Displacement and Urban Growth: Evidence and Strategies for Sustainable Urban Development. Learning from Partnerships Between City Governments and Aid Partners

Most refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are residing in urban settings rather than camps (ODI, 2015; IIED et al., 2021). Influxes of forcibly displaced people in cities pose multiple challenges, both at the onset of a crisis and as many displacement situations become increasingly protracted. Issues include tensions that might arise with the host or other communities, increased strain on urban systems and infrastructure, and IDPs’ integration in day-to-day city management practices. Although displaced communities often stay for longer, forced displacement is often viewed as a temporary challenge requiring a relief response with local authorities often relying on support from aid agencies – operating outside of local urban management and planning systems – to deliver essential services primarily to those displaced.

At the same time, cities provide opportunities for forcibly displaced people and offer conducive environments for finding durable solutions to displacement situations. Understanding displacement-affected communities’ needs and meaningfully engaging them in urban governance, development and solutions planning can also be a driver of positive transformation of cities towards more sustainable and inclusive urban futures. Many city leaders also speak about 'human mobility', to express the opportunities of evolution of societies rather than maintaining status quo.

Achieving such positive win-win situations for cities facing urban displacement requires critical changes in current response. Importantly, it requires evidence-based and joined-up humanitarian, development, and peace approaches that put local authorities and communities front and centre, and that align interventions with urban development plans. 

This networking event will connect city authorities and practitioners from UN agencies, civil society and other areas to discuss tangible approaches for collaboration towards achieving integrated and inclusive longer-term urban development in displacement contexts. Adopting an interactive and diversified format that encourages cross-context exchange and cooperation, the event will be structured as follows:

• Keynote and spotlight presentations (25’) to share innovative and good practice approaches drawing on examples from the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, including urban profiling and the urban settlements approach, and to critically reflect on them.
• ‘World café’ discussion (30’) whereby participants are assigned to ‘coffee tables’ (in-person/virtual) to each discuss critical questions around innovative solutions to building and strengthening partnerships, drawing on the approaches and reflections presented.
• A concluding plenary and closing remark (35’) to consolidate key takeaways from each ‘coffee table’, and put them into the broader context of the discussions under the urban crisis track at the WUF11.