Published : 2025

This research–into–action brief explores how the climate crisis is reshaping the lives of an estimated 500 million children and young people growing up in slums and informal settlements. These children are on the frontlines of climate impacts - including extreme heat, floods, and landslides - that intensify existing vulnerabilities such as unsafe housing, lack of basic services, and food insecurity. These conditions, in turn, disrupt health, learning, safety, and family stability.

Published : 2025

Girls and young women face distinct challenges in cities and urban contexts – and those living in informal settlements and slums grapple with even greater challenges, shaped by extreme inequities. Over the past 10 years, a plethora of practical guides have been published to support making cities better for girls and women. After reviewing 16 of the key guides on gender-sensitive urban planning – tools, toolkits and handbooks – we selected eight to feature in this brief, based on strict criteria. Priority was given to guides that could be applied to informal contexts and the global South. After a short summary of the ways girls and women are excluded from urban planning, design and governance, this brief offers practical, action-oriented guidelines and recommendations drawn from the eight guides. This is followed by an analytical summary of the eight guides. The brief then presents two case studies from Lebanon and India where girls and young women have been engaged in gender-sensitive urban planning projects. This brief is intended for practitioners in both governmental and non-governmental organisations across development and urban planning fields. It offers a starting point to navigate the guides and view some of the worldwide efforts to reshape and reimagine safer, more inclusive cities for girls and women.

Published : 2024

This brief provides an analysis of the quality of life of urban children with disabilities, with a particular focus on slums and informal settlements in rapidly urbanising low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It details the challenges and barriers affecting their health, education, safety and ability to live an independent life, which may be especially severe for children in slums and underserved settlements.

Published : 2023

In this brief, we explore the extent of the problem for poor urban children and why the scarcity of reliable data means that the incidence of injury is under recognised. We discuss the types and patterns of injury and the hazards and risk factors for girls and boys of different ages in different settings. We consider implications for action, including the need for greater awareness that most injuries are preventable, and why effective responses must be locally relevant, using local situation analyses and risk assessments involving local residents. Finally, we explore the valuable role of child-focused NGOs in raising awareness of the issue at all levels and encouraging processes to address it.

Published : 2023

This brief provides a summary of key evidence on preventing road traffic injuries among children and effective evidence-based interventions. While evidence is most extensive for high-income settings, there is an increasing body of evidence on the cost-effectiveness of interventions in low- and middle-income settings. The brief includes global policy commitments and resources for more information and practical support.

Published : 2022

Many people and organisations have asked us: what can we, ourselves, do to make cities better for children and young people? This publication responds to this question by offering some ideas for local and low‑cost action.

Published : 2021

This briefing provides an introduction to the status of children in urban areas, focusing on the most marginalised and deprived children and the range of issues they face, including the impacts of migration, poverty, hunger, conflict, disease and vulnerability to disaster.

Published : 2021

This evidence into action brief summarises the state of research on the topic of urban children and malnutrition, and proposes ideas for action.

Published : 2021

This evidence into action brief summarises the state of research on the topic of urban children and COVID-19, and proposes ideas for action. Across the world, public and political attention is firmly focused on recovery from COVID-19. But it is vital that we build back better.

Published : 2021

This evidence into action brief summarises the state of research on the topic of urban air pollution in low- and middle-income countries and its impacts on children, and proposes ideas for action.

Published : 2021

This brief considers the role of local government in poor urban areas, the resources that support or constrain this role, and the critical involvement of civil society, NGOs and communities. Giving examples from practice, it discusses the active contribution of children and young people to effective local governance processes that also address their priorities.

Published : 2022

This briefing highlights the problems related to urban WASH access and presents research findings on the impact on children of different ages, especially young children and adolescent girls. This briefing also includes guidance for NGOs for supporting improved access to WASH and hence living conditions for children in urban contexts.