The papers in this volume take a city perspective and provide both a critical reflection of and a pragmatic response to what cities are able to do given their current mandate and powers. The first paper begins by considering what the TOD agenda means for the urban poor. It questions whether TOD can adequately address the existing land challenges in South African cities, given the politics of land inequality and the skewed property markets.

The last decade has seen a significant increase in the number of retail centres being developed in 'emerging economy' areas - townships and rural areas - in South Africa. In Soweto, for example, at least six shopping centres have opened their doors since 2005. Even in the townships of smaller South African cities, shopping centre developments have sprung up, changing the face of commercial transactions for many residing in these areas.

This compendium and analysis of Cities in the BRICS countries were developed through a partnership between the South African Cities Network (SACN) and the South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning (SA&CP) at the University of the Witwatersrand. Since South Africa joined BRICS in 2010, multiple connections have been forged between South Africa and its alliance partners. However, although there is a growing volume of engagements, there is still inadequate knowledge and understanding across the BRICS.

Recognising that the Managed Land Settlement (MLS) approach is not new to the South African housing and service delivery environment, the purpose of this report is to explore the lessons that can be learnt from programmes and projects which have adopted an MLS-like approach to greenfields development. The report contains five case studies from across South Africa, focusing on programmes that have been successfully implemented over the past 15 years. With funding from Urban LandMark, the report was commissioned by

This report by Colin Marx and Margot Rubin explores how urban land is divided and re-divided within the context of the interaction between formal and informal land use management systems.

A new report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) outlines eight reasons why it is important to address HLP issues from the outset of a humanitarian response, including:
Saving lives, preventing further displacement and human rights violations
Adapting humanitarian response to complex urban environments
Ensuring equal access to humanitarian assistance
Promoting access to justice in crises contexts and contributing towards durable solutions

Land underpins all the key aspects of the NEW URBAN AGENDA because it is a key driver for inclusive and sustainable urban development

GLTN Roadmap to Quito

Nigeria's urban infrastructure is
crumbling. Water supply, sewerage, sanitation, drainage,
roads, electricity, and waste disposal-all suffer from years
of serious neglect. Periodic and routine maintenance, by far
the most cost-effective infrastructure spending, is almost
zero. It has become the norm in Nigeria to wait for a
capital infusion to rehabilitate, replacing instead of
maintaining the infrastructure. But declining financial

Environmental degradation primarily
affects the poor, both in rural and urban areas. Reversing
the downward spiral of this degradation is essential to any
strategy for reducing poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. This
study outlines the World Bank's strategy for improving
its assistance to SSA countries as they move toward
environmentally sustainable development (ESD). It assesses
the environmental situation and long-term trends in Africa,

Unplanned and unregulated urban
development is not unique to Swaziland, but addressing the
issue through direct consultations with beneficiaries is an
important improvement toward resolving this persistent
problem. The Swaziland Urban Development Project includes
standard infrastructure work, such as increasing urban
roads, rehabilitating and expanding water and sewage
services, and developing a solid waste facility However, in

The report updates the poverty situation
in Armenia, largely based on the Integrated Living
Conditions Survey conducted during 1998-99, and provides as
well, the foundation for the preparation of the Poverty
Reduction Strategy. The poverty profile identifies a
widespread, and still deep poverty incidence, but while this
poverty seems persistent, its depth and severity may be
decreasing, and extreme poverty subsiding. Notwithstanding