Where city challenges
become shared solutions.
Real challenges from cities.
Practical solutions from practitioners.
Open
TO ALL CITIES
Worldwide
PRACTIONER NETWORK
Free
TO PARTICIPATE
Action
ORIENTED OUTPUT
WHAT IS THE LAB?
A problem-solving engine for urban challenges.
Every city faces challenges that feel unique but rarely are. A city in Massachusetts struggling with housing affordability is facing the same problem that a city in California has been working to solve for years, but the connection is rarely made.
City Solutions Lab closes that gap. Cities submit real challenges they are facing. A curated team of global urban practitioners — planners, engineers, community organizers, and policy specialists — responds with contextualized, actionable solutions adapted to the submitting city’s specific context, capacity, and constraints.
“Cities should not have to solve alone what the world has already figured out. City Solutions Lab exists to make sure they do not.“
How the Lab Works
A city submits a real urban challenge. A network of practitioners responds. A solution is adapted, documented, and made available to every city facing the same problem.
Free
ENTRY
Global
RESPONSE
Local
CONTEXT
HOW IT WORKS
From challenge to implementable solution.
City Submits Challenge
Any city, municipality, or community organization submits a real urban challenge using our structured submission form.
Editorial Review
We review the submission for clarity and may work with the submitting city to sharpen the question.
Practitioner Response
A curated team of urban practitioners analyzes the challenge and develops a contextualized response.
Published & Shared
The challenge and solution are published, enabling access for cities and building a shared urban solutions library.
CHALLENGE CATEGORIES
Housing & Affordability
Affordable housing finance, inclusionary zoning, land tenure, eviction prevention, and community land trusts, Informal settlement upgrading.
Mobility & Transport
Last-mile connectivity, informal transit integration, pedestrian infrastructure, cycling networks, transport equity, and accessibility for low-income communities.
Water, Sanitation & Waste
Urban flooding, drainage management, solid waste collection, informal market waste, water access in low-income areas, and wastewater systems.
Climate Resilience
Heat island mitigation, green infrastructure, coastal adaptation, informal settlement climate vulnerability, and community-based early warning systems.
Economic Development
Market infrastructure, local business support, workforce development, and equitable economic recovery in post-crisis cities, informal economy integration
Governance & Participation
Community engagement in planning, participatory budgeting, data transparency, civic technology, and inclusive decision-making frameworks for diverse populations.
Does your city have a challenge?
Whether you are a municipal planner, a government official, or a community organization — if you are wrestling with an urban challenge that existing resources have not solved, the City Solutions Lab was built for you.