Cities Alliance 2005 Annual Report

Cties will play a pivotal role in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the world’s shared targets for fighting poverty, hunger, and disease. Cities are not only home to half of humanity, and much of the world’s poverty, but are also engines of global trade, innovation, and economic growth. Suc- cessful urban development is also critically important for rural development, as cities pro- vide both vital inputs and output markets for rural producers. Yet too many cities in the developing world are failing to thrive. They are experiencing mas- sive population growth, sprawl, environmental stress, and low economic productivity. Too many African cities, even coastal cities with high poten- tial for sea-based trade, are poorly integrated into the world economy. Slum areas are expanding, formal jobs are scarce, and informal employment is the norm rather than the exception. Moreover, urban political authorities are often too disem- powered and lacking in the financial and political resources needed to work effectively with civil society to manage urbanisation.