Summary

In this first report, the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Elena Díaz Galán, analyses the links between urbanization and poverty. The report argues that the type of urbanization pursued is a political decision that can either reduce or deepen poverty, depending on how cities are planned, governed and financed. It examines the processes of social exclusion and the structural drivers of poverty in cities. The Special Rapporteur highlights the importance of national and local authorities in addressing these issues, calls for a human rights-based approach to urbanization and provides a number of recommendations.