Urban Crises and the New Urban Agenda

This paper highlights how the global policy framework for crisis response needs to change to remain effective in an urbanizing world, where disaster risk is increasing and most refugees and half of all internally displaced people are in urban areas. This includes a need to understand how affected populations are inserted within complex urban contexts – and the current and potential roles of city and municipal governments. This implies a focus on bolstering or repairing existing systems – markets, infrastructure and provision of utilities – so that affected populations are quickly able to meet their needs in ways that are familiar to them. Assisting affected populations through existing city systems also helps ensure that emergency interventions contribute to longer-term urban development goals. Camps can create dependency where populations are discouraged from working. They are expensive, generate stigma, and can be the site of violence and exploitation. The humanitarian imperative to save lives and preserve dignity can be aligned with an approach that helps towns and cities get back on track, and even flourish, after a crisis. It is to be hoped that Habitat III’s “new urban agenda” reflects this.