The Global Urbanist

News and analysis of cities around the world

Regions

Click to see the Hot Spots in each region

  • East Asia

  • South Asia

  • Southeast Asia and the Pacific

  • North America

  • Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Africa and the Middle East

  • Europe and Central Asia

Hot Spots

Recent Headlines

Urban resource consumption and waste disposal is widely seen as the root cause of many of the world’s environmental problems. Because so much damage has already been done to the world’s ecosystems, and solutions need to be found to reverse it, we need to start thinking of regenerative rather than just sustainable urban development.

There is no better time to witness the shortsightedness of governments than around elections. With municipal elections just around the corner in Mumbai, a whole raft of new promises are being made to certain slum dwellers...

There are many celebrated ideas and personalities in urban development, but how many survive the test of time? Two writers reflect on the legacy of John Turner, a quiet hero of global urbanism.

How can we reimagine a public space divided by civil war, sectarianism and redevelopment? Rather than sophisticated urban design, Tanya Gallo argues that allowing public space to retain its indeterminacy will keep it accessible for all citizens.

Jobs

Events

East Asia

The global urban agenda: dealing with complexity

Yusaf Samiullah OBE argues for the complexity of urban environments, stating that this is what international development organisations must apprehend and address if they are to improve the quality of urban livelihoods.

South Asia

Has our focus on housing distracted us?

Slum neighbourhoods are teeming with industry and commerce, yet the policy sphere still tends to treat them as residential spaces alone. What are the consequences of this misconception, and is it time to invoke a right to space, not just of housing?

Southeast Asia and the Pacific

North America

Cycling up and up in hilly San Francisco

Despite its hilly topography and a legal injunction that prevented it from developing its bicycle network for four years, cycle use in San Francisco has grown to set the standard for US cities.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Who sets the global urban agenda?

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.

Africa and the Middle East

The creation of polarised space: Martyrs' Square, Beirut

Martyrs' Square was the focal point for the 2005 demonstrations that saw Syria relinquish control of Lebanon. How do its citizens now regard this polarising space, and how should placemakers respond? Tanya Gallo investigates.

Europe and Central Asia

Fixing the global urban agenda: a personal view

Eminent housing and urban development consultant Geoffrey Payne offers a personal view on the international framework governing the global urban agenda.

Most Discussed

  1. A harm reduction approach to homelessness
  2. Cape Town needs strategies to densify the centre
  3. Who sets the global urban agenda?
  4. Filling the gap in Cape Town's housing market
  5. Post-war reconstruction sowing new divisions in Beirut

Hot Topics

Housing
Another round of unabashed populism in Mumbai
Informal settlements
Inspiring urbanists: John F. C. Turner
Integrated planning
Has our focus on housing distracted us?
Poverty and inequality
Happiness and misery on five dollars, one dollar, or fifteen cents a day

Hot Cities

London
Inspiring urbanists: John F. C. Turner
Mumbai
Another round of unabashed populism in Mumbai
Manila
Happiness and misery on five dollars, one dollar, or fifteen cents a day
Delhi
NGOs and governments in India must learn to work together

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UNON Internship Programme
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About

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.

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