Cities have historically been lauded as drivers of prosperity and economic growth. Now, and increasingly so in the future, cities will be at the forefront of the battle against climate change, managing migration flows, and addressing the rising cost of living. Cities are also susceptible to the dangers of high inequalities and exclusion, and becoming a physical manifestation of the conflict between the responsibility to provide basic services (upholding the human rights of inhabitants), and the impetus to use the built environment as a commodity. Thus, addressing urban inequalities and exclusion is imperative to overcoming today’s multiple crises and achieving the 2030 Agenda’s global goals of not only sustainable urban development, but also peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.
It is expected that most of the world’s urban population in the future will live in Asian and African cities. However, recent patterns of urbanisation in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have not necessarily resulted in the expected positive outcomes. Inadequate infrastructure, lack of basic services and sanitation, and complex land management systems lead to a phenomenon of urbanization of poverty rather than urban prosperity. This is also linked to a historic shortage of housing supply and an increasing urgency to adapt to climate change. Yet, ambitious plans promising the creation of “global hubs” for business and innovation risk diverting funds away from the provision of much-needed basic services towards promoting the self-segregation of the elites, criminalizing low-income populations, and weakening efforts to address crises.
This collaborative research project, undertaken by NYU CIC as part of its partnership with AFSEE, will deepen the understanding of the ways in which financialisation and state capture impact access to adequate housing across the income spectrum. Utilizing NYU CIC’s network of partners and initiatives dedicated to the 2030 Agenda targets for peace, justice, equality, and inclusion—such as the Pathfinders for Peace, Just and Inclusive Societies, and the Congo Research Group—alongside collaboration with AFSEE Fellows working on housing and land rights, this project will leverage primary and secondary sources, as well as international case studies, to explore the root causes of housing inequality in the global South, and compare them with global trends. Through an in-depth analysis of Kinshasa—projected to be Africa’s largest city by 2030—the project will explore competing pressures, incentives, and trade-offs faced by policymakers and other relevant actors to provide housing in the context of extreme urban inequality, insecurity, and climate breakdown. The research will then seek to shed light on urban policy measures to reduce urban inequality and prevent financialisation and state capture.