About Us
UrbanEmerge delivers inclusive and sustainable development consulting services to public and private sector and civil society clients. We focus on low- and middle-income countries, helping to address increasingly urgent challenges for socially inclusive, resilient and low-carbon economic and urban development.
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As a core group of partners, lead consultants and business development professionals with a close-knit network of independent consultants, we provide ​state of the art research and insights. Our clients gain access to global and local expertise as our network of affiliated experts extends to countries and cities all over the world. Clients also benefit from excellent value for money as our network model means that we have very few overheads and operating costs.
Consultants affiliated with UrbanEmerge can share project opportunities and knowledge using our purpose-built online platform. We also maximise our use of online communication and project management tools to work and collaborate remotely, reducing travel-related greenhouse gas emissions.
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Who we help
Our clients include the public sector, such as municipal authorities and national government departments, private sector companies who wish to improve sustainability performance or impact investing, and civil society organisations such as global NGOs, where they require support such as designing programmes to secure funding or for learning and advocacy.
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Where we’ve made a difference
Through some of our research and projects, we have designed donor-funded programmes for reducing plastic waste in cities, made infrastructure and master-plans more inclusive for persons with disabilities and designed integrated solid waste management programmes to secure donor funding. We have improved the sustainable development impact of private sector investments in African countries and helped donor funded programmes to learn and adapt. We have enabled clients to access new markets by leveraging new technologies and reviewed how support to industrial parks can best enable jobs and long term economic development, particularly for young women.
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At UrbanEmerge we are all passionate about our work and pride ourselves on the quality of our relationships, research, ideas and deliverables.
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Service Areas
Our Clients & Consultancy Partners
Featured Reports
Title: Artificial Intelligence and Start-Ups in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Progress, Promises and Perils
Client: GSMA
Published: November 2020
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About: UrbanEmerge conducted a study to help GSMA’s Mobile for Development (M4D) programme understand what the ethical and responsible use of AI actually means in practice in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals as well as understanding the business models, opportunities and constraints of deploying AI-based solutions in developing markets in Africa and SSE Asia. The study resulted in an overview report with a set of practical recommendations for GSMA and their partners including AI innovators, policy-makers, international financial institutions and telecoms operators.
Title: Landscaping Study on the Innovation Ecosystem for Digital Assistive Technologies for Persons with Disabilities, Africa, Asia and Middle East, 2020
Client: GSMA, Mobile4Development
Published: July 2020
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About: GSMA commissioned UrbanEmerge to undertake a study to understand the maturity of digital innovations for assistive technology (AT) solutions in low- and middle-income countries, with a focus on the resources needed throughout the innovation process and a range of possible business models, ideally resulting in free use of the AT for persons with disabilities. We are also providing strategic analysis and guidance to GSMA Assistive Tech on how to design their innovation fund to support organisations looking to market and grow mobile-enabled assistive solutions with high social impact.
Project Page | Download | Blog
Title: Policy Brief -Making cities inclusive: Safe mobility for persons with disability in developing countries.
Client: Humanity & Inclusion (HI)
Partner Organisation: World Enabled
Published: June 2018
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About: Through appropriate measures to improve safety and accessibility, cities in developing countries have the transformative potential and the leverage to reduce inequalities in society and contribute to the realisation of human rights for all.
Title: Access to resettlement and complementary pathways for Syrian refugees
Client: Durable Solutions Platform (DSP)
Published: June 2018
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About: The DSP commissioned UrbanEmerge to look at the extent to which resettlement and complementary pathways have been accessible for Syrian refugees as well as to identify their potential for future state policy and NGO programming and advocacy.
Project Page | Download | Blog
Latest Projects
Digital Assistive Technology Study
Future-Cities Scoping China - FCO
MEL for SUED Kenya
Industrial Parks Review in Ethiopia
Disability Inclusive Infrastructure
Plastic Waste Management Scoping
Get in touch
Meet a sample of consultants in our network