Building urban resilience: A guide for Red Cross and Red Crescent engagement and planning

Why a guide on urban disaster risk reduction for the Red Cross Red
Crescent?

Rapid urbanization coupled with climate change will constitute key issues in the
coming decades facing the humanitarian community. It is estimated that by 2050, 66
percent of the world’s population will be urban, while rapid and unplanned
urbanization will also continue to see a dramatic rise in informal settlements.
Currently, it is estimated that 863 million people live in informal settlements (i.e.,
squatter and slum settlements). This rapid rise in unplanned and poorly managed
urbanization poses growing threats to people’s lives, livelihoods, economic growth,
environmental sustainability and social equity as public authorities lack the capacity
to effectively provide basic public services to a rapidly growing population.