World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City

Despite considerable research and calls to action in recent years, the enormous challenge of rapid urbanization in developing countries far exceeds actors’ current capacity. The World Resources Report (WRR) takes a novel approach by examining whether meeting the needs of the urban underserved can achieve more economically prosperous, environmentally sustainable and socially equitable cities for all. To test this approach, a series of working papers focuses on cities’ most urgent priorities for avoiding lock-in:

• The Expanding Urban Footprint
• Secure and Affordable Shelter for All
• Regional Water Risk
• Household Access to Potable Water
• Access to Clean, Affordable, and Reliable Energy
• Urban Transport and Accessibility

While these initial papers are sector-specific, transformative change will encompass multiple urban sectors. The WRR goes beyond these individual working papers and analyzes a series of city-level case studies to understand how broader transformative urban change happens. The audience for the Report comprises a broad range of urban change agents—including politicians, civil servants, business people and civil society—who build, govern and shape cities.

Through extensive stakeholder engagement and partnerships with leading institutions and experts, the WRR seeks to influence global discussions about urban sustainability. This includes meetings leading up to and including the Habitat III conference in Quito in October 2016 and the implementation processes of the New Urban Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.