Urban Development and Housing Sector

URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING SECTOR

To extend the benefits of urbanization to all urban residents in Latin America and the Caribbean

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING

1

80% of Latin American and Caribbean citizens receive services through municipal governments, making it essential to improve local governments’ capacity to serve their citizens.
2

86 million households ‒ 25% of the region’s urban population ‒ reside in informal urban neighborhoods, which lack basic services and regular land tenure.
3

55 million households live in housing units that suffer some type of deficit and 70% of these households are located in urban areas.
4

There are more than 80 UNESCO historical and cultural sites in Latin American cities, but only half of them have management plans.
5

Latin American cities are extremely vulnerable to extreme weather events, droughts, and floods; three quarters of Latin Americans live in low-lying coastal areas.

OUR VISION

Our objective is to promote the sustainable development of cities in Latin America and the Caribbean through knowledge and investment that promote inclusion, productivity and resilience.

CURRENT FOCUS AREAS

A) Improve access to quality infrastructure and urban services, including support to informal settlements.

B) Advance universal access to quality housing, tackling both quantitative and qualitative gaps.

C) Increase cities' resilience, protecting the urban natural and built environments and their unique cultural heritage.

D) Strengthen governance and capacity of national and subnational institutions, with a view to improving urban planning, management, coordination and citizen participation, especially in metropolitan areas.

E) Promote local economic development and assist with solutions for urban finance.