Most of the world's population now
lives in urban areas, and in developing regions the
proportion living in cities and towns has risen from 35
percent in 1990 to 45 percent in 2010, from 1.4 billion to
2.5 billion people (Jacobsen et al. 2012). A 2008 World Bank
analysis estimated that a third of people living on less
than US$2 per day reside in urban areas, and United Nation
or UN-habitat estimates that just under 40 percent of urban

Rapid population growth in many
developing countries has raised concerns regarding food
security and household welfare. To understand the
consequences of population growth in a general equilibrium
setting, this paper examines the dynamics of population
density and its impacts on household outcomes. The analysis
uses panel data from Indonesia combined with district-level
demographic data. Historically, Indonesia has adapted to

Le présent décret détermine la procédure de délivrance du permis de construire en République du Bénin, acte par lequel une autorité publique compétente donne une autorisation à un projet de construction conformément aux données techniques, aux dispositions législatives et réglementaires en vigueur en matière d’urbanisme. Le permis de construire consacre le respect à priori des règles d’urbanisme, de construction, d’hygiène, de sécurité incendie et de risques de panique.

The present report spotlights the major
challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead in fecal
sludge management and summarizes the findings from four case
studies that describe the current and potential market for
sludge removal, collection, and disposal in peri-urban
areas. These areas, inhabited by a variety of ethnic,
religious, and cultural groups, typically struggle with high
population density, insufficient land use planning, high

The rich cultural heritage of China is
an essential touchstone of its collective identity. The
country's archaeological sites, historic architecture,
expressive arts, cultural landscapes, and ethnic diversity
also are treasured around the world. Despite their
importance, China's cultural assets are under
tremendous pressure due to the country's rapid
development, particularly its rapid urbanization. Moreover,

This review focuses on how public
expenditure translates into the delivery of water supply and
sanitation services in rural and urban areas in Sierra
Leone. It describes the legal and institutional framework
for the allocation of resources assesses access to Water
Supply and Sanitation (WSS) services and past sector
performance, and analyzes public expenditure in the sector,
including the factors affecting the efficiency of use of

The aim of the scoping study was to gain
an understanding of the productive activities slum dwellers
engage in that rely on energy services and the potentials
and challenges of slums in Ghana regarding access to modern
energy services and income generation from productive
activities. The objective of the ESMED-EAfUP (Energy Sector
Management Assistance Program - ESMAP/SME Development -
Energy Access for the Urban Poor) programme is 'to

The case studies documented in this
report aim to inform the energy access community (including
practitioners, civil society groups, project planners, end
users) about best practices of successful energy access
initiatives targeted at slum dwellers. Eight case studies
focusing on electrification and household energy were
selected from India, Bangladesh, Colombia and Brazil, all
countries that have had varying success in providing access

The next several years are critical for
achieving lasting results in China's relatively new
energy efficiency program for public institutions. Public
institutions in China are defined as those government
agencies, public service units, and organizations that
either fully or partially receive government budget funds.
In the study team's opinion, key challenges for
China's public institution energy conservation program

This paper seeks to develop estimates of
the net cost of the urban expansion in Tanzania. The paper
focuses on developing estimates of the cost of planning and
servicing land for new residential urban settlement. It does
not attempt to develop detailed estimates of the cost of
addressing infrastructure backlogs which would include the
retrofitting of basic urban infrastructure to unplanned
areas. On the revenue side, estimates of current spending in

In 2006-07, the Water and Sanitation
Program (WSP) initiated research to identify barriers to
service delivery for the urban poor. The findings of the
research have been presented in the Guidance Notes on
Improving Water Supply and Sanitation Services to the Urban
Poor in India. The Urban Global Practice Team of WSP decided
to expand the ambit of this research to a global context as
the learnings were relevant to experiences across Africa,

The report begins with definitions of
watersheds and watershed management, a characterization of
the problem of watershed degradation, and a short history of
watershed management operations and policies (Chapter 1).
The following four chapters discuss the findings from
experience with implementing watershed management programs
over the last 20 years based both on the project review and
on the literature. The second chapter discusses the findings