Barbara Summers, November 17, 2025, 8 min
How can we transform research and practice so that the lived experience and voices of communities and children in informal settlements can shape global climate resilience conversations? This blog explains how we did it in the waterfront settlements of Port Harcourt. Life in Port Harcourt’s waterfront settlements Port Harcourt is the largest city in the Read more →
Sudeshna Chatterjee, Louise Chawla, Deepti Talpade, Leticia Lozano, January 28, 2025, 10 min
Nearby trees, parks, gardens, green schoolyards, and other urban green spaces are not just ‘nice to have’; they are ‘need to have’ resources for health and wellbeing. This blog describes two examples of how children’s enthusiasm and creativity transform inner-city wastelands into green, inclusive community spaces. Why green spaces matter for everyone Compared to young Read more →
Cities4Children, February 7, 2023, 7 min
The Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) collaborates with local community groups to transform underutilized risk-prone spaces in Kibera into a resilient and productive network of public spaces. This network of public spaces – comprising toilets, multipurpose halls, micro-enterprises, laundry facilities, play spaces, vegetable gardens, and schools – builds physical, social and economic resilience in informal communities Read more →
David Satterthwaite, October 31, 2022, 9 min
In the latest from our Ask an Expert series, we sit down with David Satterthwaite to hear more about his vast years of experience in the urban and environment space. David’s impressive research and writing has been cited more than 32,000 times. We would love to hear about your journey into urban planning and poverty Read more →
Dawn Pauls, May 11, 2022, 7 min
Understanding the demographics and characteristics of an informal settlement is critical. Gaining accurate information is important to support children in informal settlements, as when we understand the problems then it’s easier to find solutions. A key issue is that residents in informal settlements are often missing from census data and other official or formal surveys. Read more →
Sheridan Bartlett, March 22, 2022, 6 min
The Global Alliance – Cities4Children has recently published an evidence-to-action brief on urban children and WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene). This blog highlights some of the key ways NGOs can support the design and delivery of programmes designed to address WASH provision in urban areas. Well over half of urban children in the global South, Read more →
Marta Briones, November 9, 2021, 6 min
The Covid-19 pandemic brought urban life to a halt and turned children’s lives upside-down overnight. Across the world, children no longer had lessons or physical contact with their friends, and could not play or exercise outdoor. Strict lockdowns and mobility restrictions have shown the importance of more and better public spaces in our cities. Nearly Read more →
