Scaling access to climate-resilient housing and urban services in informal settlements

One in three people living in cities globally — more than 1 billion people — do not have reliable, safe or affordable access to basic everyday necessities like decent housing, running water and sanitation, electricity, transportation to get to work, school and healthcare. As the urban population is projected to increase by another 2.5 billion people by 2050, this “urban services divide” is not only a development challenge but a roadblock to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to climate action. 90 percent of urban population growth by 2050 will be in parts of Asia and Africa (UN DESA, 2019), where a significant urban services divide already exists and where cities are seeing many more climate migrants arriving in search of economic opportunities. The lack of decent, climate resilient housing with an integrated set of basic services limits these communities’ access to opportunities, increases their vulnerability, and hampers progress towards achieving the SDGs and climate action in cities.
Both SDG 1 and 11 include targets to ensure everyone has access to basic services and housing by 2030. Yet in low-income countries, 64% of urban dwellers live in slums, and up to a billion people are expected to migrate because of climate change from rural locations to urban slums by 2050. Climate change is increasing disasters and extreme weather events that exacerbate existing vulnerabilities due to overcrowding, unsafe housing, inadequate infrastructure and poor healthcare facilities. At 1.5 degrees C warming, without adaptation, an additional 350 million people living in cities and urban areas will experience the effects of severe drought, including water scarcity. With climate impacts escalating every day, research shows we need transformative change to reduce impacts on the most vulnerable communities and make progress on the SDGs. Adequate housing and urban services may be a fiscal challenge, but it also provides opportunities for a just, climate-friendly transition that helps achieve both climate and development goals together when done right. This issue addresses many of the SDGs including SDG 1 (Zero Poverty), 6 (Clean water and sanitation), 7 (Energy), 10 (Reduce inequality), 11 (Cities), 13 (Climate Action) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
This event, hosted by the REHOUSE Partnership , will explore how action at multiple levels (global, national, local) can help scale access to climate-resilient housing and urban services for communities living in urban informal settlements, in line with the SDGs. It will highlight successful innovations in policy and practice and the need for a more targeted approach to climate financing so that it reaches communities that are the most vulnerable. This event will bring together stakeholders that are advancing climate goals and sustainable development through the lens of housing at the global, national and local levels.