* An authoritative, up-to-date global assessment of the challenges of financing urban shelter

The Global Report on Human Settlements is the most authoritative and up-to-date assessment of conditions and trends in the world's cities. It is an essential tool and reference for researchers, academics, public authorities and civil society organizations around the world. The 2005 report, Financing Shelter and Urban Development, presents the first global assessment of housing finance systems, placing shelter and urban development challenges within the overall context of macro-economic policies. The report describes and analyses housing finance conditions and trends in all regions of the world, including formal housing finance mechanisms, micro-finance, and community funding, highlighting their relevance to the upgrading of slums. Recent shelter finance policy development is discussed at the international and national levels and the directions that could be taken to strengthen shelter finance systems are examined.

Economic and Urban Development Context
Challenges of Sustainable Development in Macro-economic Context
Shelter Policy and Finance: Retrospective Overview
Financing Urban Development
Shelter Finance: Assessments of Trends
Mortgage Finance: Formal Institutions and Mechanisms
Financing for Social Housing
Small Loans: Shelter Micro-finance
Community Funds
Towards Sustainable Shelter Finance Systems
Assessing Shelter Finance Systems
Policy Directions Towards Sustainable Urban Shelter Finance Systems
Epilogue: Towards Sustainable Urban Shelter
Case Observations on Urban Finance
Statistical Annex
Index.