Show me the money! Financial and Political Strategies to Address Eviction and Climate-induced Relocation

Urban development is rarely pro-poor, particularly in fast-growing cities in low- and lower middle-income countries. Low-income and disadvantaged households often face acute tenure insecurity, meaning that they lack legal protection against forced evictions and harassment, as well as environmental threats that can result in eviction or relocation without adequate consideration of their livelihoods or wellbeing. Climate change is adversely affecting informal settlements and increasing vulnerabilities.
Habitat III seeks to build political commitment to inclusive urbanisation and adequate housing. In a best-case scenario, this will require overcoming political inertia; in a worst-case scenario, it will require tackling extreme power and resource imbalances that are reinforced by vested interests and prejudice. How can cities deliver on Habitat III’s ambitious goals? Evidence demonstrates that transformative development is catalysed by mobilised communities with access to development finance. Around the world, organised groups of urban residents are working with municipal governments to develop alternatives to eviction and relocation. Such collaboration ensures that the needs of low-income urban residents (proximity to employment opportunities, adequate sanitation, environmental quality) are considered. This event brings together speakers from communities and governments. They will offer examples of the political and economic barriers to inclusive urban development, and outline strategies to reduce the incidence of eviction and forced relocation. They will present practical approaches that community-based groups and municipal authorities have adopted to facilitate participatory densification and voluntary resettlement programmes where urban residents were exposed to climate risk. These include financing mechanisms in which community savings leverages donor and state contributions. The experiences and perspectives of the federations will be contextualised against the New Urban Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement by internationally recognised urban researchers.