Cities in the developing world are rapidly expanding, boosting countries’ economies, reducing poverty, and fueling global prosperity. But as more people, assets, and economic activity become concentrated in cities, and infrastructure struggles to keep up with rapid growth, the risk posed by natural disasters and climate change is rising.

By 2030, over a billion people will live in approximately 100 very large cities and 60 % of the world’s population will live in urban areas.

Urbanisation offers substantial opportunities to reduce poverty, in part because it is more cost-effective to meet many basic needs in cities than in rural areas. This paper demonstrates that providing electricity to the 200 million urban residents who currently lack access would require only US$1.37 billion per year to 2045.

This report considers how to integrate health into urban planning, investments, and policy decisions, so as to support the implementation and achievement of the goals and objectives of the New Urban Agenda.

Increasing the resilience of buildings to natural hazards is essential as we strive to design more sustainable cities. Earthquakes pose considerable risks, as they have caused the highest number of casualties due to natural hazards in the last decade.

The transition to renewables cuts across the entire urban energy landscape, from buildings to transport, to industry and power. Renewables can bring tremendous benefits to cities, including cleaner air, modern services and improved living spaces.

The human and economic costs of air pollution in Africa are growing fast, according to a new OECD Development Centre study on the Cost of Air Pollution in Africa. Already, they are surpassing the costs associated with unsafe sanitation or underweight children.

This Sustainable Urbanization Strategy outlines how UNDP is responding to rapid urbanization in developing countries and its consequences for sustainable development. It outlines how UNDP will support countries and cities, building upon its past and current work on urbanization.

This year’s World Disasters Report focuses on resilience within humanitarian action. The report explores the different meanings of resilience, as well as criticisms, and its application both before and after crises. It considers how resilience is measured, and the importance of building evidence.