Violence in the City: Understanding and Supporting Community Responses to Urban Violence

Urban violence always has been an important concern for local governments and policymakers. With the increased urbanization of the last decade, this issue has become even more pressing. Urban centers are now home to half of the world’s population and are expected to absorb almost all new population growth over the next 25 years (UN-HABITAT 2007).

The urbanization trend has been especially impressive in some regions, particularly Africa and Asia. The development of cities has been an engine for overall economic growth and has opened up opportunities for millions of people to drastically improve their living conditions and to climb up the social ladder. Nevertheless, even as overall poverty has decreased worldwide, it is growing in many urban areas. Inequalities also are increasing as cities create wealth while, at the same time, host an increasingly diverse group of poor migrants. It is estimated that more than one-quarter of the urban population worldwide lives in slums (UN-HABITAT 2007).