2.3.2. Tenure security and evictions

Alongside increased coverage of basic urban services, habitability or sufficient living space will be key for decongesting overcrowded areas. This is a broader question of spatial planning and land management and cities need to better regulate how space is distributed within urban areas. Lessons from past failures in urban planning show that mono-functional residential projects in the suburbs where land was cheaper were socioeconomic disasters. Neighbourhood planning should cater not only for decongesting homes but also maintain proximity between residences, jobs, services and civic life. The 15-minute city is a useful concept for building back better as walking and cycling is the most affordable option and forms the highest modal share of transport for the urban poor.

While in the short term, cities can adapt UN-Habitat’s guidance note on decongestion and upgrading of IDP settlements,45 in the long-run cities need to focus on slum and informal settlement upgrading. These spatially targeted approaches should be embedded in citywide strategies to make an inventory of settlements with the poorest living conditions. This inventory helps to understand bottlenecks in the regulatory framework that are preventing the development of affordable and adequate housing options, meaning that investments can be prioritized for improvements in the most deprived areas and thus build resilience not only for those communities, but in the city as a whole.

Decongestion without making more land available is not always feasible. Building codes that increase requirements on buildings to be decongested can undermine inclusivity and affordability. Therefore, decongestion must be paired with land assembly tools that make affordable and serviced land available for the housing needs of low-income groups. As many cities do not maintain effective and responsive land administration systems, urban upgrading can also adversely impact land tenure security and potentially trigger development-induced displacement, further exacerbating inequalities and land conflict. This is why it is critical to ensure that everyone benefits from area-based development, including residents in settlements that may not be officially recognized by authorities: otherwise, development may further exclude those communities who do not have their land rights codified.

2.3.2. Tenure security and evictions

Secure land and housing is central to safety and wellbeing in cities, particularly in the wake of COVID-19. Even prior to the pandemic, tenure insecurity among a large proportion of the population residing in slums and unplanned urban areas was a grave concern, with women and other marginalized groups especially at risk of eviction. The current crisis has triggered further disruptions in tenure security, with growing income instability likely to result in mortgage and rental arrears. In the US, an August 2020 study by the Aspen Institute estimated that between 30 and 40 million people could be at risk of eviction in the near future, with the pandemic having aggravated existing insecurity for many tenants. Estimates suggest that as many as 80 per cent of those facing evictions in cities across the country are members of ethnic minorities, particularly Black and Latino communities.46

These issues are not new to the pandemic, however: across the world, the outbreak of COVID-19 has deepened existing fault lines of class, citizenship, age, ethnicity and gender that have left large sections of the global urban population in a state of protracted insecurity. Women have historically struggled with gendered property regimes that limit their access to land and housing. An assessment across 10 African states, for example, found that just 12 per cent of women reported owning land individually, compared to 31 per cent of men — an imbalance reflected in many other cities and countries, and typically exacerbated during pandemics.47

Utility costs could also become unsustainable, placing further pressure on struggling urban households. In particular, “stay at home” policies imposed during lockdowns have impacted In the long-run cities need to focus on slum and informal settlement upgrading