Urban Transformation

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Urban Transformation at MSC partners with governments, financial institutions, development partners, impact investors, innovators, and donors across Asia and Africa. We help cities become more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient. Our work strengthens urban systems, improves basic service delivery, and expands livelihood opportunities for urban residents, especially those in underserved communities.

We bring together research, evidence-based program design, digital solutions, and implementation support to develop practical approaches that reflect local needs. Our work spans five interconnected themes to strengthen institutions, improve service delivery, mobilize resources, and build long-term resilience.

Our thematic areas include:

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)

We strengthen WASH systems to expand access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services. We promote inclusive financing, stronger community institutions, and sustainable sanitation solutions.

Livelihoods

We expand economic opportunities and access to social protection for urban residents, especially informal workers and underserved communities. We support access to social security, skills development, employment, and financial services.

Housing and infrastructure

We support solutions that expand access to affordable housing and promote green, sustainable infrastructure. We improve housing finance and support urban development that meets the needs of growing cities.

Governance and municipal finance

We work with governments to strengthen urban governance, improve public financial management, and mobilize municipal resources. We promote digital governance, stronger revenue systems, and greater fiscal devolution to improve service delivery and accountability.

Resilience

We help cities prepare for shocks, and respond and recover from them. We promote disaster resilience, circular economy solutions, and climate-resilient infrastructure to protect vulnerable communities and support sustainable development.

Our integrated approach combines rigorous research, evidence-based program design, digital transformation, and hands-on implementation to develop practical solutions that address local needs and strengthen urban systems. We use robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning to measure results, generate actionable insights, and support continuous improvement. We also help governments and development partners implement solutions that are scalable, sustainable, and resilient.

Learn more about our work here.