Spared the same degree of civil unrest as its neighbours elsewhere in the Middle East have witnessed, Doha is part of Qatar's push to become an urban exemplar for the region, diversifying away from an oil-based economy by investing in education, enterprise, sport, transport and the quality of the public realm.
Africa is not urbanising as rapidly as we think. What are the implications for the business world, which has been counting on an emerging urban middle class? Or for the possibilities for local economic development, whether led by consumers, entrepreneurs or the state?
What do the 'DIY urbanism' movement and homelessness have in common? While DIY urbanism is hailed as a creative force, the homeless are still marginalised in many cities.
The 'smart city' concept has existed for several years, but only now, with some trial and error, are we seeing the real fruits of these efforts coming to light.
There is much happiness and much misery amongst the urban poor, as these portraits of three households in Manila testify. The point is not to draw lines between them, but to accept that poverty has several gradations, all of which require assistance.
Future Cities, organised by Economist Conferences, is a major international conference, exploring innovative new approaches to designing, managing and financing Africa’s cities.
The southern Italian city of Naples has offered to host the sixth session of the World Urban Forum.
Sana'a, the capital of Yemen and facing one of the most severe water crises of any city in the world, may have an answer in a startlingly simple project to help households collect their own rainwater.
James Patterson-Waterston revisits Xining and finds that China's plans to bring development to the west are proceeding at such pace that they threaten to marginalise traders and ethnic groups that bring life to the city.
Alan Gilbert doesn't believe there is one, but if one must speak of a global urban agenda, he would point to local private sector lobbies as the common force driving similar agendas in cities around the world.
A hundred-year-old street market in Bangalore was demolished in the dead of night last month. How much history and local colour is lost by enforcing the law now after so many years?
It is common knowledge that sub-Saharan Africa is urbanising faster than anywhere else in the world ... but what if we're wrong?!
There is much to be commended, and much to be weeded out, in Foster's vision for a new London airport in the Thames Estuary and the proposal for a new transport, utilities and data spine running the length of the country.
Zoe Green is a chartered planning consultant with Atkins Ltd, with experience in policy and masterplanning projects for both private and public…
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The Global Urbanist is an online magazine reviewing urban affairs and urban development issues in cities throughout the developed and developing world.
Its readers are drawn from the urban policy and international development sectors, and include urban planners, officers in local, national or international government agencies, civil society leaders, and researchers.
