Enhancing Urban Safety and Security

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the agency responsible for coordinating human settlements issues within the United Nations system. It promotes economically productive, socially inclusive and environmentally liveable cities, towns and rural settlements, as well as adequate shelter for all. The Global Report on Human Settlements is the most authoritative and up-to-date global assessment of human settlements conditions and trends. It is an essential reference for researchers, academics, public authorities and civil society organizations all over the world. Preceding issues of the report have addressed such topics as Cities in a Globalizing World, The Challenge of Slums and Financing Urban Shelter.

'Carefully planned and accessibly written' Choice Magazine'Over the past decade, the world has witnessed growing threats to the safety and security of cities and towns. Some have come in the form of catastrophic events, while others have been manifestations of poverty and inequality, or of rapid and chaotic urbanization processes. This publication, Enhancing Urban Safety and Security: Global Report on Human Settlements 2007, addresses some of the most challenging threats to the safety and security of urban dwellers today. As the report tells us, urban violence and crime are increasing worldwide, giving rise to widespread fear and driving away investment in many cities. Large numbers of people in cities all over the world, including most of the one billion currently living in slums, have no security of tenure, while at least two million are evicted every year ... The report highlights the key role urban planning and governance have to play in making our cities safe and secure for generations to come. Through its documentation of many successful experiences, it promotes learning and sharing of knowledge on urban safety and security. I commend it to all those interested in the health of cities around the world.' From the Foreword by BAN KI-MOON, Secretary-General, United Nations'...an essential tool and reference source for researchers, academics, public authorities and civil society organisations the world over.' Habitat Debate, 2007.

• Foreword * Introduction * Part I: Understanding Urban Safety and Security * Current Threats to Urban Safety and Security * Vulnerability, Risk and Resilience: Towards a Conceptual Framework * Part II: Urban Crime and Violence * Urban Crime and Violence: Conditions and Trends * Urban Crime and Violence: Policy Responses * Part III: Security of Tenure * Security of Tenure: Conditions and Trends * Policy Responses to Tenure Insecurity * Part IV: Natural and Human-Made Disasters * Disaster Risk: Conditions, Trends and Impacts * Policy Responses to Disaster Risk * Small-Scale Hazards: The Case of Road Traffic Accidents * Part V: Towards Safer and More Secure Cities * Reducing Urban Crime and Violence * Enhancing Tenure Security and Ending Forced Evictions * Mitigating the Impact of Disasters * Part VI: Summary of Case Studies * Part VII: Statistical Annex * Index