The DistritoTec project in Monterrey, Mexico, is drawing people back to a denser, safer, more livable inner city. Photo by Tecnológico de Monterrey City life can be deeply unfair. This was true before the COVID-19 pandemic exposed just how differently the rich and poor are able to cope with lockdowns, from ability to work from home to access to green space. The pandemic’s devastating impacts on vulnerable groups have only widened existing fault lines tied to income, race and postal codes. Cities face much longer-term trends underlying vulnerability for hundreds of millions of people. Even as poverty has declined globally, the share of poor people living in urban areas is on the rise worldwide. Meanwhile, cities are more likely to experience flooding and extreme heat than in years past, and the poorest residents are hardest hit by these events. Increasingly, cities need solutions that address both climate change and inequality together.