Draft, not yet released. In stewardship review. Not indexed until the first approved release.

Readings from the other desks

The cities baseline is read through each steward’s lens, then once as a whole. Each lens is a projection of reviewed findings, not a separate argument. The other desks’ own editions of this subject are listed first, as cross-references, not copies.

17 min read0 figures8 tables44 notesNR-SECTOR-CITIES-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE

Contents
  1. ·Edition home
  2. ·Executive summary
  3. 1Cities are where the systems meet
  4. 2Key findings
  5. 3Systems and sectors at baseline
  6. 4Risks and capability
  7. 5Heat wave followed by flooding in a subsiding coastal city
  8. 6Readings from the other desks
    1. 6.1 The other desks’ editions of this subject
    2. 6.2 Three lenses
    3. 6.3 Standards, Academy and steward contributions
    4. 6.4 GCRI reading: the model card
    5. 6.5 Global Risks Forum reading: editorial essays
    6. 6.6 Global Risks Alliance reading: 2027 cities readiness pack
    7. 6.7 Nexus Standards reading: standards and regulatory watch
    8. 6.8 Risk Academy reading: literature and evidence review, science and assessments
  9. 7The 2027 agenda
  10. 8Systems in depth
  11. AMethodology
  12. BData appendix
  13. CReferences and record
  14. ·Complete edition, for print

6.1The other desks’ editions of this subject

Federation: each desk writes its own edition for the subjects in its remit. Until a desk releases, its edition shows its frame and the reading this edition printed for it.

DeskEditionStateIdentifier
GCRI Systems EvidenceNo edition of this subject at this desk in the 2026 Baseline cycleNot in this cycle
GRF Public DeliberationOutside this desk’s remitNot in remit
GRA Capital ReadinessNo edition of this subject at this desk in the 2026 Baseline cycleNot in this cycle
Standards ProgressNo edition of this subject at this desk in the 2026 Baseline cycleNot in this cycle
Academy CapabilityNo edition of this subject at this desk in the 2026 Baseline cycleNot in this cycle
Index MeasurementOutside this desk’s remitNot in remit

6.2Three lenses

One edition, read by each steward. The lens of this site comes first.

GCRI · KEY T

Technical Truth

The evidence supports reading cities as the place where systems meet. Exposure is rising, housing gaps are large, and finance is short. Evidence is strongest for settlement, emissions and heat exposure, and weakest for service quality, adaptation in force and city-level losses.

SYS-001 · HLT-004 · CLI-006 · SYS-012

GRF · KEY M

Public Meaning

For most people urban risk arrives as a hot night, a flooded street or a missing service. The baseline asks that public debate keep the 1.12 billion people in informal settlements in view next to the story of megacities.

HLT-004 · WAT-007 · SYS-002

GRA · KEY F

Capital Meaning

Readiness implications only. Municipal finance is short of need and subnational governments carry a large share of public investment2212. These show where finance-readiness evidence will matter. Nothing here is advice, a rating or an approval.

FIN-009 · CLI-005

NEXUS

Synthesis

Cities are well measured at the level of population and emissions, and thinly measured at the level of services, plans in force and losses. The 2027 programme should bridge definitions, test the heat-then-flood pathway, and bind city-level service evidence.

SYS-012 · C-01 · C-02

6.3Standards, Academy and steward contributions

How the Nexus Standards drafts, the Risk Academy and the three stewards feed each quarterly edition for cities. The standards are a preparatory working draft (2026) and are cited as drafts, never as adopted standards.

Table 6.1The quarterly rhythm every edition follows
QuarterEditionQuestionBoundary
Q1State and AgendaWhat matters this year, and what is the starting position?observed baseline stays distinct from planned work
Q2Evidence and BuildWhat new evidence and capability exist?a configured capability is not a validated result
Q3Stress Test and ReadinessWhat do scenarios and tests show?simulated loss or performance is not observed impact
Q4Annual Synthesis and RenewalWhat changed in the year, and what renews?release follows review, not event publicity deadlines
Table 6.2Who contributes what each quarter
Steward or bodyRoleContribution route
The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI Canada)Lead Institution and Consortium Secretariat; publisher of record; technical truth (key T)science and practice communities · GCRI gateway
The Global Risks Forum (GRF)leadership, dialogue and the Universe programme; public meaning (key M)policy, Universe and national adoption · GRF gateway
The Global Risks Alliance (GRA)finance, insurance and development readiness; capital meaning (key F)finance and insurance · GRA gateway
Nexus Standardspreparatory drafts on vocabulary, hazards, indicators and methodsStandards site · working groups HAZ, IND, MTH, FIN, AI
Risk Academylearning pathways tied to the agenda questionsAcademy gateway · learning by review
Reports sector desksurban chapter inputs: GCRI evidence, GRA readiness, NXS standards, RA capabilitysector editorial board

Standards drafts used in this edition

  • Risk vocabulary NRS-C1 (424 terms) for terms in the glossary
  • Hazard atlas NHS-1 1.1.0 (905 hazards in 120 families) for risk objects
  • Seven risk classes: global, catastrophic, existential, emerging, planetary, exponential, frontier-tech

Standards calendar to watch

  • Founding calls from 20 October 2026; working groups meet from 5 November 2026
  • Inaugural Global Standards Council session, 12 January 2027
  • Quarterly reviews in March, June, September and December, aligned with each edition

6.4GCRI reading: the model card

GCRI’s reading of this edition is its model card: what the national model is, what it computes and where it stops. It is printed in full in Annex A, with the methods it belongs to. Annex A, methodology

6.5Global Risks Forum reading: editorial essays

Four signed essays by the Reports editorial team set out the positions this edition takes. They are interpretation, labelled as such; the evidence they draw on is in the findings register.

Whether the world is 45% or 58% urban depends on the definition. Neither is wrong. Policy that quotes one without the other mixes people in towns, small cities and megacities. This edition shows both and names the issuer.

EDITORIAL ESSAY · 01

A city is a definition

About 1.12 billion people live in slums or informal settlements, about a quarter of urban residents. They are exposed to heat and flood and are often missing from adaptation plans. Counting them is the first adaptation.

EDITORIAL ESSAY · 02

Informal is not marginal

Population growth contributed two thirds of the increase in urban heat exposure between 1983 and 2016, and warming one third. Where people settle is a risk decision as much as a climate one.

EDITORIAL ESSAY · 03

Exposure grows faster than hazard

Subnational governments make 39.5% of public investment, yet cities receive less than 20% of the finance needed for climate action. Closing the gap is a design question for fiscal systems, not only a funding one.

EDITORIAL ESSAY · 04

Finance is local, need is global

6.6Global Risks Alliance reading: 2027 cities readiness pack

The registers that open the 2027 global cycle. At baseline each is initialised from this edition.

Table 6.32027 cities readiness pack
ItemRegisterState at baselineFirst 2027 entry
E1Cities risk state deltabaseline set by this editionchanges against the baseline
E2WEFH+B state deltafive global system readings setindicator updates and freshness
E3Agenda and Portfolio movementeight agenda items · 6 proposed objectsadmission decisions
E4Federation delivery registernational chapters in preparationnational chapters
E5Consortium capability registernational consortia formingfirst contributions
E6Leadership questions and challengesnone yetfirst challenge log
E7Foundry technical statenational environments preparedfirst federation cut
E8Publication candidatestwelve findings carried forwardPUBLISH · HOLD dispositions
E9Universe readinessone candidate missionadmission and role spine
E10Correction registernonefirst federation-wide cycle

Publication dispositions

  • Publish
  • Hold
  • Needs evidence
  • Restricted
  • Superseded

6.7Nexus Standards reading: standards and regulatory watch

Instruments and published guidance that shape the systems in this edition, by status on the retrieval date. The edition assesses no one’s compliance.

  • IN FORCE
  • ADOPTED
  • PUBLISHED · GUIDANCE
  • PUBLISHED · VOLUNTARY
Table 6.4Standards and regulatory watch
InstrumentBodyScopeStatusRelevance
New Urban Agenda, resolution 71/25621United Nations General AssemblyglobalADOPTED 2016agenda
Directive (EU) 2024/1275 on the energy performance of buildings20European UnionEUIN FORCEbuildings
EU Mission on climate-neutral and smart cities23European CommissionEU and associated countriesACTIVE 2026city mission
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction32United NationsglobalADOPTED 2015risk
ISO 37120 city services indicators34ISOglobalPUBLISHED · VOLUNTARYindicators
ISO 37123 resilient cities35ISOglobalPUBLISHED · VOLUNTARYresilience
ISO 37101 sustainable development management36ISOglobalPUBLISHED · VOLUNTARYmanagement

Changed since 2024

  • World Urbanization Prospects 2025 adopted the Degree of Urbanisation and lowered the city threshold to 50,000 people1
  • The EU buildings directive set zero-emission new buildings from 1 January 203020
  • The EU mission label had been given to 107 cities by the page date23

To watch in 2027

  • National transposition and renovation plans under the EU buildings directive20
  • The IPCC special report on cities and climate change6
  • National urban policies tracked by the SDG indicator for Goal 1134

6.8Risk Academy reading: literature and evidence review, science and assessments

The review behind this edition covers cities assessments, peer-reviewed science and the institutional reports that bind its findings. Systematic reviews for each agenda item begin in 2027.

Review protocol

Question
What does the published evidence establish about the world’s cities and urban systems and its couplings?
Sources searched
agency flagships; assessment chapters; peer-reviewed urban and climate literature; statistics
Window
releases available at evidence close, 30 September 2026
Selection
sources that bind or contextualise a finding in this edition
Next step
systematic reviews for agenda items 01 to 05 in 2027
Table 6.5Peer-reviewed science and assessments
ReferenceTypeYearRoleUsed for
Rentschler et al.13journal article2022supportsflood exposure
Tuholske et al.14journal article2021supportsheat exposure
Trees and the urban heat island15journal article2026supportscooling
Global subsidence of river deltas16journal article2026supportssubsidence
Sinking cities, rising seas26commentary2022context48 coastal cities
Greenness and heat mortality18meta-analysis2026contextheat harm
Tree canopy and child mortality19journal article2026contextchild survival
Seto et al.40journal article2012contexturban land forecasts
Güneralp et al.41journal article2017contextbuilding energy
Nicholls et al.42journal article2021contextsubsidence and flood
Table 6.6Institutional flagships
ReferenceIssuerYearRoleUsed for
IPCC AR6 Working Group III, chapter 86IPCC2022supportsurban emissions
IPCC AR6 Working Group II, chapter 67IPCC2022supportsurban risk
World Urbanization Prospects 20251UN DESA2025supportssettlement
World Cities Report 202412UN-Habitat2024supportsfinance, climate
World Cities Report 202230UN-Habitat2022contextfuture of cities
Cities in the World39OECD, European Commission2020contextdefinition
Global Assessment Report 202531UNDRR2025contextdisaster risk
GOLD VI report45UCLG2022contextlocal governance
Table 6.7Statistics, indicators and finance
ReferenceIssuerYearRoleUsed for
SDG database3UN Statistics Division2026supportsGoal 11 indicators
SDG Report 2025, Goal 114United Nations2025supportshousing, flood, waste
World Development Indicators2World Bank2026supportsurban series
Urban development overview11World Bank2026supportseconomy
Subnational finance observatory22OECD, UCLG2022supportsmunicipal finance
Ambient air quality fact sheet8WHO2026supportsair
Road traffic injuries fact sheet9WHO2026supportsroad safety
Heat and health fact sheet10WHO2026supportsheat deaths
State of Food Security and Nutrition 202624FAO and partners2026contextdiets
Lancet Countdown 202317journal report2023supportsgreen space
Lancet Countdown 202543journal report2025contextheat and health
Table 6.8Standards, legal acts and agreements
ReferenceIssuerYearRoleUsed for
Directive (EU) 2024/127520European Union2024supportsbuildings
New Urban Agenda21United Nations2016supportsagenda
EU Mission on climate-neutral and smart cities23European Commission2026supportscity mission
Sendai Framework32UNDRR2015contextrisk reduction
2030 Agenda38United Nations2015contextgoal 11
Paris Agreement37UNFCCC2015contextclimate goals
ISO 3712034ISO2018contextcity indicators
ISO 3712335ISO2019contextresilient cities
ISO 3710136ISO2016contextmanagement systems
Buildings report27UNEP2025contextbuildings
Waste outlook28UNEP2024contextwaste
Future of Cooling33IEA2018contextcooling
Air quality guidelines44WHO2021contextair
State of the Global Climate 202529WMO2026contextclimate

Where the evidence agrees

  • Urban areas are central to emissions and risk67
  • Urban heat exposure and flood exposure are rising with population and warming1413
  • Informal settlements are the most exposed and least covered125

Where it is unsettled

  • How many people are urban: 45% in cities on the UN grid method, 57.8% on national definitions12
  • How large the slum population is: 24.8% in the UN database and 23.2% in the World Bank series for 202232
  • How many people face flood: 1.81 billion on a 1-in-100-year basis and 1 billion in severe riverine flood-prone areas, which differ in scope134

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 22OECD and UCLG (eds.), World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment, 2022 highlights (135 countries; 2020 data). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris, and United Cities and Local Governments, Barcelona. Observation year 2020. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  2. 12UN-Habitat (ed.), World Cities Report 2024: Cities and Climate Action, key messages (report page; cities receive less than 20% of climate finance needed). United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Nairobi. Observation year 2024. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  3. 21United Nations General Assembly (ed.), New Urban Agenda, resolution 71/256, adopted at Habitat III in Quito on 20 October 2016 and endorsed on 23 December 2016 (downloaded text). United Nations, New York. Observation year 2016. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  4. 20European Parliament and Council (eds.), Directive (EU) 2024/1275 of 24 April 2024 on the energy performance of buildings (recast), Official Journal of the European Union (downloaded text; Articles 7 and 12 read). Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. Observation year 2024. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  5. 23European Commission (ed.), EU Mission: climate-neutral and smart cities (mission page; 112 cities, 107 labelled). European Commission, Brussels. Observation year 2026 (page). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  6. 32UNVERIFIED, not opened: UNDRR (ed.), Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 to 2030; the page returned an access error and the entry is cited from memory without figures. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Geneva. Observation year 2015. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  7. 34UNVERIFIED, not opened: ISO 37120:2018, Sustainable cities and communities: indicators for city services and quality of life, cited from memory. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva. Observation year 2018. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  8. 35UNVERIFIED, not opened: ISO 37123:2019, Sustainable cities and communities: indicators for resilient cities, cited from memory. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva. Observation year 2019. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  9. 36UNVERIFIED, not opened: ISO 37101:2016, Sustainable development in communities: management system for sustainable development, cited from memory. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva. Observation year 2016. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  10. 1UN DESA Population Division (ed.), World Urbanization Prospects 2025: Summary of Results (publication page and press release; 45% of 8.2 billion people in cities, 33 megacities, more than 12,000 cities, Degree of Urbanisation). United Nations, New York, November 2025. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  11. 6IPCC (ed.), Urban systems and other settlements, chapter 8 in Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change, Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC (downloaded chapter, executive summary read). IPCC, Geneva, 2022. Observation year 2020. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  12. 3UN Statistics Division (ed.), Global SDG Indicators Database, API extract of series EN_LND_SLUM, EN_ATM_PM25, EN_ACS_URB_OPENSP, SP_TRN_PUBL, EN_REF_WASCOL and SD_CPA_UPRDP (release 2026.Q3.G.01). United Nations, New York. Observation year 2024 (slums), 2023 (PM2.5) and 2020 (transport, open space). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  13. 4United Nations (ed.), The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025, Goal 11 (housing, flood, local risk reduction strategies, waste collection, national urban policies). United Nations, New York. Observation year 2024 (indicator data 2010 to 2024). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  14. 13Rentschler, J., Salhab, M. and Jafino, B.A., Flood exposure and poverty in 188 countries, Nature Communications 13, 3527 (open access full text, PMC). Springer Nature, London, 2022. Observation year 2020 (population grid). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  15. 14Tuholske, C. et al., Global urban population exposure to extreme heat, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118(41), e2024792118 (open access full text, PMC). National Academy of Sciences, Washington, 2021. Observation year 2016 (series 1983 to 2016). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  16. 15Trees halve the urban heat island effect globally but unequal benefits only modestly mitigate climate-change warming, Nature Communications (2026), open access full text, PMC. Springer Nature, London. Observation year 2026 (analysis of 8,919 large urban areas). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  17. 16Global subsidence of river deltas, Nature (2026), open access full text, PMC. Springer Nature, London. Observation year 2026 (40 deltas, satellite radar). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  18. 26Sinking cities, rising seas, Communications Engineering (2022), commentary on a Nature Sustainability study of relative land subsidence in 48 major coastal cities (open access full text, PMC). Springer Nature, London. Observation year 2022. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  19. 18The role of greenness in heat-related mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Annals of Global Health (2026), open access full text, PMC. Ubiquity Press, London. Observation year 2026 (11 studies). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  20. 19Urban tree canopy fragmentation and child mortality in low- and middle-income countries, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026), open access full text, PMC. National Academy of Sciences, Washington. Observation year 2026 (420,000 children, 57 countries). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  21. 40UNVERIFIED, not opened: Seto, K.C., Guneralp, B. and Hutyra, L.R., Global forecasts of urban expansion to 2030 and direct impacts on biodiversity and carbon pools, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109(40), 16083 to 16088, 2012, cited from memory without figures. National Academy of Sciences, Washington. Observation year 2012. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  22. 41UNVERIFIED, not opened: Guneralp, B. et al., Global scenarios of urban density and its impacts on building energy use through 2050, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(34), 8945 to 8950, 2017, cited from memory without figures. National Academy of Sciences, Washington. Observation year 2017. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  23. 42UNVERIFIED, not opened: Nicholls, R.J. et al., A global analysis of subsidence, relative sea-level change and coastal flood exposure, Nature Climate Change 11, 338 to 342, 2021, cited from memory without figures. Springer Nature, London. Observation year 2021. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  24. 7IPCC (ed.), Cities, settlements and key infrastructure, chapter 6 in Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC (downloaded chapter, executive summary read). IPCC, Geneva, 2022. Observation year 2020. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  25. 30UNVERIFIED, not opened: UN-Habitat (ed.), World Cities Report 2022: Envisaging the Future of Cities, cited from memory without figures. United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Nairobi. Observation year 2022. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  26. 39UNVERIFIED, not opened: OECD and European Commission (eds.), Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation, cited from memory without figures. OECD, Paris. Observation year 2020. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  27. 31UNVERIFIED, not opened: UNDRR (ed.), Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025; the page returned an access error and no figure is used. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Geneva. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  28. 45UNVERIFIED, not opened: UCLG (ed.), GOLD VI report: Pathways to urban and territorial equality, cited from memory without figures. United Cities and Local Governments, Barcelona, 2022. Observation year 2022. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  29. 2DATA VINTAGE AFTER CLOSE: World Bank (ed.), World Development Indicators, API extract of urban population, total population, urban agglomerations, urban access to electricity, clean cooking, safely managed drinking water and sanitation, slum share (database updated 8 October 2026). World Bank, Washington. Observation year 2025 (population) and 2024 (access). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  30. 11World Bank (ed.), Urban development overview (cities generate 80% of global GDP; infrastructure needs up to USD 2.7 trillion a year in low- and middle-income countries; slums about a quarter of urban population). World Bank, Washington. Observation year 2026 (page; individual figures undated). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  31. 8WHO (ed.), Ambient (outdoor) air pollution, fact sheet (4.2 million premature deaths in 2019; 99% of people above guideline levels). World Health Organization, Geneva. Observation year 2019. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  32. 9WHO (ed.), Road traffic injuries, fact sheet (page dated 20 July 2026; about 1.16 million deaths a year). World Health Organization, Geneva. Observation year 2026 (page date). Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  33. 10WHO (ed.), Climate change, heat and health, fact sheet (about 489,000 heat-related deaths a year, 2000 to 2019; Europe summer 2022). World Health Organization, Geneva. Observation year 2019. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  34. 24FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO (eds.), The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 (publication page; 645 million people faced hunger in 2025; about 2.7 billion cannot afford a healthy diet). Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  35. 17Romanello, M. et al., The 2023 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: the imperative for a health-centred response in a world facing irreversible harms, The Lancet 402 (open access full text, PMC). Elsevier, London, 2023. Observation year 2022. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  36. 43UNVERIFIED, not opened: Romanello, M. et al., The 2025 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change; the journal page returned an access error and no figure is used. Elsevier, London, 2025. Observation year 2024. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  37. 38UNVERIFIED, not opened: United Nations General Assembly (ed.), Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, resolution 70/1, cited from memory without figures. United Nations, New York. Observation year 2015. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  38. 37UNVERIFIED, not opened: UNFCCC (ed.), Paris Agreement, adopted December 2015, cited from memory without figures. UNFCCC, Bonn. Observation year 2015. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  39. 27UNVERIFIED, not opened: UNEP and GlobalABC (eds.), Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2024 to 2025; the report page returned an access error and the figures seen only in search summaries (buildings about 32% of energy and 34% of CO2) are not used. United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, 2025. Observation year 2023. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  40. 28UNVERIFIED, not opened: UNEP (ed.), Global Waste Management Outlook 2024; the report page returned an access error and the figures seen only in search summaries are not used. United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, 2024. Observation year 2023. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  41. 33UNVERIFIED, not opened: IEA (ed.), The Future of Cooling: Opportunities for energy-efficient air conditioning, cited from memory without figures. International Energy Agency, Paris, 2018. Observation year 2018. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  42. 44UNVERIFIED, not opened: WHO (ed.), WHO global air quality guidelines: particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, 2021; the fact-sheet page did not state the guideline values and no value is used. World Health Organization, Geneva. Observation year 2021. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  43. 29UNVERIFIED, not opened: WMO (ed.), State of the Global Climate 2025 (released 23 March 2026), known from search results only; no figure is used. World Meteorological Organization, Geneva. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  44. 5UN DESA (ed.), Sustainable Development Goal 11: make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (Goal page; slum population, land consumption rate, targets). United Nations, New York. Observation year 2022 (slums) and 2025 (land consumption). Accessed 2026-11-03.back

Cite this chapter

Valadbaygi, S. (Ed.). (2026). Chapter 6: Readings from the other desks. In Global Cities Risk and Resilience Report 2026: Baseline Edition, The State of the World’s Cities and Urban Systems. (Baseline Edition 2026, Report No. NR-SECTOR-CITIES-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE) [Draft under review]. The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI).

Every citation form of the whole report, BibTeX and RIS included, is on the edition home. Cite this report

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The sectors behind Global Cities and Urban Systems.

A reading aid: the sectors the findings run through and how strongly they depend on each other.

Select corners · hover lines6 / 15 relations

Context

Infrastructure and its partners

Infrastructure gives pipes, dams and treatment works to water (0.6), transmission and fuel logistics to energy (0.6) and access to care to health (0.5).

W · E · I · F · H · B

Sectors
4 of 6
Relations
6 of 15
Coupling
0.46 share of total

Strongest relations in play

  • Energy → Infrastructure · power for transport and telecoms0.8
  • Water → Energy · cooling water and hydropower0.6
  • Infrastructure → Water · pipes, dams and treatment works0.6
  • Water → Health · drinking water and sanitation0.7
Teaching values for a typical city-region, not measurements for any place. Coupling is the summed strength of the relations in play, as a share of all fifteen.
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