ALNAP's urban research initiative: Responding to crises in complex, interconnected urban contexts

ALNAP’s work on urban humanitarian response began in 2012 with a range of activities that promote the exchange of learning around urban crises, including the Urban Humanitarian Response Portal, a community of practice and webinar series. In 2015, ALNAP also started research into urban humanitarian response, exploring how humanitarians could respond more effectively in complex, interconnected urban environments.

In 2016, ALNAP published Stepping Back: Understanding Cities and their Systems in English, Spanish and Arabic. This concept note outlines the next steps in this research intiative and outlines what ALNAP Members and urban humanitarians can do to help.