Urban Communities: Building A City for All

Across the developing world rapid urbanization means that cities are booming, but despite towering high-rises, busy streets, and ever-present construction, prosperity is not shared equally by all. The poor often do not figure in development plans and are rarely consulted on their needs, in fact their situation is often tenuous and at the margins of the development visions of city leaders. Yet to implement the New Urban Agenda, and truly achieve “A City for All”, the urban poor and other marginalized groups should occupy a central role in the development of their communities and cities.

This event, hosted by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), shares some encouraging examples of how poor communities and city governments are working together to give them a voice and a place in the cities of tomorrow.

In Bangladesh, UNDP has been working with urban poor communities across nearly two dozen cities to establish citywide networks of community organizations, built upon community savings and participatory local planning. In another case from Lebanon, UNDP implements 30 projects under the ART GOLD global collaborative programme to address urban challenges in Beirut’s southern suburbs and improve the livelihoods of the urban poor including health care, local economic development, youth empowerment, and education. In Guatemala, UNDP’s Metropolitan Development Programme has been supporting the promotion of inclusive development and democratic consolidation within the Municipality of Guatemala City, focusing on areas such as the environment, public safety, land rights, and disability access.

By sharing lessons and experiences, this event will advance south-south cooperation, and the understanding of the ways in which marginalized groups, like the poor, can engage with local authorities to identify innovative and practical solutions to increase their resilience while improving local governance to truly achieve the goal of “A City for All”.