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
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
Bill to overhaul energy permitting clears Senate
The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 still needs to pass the House of Representatives.
MTA sends Dem leaders a wish list to mend Trump’s damages
Requests include exempting new train and bus components from tariffs and increasing transit security funding.
Mass. votes against statewide minimum lot size for single-family homes
Over 2 million residents voted on Question 7; it was decided by just over 30,000 votes.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello