The report documents the proceeding of an expert group meeting held on community-based housing credit arrangements in low-income housing. The objective of the expert group meeting was to bring together experts on community-based housing finance in low-income urban areas to share and assess the experiences on the potentials and feasibility of promoting this approach to a wider spectrum of low-income communities.

The State of the World's Cities 2004/2005 charts the progress and the challenges we face in this rapidly urbanising world. With contributions from some of the world's leading urban scholars, writers and experts, this report carries extensive examples, illustrations and facts that are of use to experts and non-experts alike.

This publication has been prepared as background documentation for the Dialogue on the “Strengthening of Local Authorities” during the 19th Session of the Governing Council of UN-HABITAT.

This document presents a framework for undertaking the Global Campaign for Secure tenure at the national level, It contains and explanation on how the national campaign is situated withi the overall objectives and goals of the GCST. It also presents an overview the three main stages on national campaign implementation.

The degree of success and efficiency of housing production and delivery depends on the prevailing legal, institutional and financial framework. Housing finance credit mechanisms are generally weak in most developing countries because of low-income levels, weak regulatory and legal framework provisions for land title and tenure system, absence of effective laws governing credit and absence of credit rating systems.

This handbook identifies recent innovations at the global level in the field of land management and pinpoints land tenure trends. It shows how governments, including local government and other stakeholders, are coming to grips with implementing the land related principles enshrined in the Habitat Agenda at a practical level in the cities and towns.

Demonstrates that most arguments leading to the current bias against rental housing are highly flawed. Argues for more tenure-neutral housing policies, and urges governments to modify regulatory frameworks, develop credit programmes and other forms of assistance to support housing production, with a view to creating more rental housing and to improve the existing stock.

This toolkit is a contribution to the Global Campaign on Urban Governance, an initiative led by UN-Habitat in collaboration with a whole range of partners whose development goal is to contribute to the eradication of poverty through improved urban governance.