Workshop: Advancing Sustainable Construction in Informal Settings

Rapid urbanization and climate change stand as some of the defining challenges of our time. Addressing both necessitates empowering residents of the most economically disadvantaged urban areas to take charge of their sustainable future. To this end, Cities Alliance has been actively exploring the interconnected dynamics of the circular economy. We seek to understand how it can bolster the livelihoods of urban poor and informal workers, particularly in the context of housing and construction, while also considering the interplay of sustainable construction, incremental slum upgrading, and innovative building technologies within informal settings.

To further our efforts, Cities Alliance has invited interested members and stakeholders to collaborate in a working group. The aim is to establish common perspectives on challenges, unearth opportunities for cross-pollination, and outline programmatic entry points for the urban poor's involvement in sustainable construction.

To kick-start the process Cities Alliance is hosting a workshop, aimed at fostering solutions to engage and empower communities in low-income and informal settlements, as well as municipalities. The workshop has three primary objectives:

1. Identifying challenges and promising collaborative approaches drawn from interactions among researchers, cities, and global policymakers.
2. Emphasizing priorities for local-level collaborative action.
3. Advocating for a narrative that underscores the significance of addressing urban informality and inequality in addressing the challenges posed by climate change. These recommendations will be conveyed through high-level public engagements.