Extensive transformations of urban areas in rapidly urbanizing developing countries can be a powerful vehicle for advancing low-carbon urban growth that supports global decarbonization goals. The scale of urban growth in these countries underscores the need to pursue low-carbon urbanization pathways and avoid carbon-intensive development. The report highlights the urgency to integrate low-carbon urbanization priorities into countries' national climate change strategies, especially their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Low-GHG Emission Development Strategies (LTSs), which often overlook the mitigation potential of urban systems, and outlines the opportunities to leverage them as bridges between national decarbonization and urban development goals. As countries strive to embed climate action into their development planning, incorporating low-carbon urban growth agenda into NDCs and LTSs can signal political commitment, foster coordination with local stakeholders, facilitate access to finance, and enable effective implementation. It can also help leverage the potential of urban climate action and its spillover effects to achieve national (and global) climate goals and progressively raise ambition. The integration process should account for differences across countries and their urban areas, including financial and technical capacities, and challenges of rapid urbanization such as infrastructure deficits and high levels of urban informality. The report attempts to identify integrative solutions to address key barriers to integration related to countries' policy frameworks and institutional structures
finance mobilization efforts
evidence-based policy processes
and tracking systems and proposes a Readiness Diagnostic Framework to help identify efforts needed at both national and city levels to pursue such integration. Additionally, it offers a Guide for Selecting Urban Diagnostic Tools and Models to enhance evidence-based urban climate policy processes in rapidly urbanizing countries.