Making cities fair: Misereor

Donation projects on the topic Our publications on the topic of the city Blog posts Further information

In 2050, seven out of a total of ten billion people will live in cities. In Asia and Africa in particular, more and more people are living in cities. For many, this means living in insecurity in self-built, makeshift accommodation and in cramped conditions. The inhabitants of informal settlements often have to make do without clean water from the tap, flush toilets and electric light in their homes. Even a visit to the doctor, going to school or a trip to the city park are usually unaffordable luxuries for them.

The difficult living situation in the informal settlements is often made even more difficult by politics and city administrations. Residents rarely receive an official right to stay and the corresponding papers. As a result, they live in constant fear of eviction. In many cases, they run the risk of their homes being demolished. For example, because it is to make way for major projects such as motorways, luxury flats or, increasingly often, flood protection measures. Overall, the residents remain largely excluded from political, social and economic participation.

Favela 21 de Abril on the occupied site of a former hospital, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

View over Lima.

Manila: Where housing on land is too expensive, the poor are forced onto the water.

Street children, Rescue Dada Centre, poverty, Nairobi, Africa, slum, ghetto, big city, violence, hopelessness, Mathare, huts, survival, lack of prospects, rubbish, dirt, people, unworthy, survival, Kenya, dignity, East Africa

Calcutta: Life on railway tracks.

Policy and Global Challenges

Telephone: +49 241 442168
E-mail: PGZ@misereor.de

Donate now

Are you a journalist and looking for further information or discussion partners for your reporting? Please feel free to contact us!

Contact the press office

Whether in the Bay of Manila in the Philippines or on dangerous slopes in Peru's capital Lima - informal settlements are often located in danger zones. They are particularly exposed to the consequences of climate change such as heat, storms and rising sea levels. Yet they often receive no state support to protect themselves. On the contrary: climate risks are often used to justify evictions. When their settlements are declared a danger zone, many residents and their families are left with nothing. This is because they are usually not offered a new home. Or it is many kilometres away from their community, their workplace and therefore their livelihood.

Together with our partner organisations, we are therefore calling for More say for those affected!

The voices of the urban poor must be heard and heeded by politicians! Measures to adapt to climate change will only be effective if they are geared towards the needs and rights of the poor. They can only be developed together.

People living in informal settlements are used to improvising and organising almost everything themselves. Our partner organisations rely on the initiative and expertise of local people. In addition, we support them together with experts from the fields of architecture, social work, urban planning and law:

organise themselves together;
organise their living areas and houses in a liveable, sustainable and environmentally friendly way;
fight against displacement and for their rights ;
gainaccess to water supply, sanitation, sustainable energy and mobility systems;
protect themselves from natural disasters;
participate in political and social decision-making processes to shape their cities; and
shape their neighbourhoods and public spaces.

What we do: Alongside our partner organisations, we are committed to cities in which people can lead a "good life" and are safe from environmental and climate crises. And we do this worldwide - in our partner countries and in cooperation with initiatives in Germany. We are committed to the vision of creating liveable and sustainable cities - for all people. Because only together can we shape our cities.

The term "informal settlements" refers to areas that lack at least one of the following characteristics:

Easy access to clean water and sanitation,
Sufficient living space: no more than three people share a room,
Permanent and durable shelter that protects against extreme climatic conditions,
Secure tenure or tenancy that protects against eviction.

There are numerous region-specific terms around the world that often have a pejorative connotation. Such terms include "marginal settlement", "slum" or "poor neighbourhood". Regional proper names range from "asentamientos populares" or "barriadas" (Latin America), "favelas" (Brazil) and "people's settlements" (Kenya) to local terms for "village" in Asian countries.

Share this page

Benita now grows 80% of the food for her family in her own garden.

The world is becoming increasingly urbanised. By 2050, two thirds of the world's population will…

The world is becoming increasingly urbanised. By 2050, two thirds of the world's population will probably live in cities. However, cities are particularly affected by the consequences of climate change. Inclusive, human rights-based and climate and environmentally friendly urban design can have a major "leverage effect" for socio-ecological transformation.

Publisher: Misereor
Year of publication: May 2024
Number of pages: 37

More information Less information

Publisher: Misereor
Year of publication: May 2024
Number of pages: 37

More information Less information

German

Urban dreams - The city of tomorrow - ecologically and socially just

Urban settlements only cover around two per cent of the earth's surface, yet more than half of the…

Urban settlements only cover around two per cent of the earth's surface, yet more than half of the world's population has been living in cities since 2008. By 2050, the United Nations estimates that this figure will rise to two thirds of all people. This rapid growth poses enormous ecological and social challenges for large cities and urban centres, especially in the Global South.

This "Urban dreams" material set addresses the questions "What can the "city of the future" look like?" and "How can urban structures be designed to be socially just, inclusive and sustainable - worldwide?". The set consists of the teaching material "A World of Cities", which takes a closer look at various aspects of the topic, and the suggestions for the project week "Design your city".

Individual materials for lessons or the project week can be downloaded separately: To the ZIP file.

Publisher: Misereor
Upper secondary level I (grades 9-10), subject geography
76 pages
August 2023

More information Less information

Individual materials for lessons or the project week can be downloaded separately: To the ZIP file.

Publisher: Misereor
Upper secondary level I (grades 9-10), subject geography
76 pages
August 2023

More information Less information

Download

Mobility for all: utilising opportunities - shaping the future

This paper takes a global look at the issue of mobility and calls for a change in favour of the…

This paper takes a global look at the issue of mobility and calls for a change in favour of the poorest population groups in the Global South.

After all, a mobility transition is the core element of the global socio-ecological transformation that enables a good life for all while respecting our planetary boundaries. The positive effects of the mobility transition can be achieved in particular if mobility is designed to be accessible, respects human rights and effectively recognises the interactions within the climate crisis.

Publisher: Misereor
Year of publication: February 2023
Pages: 12

More information Less information

This paper takes a global look at the issue of mobility and calls for a change in favour of the poorest population groups in the Global South.

Publisher: Misereor
Year of publication: February 2023
Pages: 12

More information Less information

Download

More publications

All articles on the topic

Korogocho, a poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital Nairobi - right next to the city's largest rubbish dump. This is where the waste from a city of millions ends up, the remnants of a predominantly poor society. Thousands of lorries come to Korogocho every day, many people here live off the rubbish and what is hidden underneath.

Watch the video now

A film about how informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, can be upgraded: "Slum Upgrading" by the state and "People-led Settlement Improvement" by the Misereor partner "Pamoja Trust".

Inform now Watch video

The Federal Centre for Nutrition and Misereor present pioneering projects. People who are starting to organise the local food supply in a better, fairer and more sustainable way. We want to show: People in the global North and South can learn a lot from each other. We can inspire each other and encourage change.

Watch the video and find out more

Making cities fair

Informal settlements: Living in cramped conditions in temporary accommodation

Fear of expulsion

City in the climate crisis

More say

Misereor supports local initiatives

Making cities liveable and fit for the future

Informal settlements

Donation projects on the topic

Brazil | Bolivia: agriculture in the city?!

Ecuador | Peru: Living with dignity in poor neighbourhoods

Kenya: Help for street children

Our publications on the topic of the city

Position paper on cities as a lever for socio-ecological transformation

Urban dreams - The city of tomorrow - ecologically and socially just

Mobility for all: utilising opportunities - shaping the future

Gemeinsam für Frauenrechte in Bolivien

Vom Schlachthof zum Kulturzentrum

„Eine Geschichte der Vernachlässigung“

Der öffentliche Raum: Ein Sprungbrett für nachhaltige Entwicklung

Further information

Kenya: Life in the rubbish - life from the rubbish

Slum Upgrading & People-led Settlement Improvement in Nairobi

Foodrevolution - city meets country

Subscribe to the Development Policy Newsletter