Understanding the nature and scale of urban risk in low- and middle-income countries and its implications for humanitarian preparedness, planning and response

This synthesis review was commissioned by DFID in order to review the quality of the evidence base and to outline knowledge gaps about the nature and scale of urban risk in low- and middle-income countries; and to assess the policy implications of this for humanitarian preparedness, planning and response. It does so by analysing a wide range of academic and policy literature and drawing on a number of interviews with key informants in the field. It particularly focuses on evidence from Africa and Asia, but also draws on case studies from Latin America as many examples of good practice in this area come from this region.The review aims to help ensure that DFID and other humanitarian and development actors are able to promote urban resilience and disaster risk reduction and to respond effectively to the humanitarian emergencies that are likely to occur in cities. The review is also intended to be used to inform discussion on a possible new research programme funded through the Humanitarian Evidence and Innovation Strategy at DFID.