Urban Themes

Our societies and our environment are undergoing change at a pace and on a scale never before seen in human history. With over 80% of global trade and some nine billion tonnes of goods passing through them, port cities are set to be at the crossroads of traffic in goods, data and people for some time to come. The challenges facing those looking to shape the port cities of the future are... Read more

TRA 2018 is an arena for researchers, companies and public authorities active in the field of transport. It welcomes policy makers and stakeholders framing research and transport policy. Together they will share and discuss new ideas, research results, technological solutions and new business models. Together they will experience and shape the future of transport and mobility for people and goods... Read more

Over the last few decades, hydraulic and hydrologic modelers have dramatically increased our understanding of urban watersheds; namely the built wastewater and stormwater infrastructure within their respective urban environments. These models have been manually tuned and calibrated using data from flow meters and other sensors, and adjusting available software knobs and levers to improve model... Read more

In 2018 Singapore retains its title as the world’s most expensive city for the fifth consecutive year in a top ten that is largely split between Asia and Europe. Seoul is the only other city in the top ten that has maintained its ranking from the previous year. In the rest of Asia, Hong Kong and Sydney join Singapore and Seoul in the top ten. Low inflation has pushed Tokyo and Osaka out of the... Read more

Recovering water, energy, nutrients and other precious materials embedded in wastewater is an opportunity for cities to transition to the circular economy and contribute to improved water security. The call comes from a new report on reuse opportunities by the International Water Association and OFID (the OPEC Fund for International Development).
Titled, The Reuse Opportunity: Cities seizing the... Read more

Closing date: Wednesday, 4 April 2018
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
To promote a healthier environment, intensify primary prevention and influence public policies in all sectors so as to address the root causes of environmental threats to health. To develop and implement headquarters functions and to support WHO Regional and Country Offices in working with countries towards implementation of... Read more

CONSULTANCY JOB OPENING
Issued on: 20th February 2018
ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION: Urban Economy and Finance Branch, UN-HABITAT
DUTY STATION: Nairobi
PROJECT: Future Saudi Cities Programme
FUNCTIONAL TITLE: Consultant - Urban Economy and Municipal Finance
CLOSING DATE: 22 March 2018
START DATE
Immediately
END DATE: 31st December 2018
BACKGROUND
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-... Read more

Projections suggest cities will swell at an astonishing pace – but whether that means our salvation or an eco-disaster is by no means certain by John Vidal
The 1960 street map of Lagos, Nigeria, shows a small western-style coastal city surrounded a few semi-rural African villages. Paved roads quickly turn to dirt, and fields to forest. There are few buildings over six floors high and not many... Read more

ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION
UN-Habitat, Somalia Programme
DUTY STATION
Nairobi/ Kenya (with travel to Somalia)
FUNCTIONAL TITLE
Legal Specialist – Urban legislation, land and human rights,
CONTRACT TYPE
Consultant
POST DURATION
6 months
CLOSING DATE
21 March 2018
BACKGROUND
Several regions of Somalia, and the country, as a whole, other regions of Somalia, have been... Read more

Urban development changes storm patterns and rainfall amounts, two new papers suggest.
The research highlights the need for urban planning and infrastructure design that considers how the landscape will affect the weather.
In two separate papers, teams led by Dev Niyogi, Indiana state climatologist and professor in the agronomy and earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences departments at... Read more