The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI)
Maps of Cities and Built Environment are published here once their data rights are cleared and they have been reviewed. Each shows its time and space reference, its sources and its uncertainty.
Cities and Built Environment released maps are reviewed map views of cities and built environment, published once their data rights are cleared, each with its coordinate reference, date, sources and uncertainty. Layers draw on sources such as Global Human Settlement Layer (European Commission JRC). A map shows released, rights-cleared evidence, not a live feed or an official warning.
Fig.A programme from scoping to the owner's decision. Design, not a record.
For released maps, in GCRI's spatial-intelligence reading, the map opens on population density, night lights and true-colour imagery with relief in 3D, framed on World; 3 further NASA layers wait in the list.
The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.
Layers 3
Water now, for this page
Keyboard, with the map focused
Hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom
Latest available
NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth
Loading the latest NASA imagery.
Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.
For released maps, in GCRI's spatial-intelligence reading, the map opens on population density, night lights and true-colour imagery with relief in 3D, framed on World; 3 further NASA layers wait in the list.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date; indicators, not assessments of any place; claim ceiling INTEGRATED.
Layers and dates
| Indicator | Unit | Cadence | Evidence label | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate | ratio | per assessment period | Estimated | Urban growth and land |
| Built-up area | square kilometres | per epoch | Observed | Urban growth and land |
| Urban population density | people per square kilometre of built-up area | per census | Estimated | Urban growth and land |
| New built-up area in hazard zones | hectares | per epoch | Estimated | Urban growth and land |
| Population by degree of urbanisation class | people | per census | Official | Urban growth and land |
| Land with approved plans before development | percent of new built-up area | per assessment | Reported | Urban growth and land |
| Housing cost overburden | percent of households spending above a stated share of income on housing | annual | Estimated | Housing and affordability |
| House price to income ratio | ratio | annual | Official | Housing and affordability |
| Overcrowding rate | percent of population in overcrowded dwellings | annual | Estimated | Housing and affordability |
| Households with secure tenure | percent of households | per survey | Reported | Housing and affordability |
| Homelessness | people counted by a stated definition | annual or per count | Reported | Housing and affordability |
| New dwellings completed | count | annual | Official | Housing and affordability |
| Land surface temperature | degrees Celsius | per satellite overpass | Observed | Buildings and heat |
| Air temperature difference urban to rural | degrees Celsius | hourly | Observed | Buildings and heat |
| Indoor temperature in monitored dwellings | degrees Celsius | hourly | Observed | Buildings and heat |
| Tree canopy cover | percent of area | per assessment | Observed | Buildings and heat |
| Heat-related excess mortality | deaths above expected | per heat season | Estimated | Buildings and heat |
| Households with access to cooling | percent of households | per survey | Reported | Buildings and heat |
| Population with convenient access to public transport | percent of population | per assessment | Estimated | Transport and mobility |
| Jobs reachable within a stated travel time | count by mode | per assessment | Modelled | Transport and mobility |
| Road traffic deaths | deaths per hundred thousand population | annual | Official | Transport and mobility |
| Mode share | percent of trips by mode | per survey | Reported | Transport and mobility |
| Household spending on transport | share of household budget | per survey | Estimated | Transport and mobility |
| Transport emissions | tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent | annual | Estimated | Transport and mobility |
| Urban population in slums or informal settlements | percent of urban population | per survey | Estimated | Informal settlements |
| Households with basic water and sanitation | percent of households | per survey | Reported | Informal settlements |
| Informal settlements in hazard zones | count and area | per assessment | Estimated | Informal settlements |
| Settlements with community-led profiles | count | per assessment | Reported | Informal settlements |
| Evictions | count of households evicted | annual | Reported | Informal settlements |
| Households in upgrading programmes | count | annual | Reported | Informal settlements |
| Population with safely managed drinking water | percent of urban population | annual | Estimated | Urban utilities |
| Population with safely managed sanitation | percent of urban population | annual | Estimated | Urban utilities |
| Municipal solid waste collected | percent of waste generated | annual | Reported | Urban utilities |
| Hours of water supply | hours per day | monthly | Reported | Urban utilities |
| Population with access to electricity | percent of urban population | annual | Estimated | Urban utilities |
| Local flood events linked to blocked drains | count | annual | Reported | Urban utilities |
| Share of built-up area that is open space for public use | percent | per assessment | Estimated | Green blue infrastructure |
| Population within walking distance of green space | percent of population | per assessment | Modelled | Green blue infrastructure |
| Impervious surface cover | percent of area | per assessment | Observed | Green blue infrastructure |
| Stormwater retained by green infrastructure | cubic metres per design storm | per project | Modelled | Green blue infrastructure |
| Street trees planted and surviving | count and survival percent | annual | Reported | Green blue infrastructure |
| Own-source revenue | share of municipal revenue | annual | Official | Municipal governance interface |
| Capital spending per resident | local currency per person | annual | Official | Municipal governance interface |
| Cities with local disaster risk reduction strategies | percent of cities | annual | Official | Municipal governance interface |
| Cadastre coverage | percent of parcels registered | per assessment | Official | Municipal governance interface |
| Plans adopted with public consultation | percent of plans | per planning cycle | Reported | Municipal governance interface |
| Metropolitan coordination bodies | presence and mandate | per assessment | Declared | Municipal governance interface |
Analysis runs in Nexus Foundry; reviewed releases are listed here.
Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Coordinate reference system | The definition that ties coordinates to locations on Earth, catalogued with EPSG codes. |
| Modifiable areal unit problem | The change in statistical results that comes from how areas are drawn and aggregated. |
| Zonal statistics | Statistics of raster values summarised within boundaries such as districts. |
| Public-safe release | A recorded decision on the detail at which a layer may be published without exposing sensitive sites or people. |
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.