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Human security for an urban century: local challenges, global perspectives

How can human security be enhanced in an increasingly urbanised world? 

Authors: McCarney, P.; Liotta, P.H.; Esser, D.E
Publisher: European Urban Knowledge Network

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The objective of this report is to examine in detail the nature and scale of organised armed violence in urban areas and to explore the value of bringing a human security lens to the challenges posed by cities at the beginning of an “Urban Century.” The research suggests that achieving “cities without slums” will require a clear recognition of the linkages between security and development. It also suggests that much more work is required by researchers and policy makers in order to fully understand the profound implications rapid urbanisation holds for the human security agenda.

The authors also provide detailed explanations of issues such as:

  • Armed conflict and failed public security in cities: in the absence of effective public security, slum residents and urban elites alike may seek ways to protect themselves, resulting in the privatisation of security
  • The human face of urban insecurity: The failure of public security in cities has significant negative impacts on the lives of people living there
  • Conflict-resilient cities: efforts to prevent and mitigate violent conflict will need to adapt to the increasingly urban nature of armed violence
  • Safer cities for an Urban Century: Rapid urbanisation is setting in motion new dynamics in which organised gangs and transnational criminal networks are taking advantage of failed public security within sprawling urban spaces to generate new threats to people’s safety and lives.

The authors offer a number of conclusions, including:

  • Building secure cities with effective public security; inclusive, participatory governance and positive social capital will be critical to the prevention of armed violence and the protection of civilian populations from such violence when prevention fails
  • Evidence is mounting to suggest that the changing nature of organised armed violence may be more radical than many had imagined
  • The fact that much organised armed violence takes place outside situations defined as armed conflicts should lead to a systematic examination of whether the international normative, institutional and legal framework constructed in the 20th century to respond to the predominant form of organised armed violence can be adapted to the urban insecurity realities of the 21st century.

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