SURGE Umbrella Program

The Urban Analytics & Technical Assistance (UA&TA) Program is the cornerstone of the SURGE Umbrella. Launched in 2020, UA&TA has supported over 150 cities across the world to strengthen policies and legal frameworks, improve institutional capacities in urban planning, and facilitating stakeholder engagement. The program also produced influential global studies on urbanization, such as “Pancakes to Pyramids,” “Mobilizing Finance,” and “Vibrant Cities,” which have shaped urban policy in multiple cities worldwide.

The program concluded its first phase in December 2024 and is expected to start a new phase in 2026.

City Planning Labs (CPL) enables cities to transform how they plan, prioritize, and invest in infrastructure. By harnessing spatial data, strengthening institutions, and supporting the use of integrated platforms, CPL helps governments de-risk public investment, optimize resource allocation, and build confidence among external financiers.  Its latest innovation, the Capital High Impact Prioritization (CHIP) platform, links spatial data with budgeting processes, enabling cities to assess trade-offs, align internal stakeholders, and make the case for financing—whether public or private.

More information is available in the SURGE 2025 Annual Report and at the CPL website

The Global Smart City Partnership Program (GSCP) was established in 2018 to help World Bank Group teams and clients make the best use of data, technologies, and available resources.  The program is built on the understanding that technology- and data-driven innovations can improve city planning, management, and service delivery; engage citizens; and enhance governments’ accountability. Since 2023, GSCP has been part of SURGE. In 2026, the program will complete its third phase (GSCP3) and start a new phase - Livable Cities Program.

More information is available in the SURGE 2025 Annual Report and at the GSCP website

The Global Urban Housing Program was launched in 2024 to address the urgent need for affordable housing in rapidly urbanizing cities and countries, through the following key areas:

·        Promoting policies that improve the enabling environment for the supply of housing and housing financing

·        Supporting governments to improve access to land and basic infrastructure

·        Promoting better urban and city planning

·        Financing and building capacity of developers

·        Supporting low cost, innovative and resilient construction models and materials

·        Implementing affordable and sustainable housing finance instruments.

The ECA Cities and Climate Change Program (ECA C&CC) provides technical assistance and capacity building to help countries in the Europe and Central Asia region prepare and implement urban climate mitigation and adaptation projects. The program is structured around two main components:

·        Component 1: Assists client countries in preparing and implementing urban climate mitigation and adaptation investments.

·        Component 2: Supports knowledge exchange activities to inform lending operations on urban climate mitigation and adaptation.

More information is available in the SURGE 2025 Annual Report and at the ECA C&CC website