Urban Development
Advancing locally-led open mapping and inclusive urban data production to bring vulnerable and underserved communities into view and strengthen evidence-based urban planning in rapidly growing cities.
About the Program
Rapid urbanization, compounded by urban hazards and widening inequality, is outpacing cities' capacity to plan for their populations. Across low- and middle-income countries, millions of people live in informal and underserved settlements that are absent from official maps, registries, and infrastructure inventories. Without reliable, localized geospatial data, these vulnerable communities stay largely invisible to policymakers and service providers, and their needs for adequate housing, mobility, and essential services go unmeasured.
Understanding the lived experiences of the urban communities, where services fall short for them, and which neighborhoods face the greatest urban risks is fundamental to inclusive and resilient urban development. This program brings together community mappers, local governments, and strategic partners to generate community-validated open data and translate it into decision-ready knowledge products. By embedding participatory mapping within the planning, policy, and investment processes, HOT helps ensure that marginalized urban populations are represented in the decisions that shape their cities.
Stats
6
active urban development projects
50
community pilots trained in low-cost drone mapping
429
people trained in open mapping data and technology
68,485
buildings mapped
Goals
1
Generate open, community-validated geospatial data on vulnerable and underserved urban settlements.
2
Identify gaps in housing, mobility, and essential services, and assess neighborhood-level urban risks.
3
Translate community data into decision-ready knowledge products for planning, policy, and investment.
4
Integrate participatory mapping into local government and partner processes to ensure marginalized communities are represented in decision-making.
Projects
Meet Our Partners
