Sustainable Cities

Marc Stephens led a team assessing the UK's support for Sustainable Cities in middle and lower income countries, including case studies of South Africa and Indonesia, on behalf of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact and its delivery partner Agulhas. OpenCities associate Claudette Forbes was lead peer reviewer for the ICAI review.

Cities and rapid urbanisation are priority areas for global sustainability and central to the United Kingdom’s efforts to address climate change, generate inclusive economic growth and promote sustainability and resilience.  Recognised as key drivers of economic growth, innovation and job creation, cities create more than 80% of global GDP. However, with more than two-thirds of the global population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, rapid urbanisation presents challenges to effective poverty reduction, sustainability and resilience to economic and climate shocks. 

Between 2015 and 2022, UK aid support for sustainable cities amounted to £861.3 million and was announced as one of four priority areas in the March 2023 International Climate Finance Strategy. The majority of sustainable cities aid programmes are managed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), with some smaller portfolios managed by other departments. They have a range of objectives, including: climate change mitigation, adaptation, promotion of economic growth, poverty reduction and the development of safe and inclusive cities. 

The review found that the UK is supporting urban development globally, but needs to pay greater attention to helping countries adapt and adjust to climate change threats, alongside work to reduce emissions. The full report, together with the UK Government's response, is available here: https://icai.independent.gov.uk/review/uk-aid-for-sustainable-cities/review/.