019

Cities for sustainable global development
Dick, Eva (2018)
The Current Column of 29 October 2018

The role of cities: implementing the 2030 Agenda and the Paris agreement
Brandi, Clara (2018)
in: Sustainable Cities 13 (32), 56-85

Urban governance of forced displacement: premises, requirements and challenges in the light of new humanitarian trends
Dick, Eva / Benjamin Schraven (2017)
in: RaumPlanung 5/2017, 22-29

Governing religious diversity in urban contexts: the interplay of religious and state representatives in local interfaith networks
Dick, Eva / Alexander-Kenneth Nagel (2017)
in: Victoria Hegner / Peter-Jan Margry (eds): Spiritualizing the city: agency and resilience of the urban and the urbanesque habitat

Die Mobilisierung subnationaler Einnahmen ist ein entscheidender Faktor für die Umsetzung der Agenda
von Haldenwang, Christian / Armin von Schiller (2016)
Analysen und Stellungnahmen 11/2016

United Nations: Mixed results
Dick, Eva (2016)
D+C 2016/11, 26 October 2016

UN summit on housing and sustainable urban development: what is at stake?
Dick, Eva / Maria-Theres Haase (2016)
The Current Column of 17 October 2016

Stellungnahme zum Thema „Forschung und Innovation in Deutschland: Stand und Perspektiven – einschließlich Zwischenbilanz der Hightech-Strategie“
Messner, Dirk (2016)
Deutscher Bundestag: Ausschuss für Bildung, Forschung und Technikfolgenabschätzung (Ausschussdrucksache 18(18)245 a), Berlin

The global refugee crisis: The key role of cities
Dick, Eva / Benjamin Schraven(2016)
The Current Column of 2 May 2016

Der Umzug der Menschheit: die transformative Kraft der Städte
Kraas, Frauke / Claus Leggewie / Peter Lemke / Ellen Matthies / Dirk Messner / Nebojsa Nakicenovic / Hans Joachim Schellnhuber / Sabine Schlacke / Uwe Schneidewind, unter Mitarbeit von Clara Brandi et al. (2016)
Berlin: Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveränderungen WBGU

Urban governance for sustainable global development: from the SDGs to the New Urban Agenda
Dick, Eva (2016)
Briefing Paper 8/2016

Multilocal living in the Global South and the Global North: Differences, convergences and universalities of an underestimated phenomenon
Dick, Eva / Duchêne-Lacroix, Cédric (2016)
TRIALOG, Themenheft “Multilocality”

The role of cities in global deals and international affairs
Brandi, Clara (2015)
Interview published on TheCityFix, 2 December 2015

Urbanisierung: Handlungsfelder mit Blick auf globale Entwicklung
Brandi, Clara (2014)
Deutscher Bundestag: Ausschuss für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung; Öffentliche Anhörung (Ausschussdrucksache 18(19) 135 e), Berlin

Urbanisierung: ein Megatrend, der unsere Zukunft bestimmt
Messner, Dirk / Clara Brandi (2015)
in: Diplomatisches Magazin 2/2015, 36-39

Youth poverty in Accra: urban livelihoods in informal apprenticeships
Schraven, Benjamin / Amelie Hinz / Pascal Renaud / Christina Rumke / Amrei Schommers / Axel Sikorski (2013)
in: International Labour Organization (Employment Report 21), Geneva