The report looks at the largest cities in developing countries and measures their growth and development. Cities such as Cairo have been praised for improvements to utilities, but criticized for not addressing the root of poverty in its slums.
"A new United Nations habitat report, 'The State of the World's Cities 2006-7', praises the government for investing in electricity, water and sanitation infrastructure in the country's vast slum areas."
Authors of the report have said that many problems facing cities in developing countries link back to poverty and the vast amount of impoverished people in need of housing or land.
"According to Naglaa Arafa, programme analyst with UN Development Programme in Cairo, Egypt is home to 1,221 urban slum areas, housing between 12 and 15 million of the country's approximately 75-million citizens. While the report praises Egypt -- along with Mexico, Brazil and South Africa -- for its policies toward slum areas, Arafa noted that the government's policy has focused on providing utilities without addressing the factors that cause slum growth."
Read the full story: Egyptian housing policy gets mixed reviews
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
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The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello