Social Inclusion

Urban transformation in the Global South is not only an economic and institutional process — it is deeply social. Cities are spaces of opportunity, but also of stark inequality, precarious livelihoods, spatial segregation, and contested citizenship. Rapid urban growth has intensified pressures on housing, basic services, mobility, and social protection, particularly for low-income and informal populations.

The urban question today is inseparable from questions of distribution, rights, and representation.

CIRUS examines urban social issues through a governance and political economy lens. Rather than treating poverty, informality, or exclusion as isolated social problems, we analyse how institutional arrangements, land regimes, fiscal design, and policy priorities shape social outcomes in cities.