Weekly Urban News Update
In This Update

A1Beyond Slums: Informal Housing and Urban Governance in Mega Cities

According to UN-Habitat, one third of the world's urban population now lives in slums.   One of the most important and common characteristics of urban expansion in southern metropolises is the development of informal housing settlements that fall outside of government control or regulation.

Please join the Woodrow Wilson Center for a presentation of Professor Yue Zhang's research on informal settlements and urban governance in megacities of China, India and Brazil. Professor Zhang's research indicates that informality should be viewed as a process that is produced and institutionalized by the state, rather than an outside issue to be addressed. 

Professor Zhang will be joined by experts from American University, the the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and the Wilson Center. 

WHEN: Monday June 13th, 1 - 3 PM
WHERE: Woodrow Wilson Center, 6th Floor 
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington D.C

Find more information and RSVP here. 
A2USAID Releases Displacement and Resettlement Guidelines

USAID released a set of guidelines this week to help Missions assess and implement projects that require displacement and resettlement of communities, when such settlement is unavoidable. 

The guidelines, available in full here, provide a new tool for USAID Missions when analyzing and planning, as well as best practices for ensuring that resettled communities end up in better circumstances than they had prior to resettlement. 

IHC is pleased to see USAID acknowledge the necessity for the meaningful engagement and participation of those impacted by compulsory displacement and resettlement and to define compensation as broader than simply monetary. It is made clear that urban settings are a particularly important place to employ the tool. It is also good to see their understanding of complicated tenure arrangements and the importance secure land tenure rights, especially for women and other vulnerable groups. 

The tool is voluntary, so like any voluntary guidance it runs the risk of not being used to its full extent. However it is good to see the Land Office recognize the implications of land in an urban context. 
A4
Habitat III Deadline for Networking and Side Events Extended

Yesterday the Habitat III Secretariat extended the deadline, originally set for May 30th, for submitting applications to host a networking or side event at Habitat III in October. The new deadline is June 15th, giving organizations two extra weeks to submit applications. 

If you plan to attend Habitat III and are interested in partnering on an event, please feel free to reach out. IHC expects to have a robust presence at the conference, and we are happy to collaborate. 

Find more about Networking and Side Events here. 
Next week, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs will be hosting a Forum on Global Cities. The t hree-day forum, co-hosted by the Financial Times, will bring together leaders from many aspects of urban life including business, education, government and culture to discuss how they can collaborate to improve their cities, and the world.   

Sessions will include topics such as urban economies, the importance of art and culture, foreign policy, security, and sustainable development. 

WHEN: June 1st - 3rd, 2016 
WHERE: Chicago, Illinois

Many of the sessions will be live-streamed here, if you are not planning on attending. Find more information and register for the Forum here.
ANIn the News and Around the Web
  • Read articles on the outcomes of the World Humanitarian Summit here and here.  
  • Read a CitiScope article discussing the recently launched Global Alliance for Urban Crises here.
  • Read an article on the rise of Climate Resilience Officer positions in cities in the United States here.
More than half of today_s 15 million refugees and internally displaced peoples live in cities. (C) World Bank
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