As part of the activities on Woodfuel Integrated Supply/Demand Overview Mapping methodology (WISDOM), this study reviews the nexus between rapid urbanization processes, poverty and woodfuel consumption trends in the urban and peri-urban areas of developing countries. It examines the environmental and socio-economic changes induced by rapid urban growth, such as the increase in charcoal consumption, and proposes conceptual and methodological tools to support urban wood energy planning and the establishment of sustainable wood energy systems.

The WISDOM methodology and the additional urban woodshed module are applied to selected cities in East Africa (Dar-es-Salaam, Arusha-Moshi, Kampala and Khartoum) and Southeast Asia (Phnom Penh, Battambang, Vientiane and Luang Prabang), using the WISDOM analyses carried out for these subregions as reference.

The studies reveal how deeply the supply zones extend into rural areas and forests, with woodfuels often travelling several hundred kilometers to reach urban consumers and highlight the essential contribution of wall-to-wall analysis in the definition of the zones of influence of individual cities.

To support operational wood energy planning within priority areas defined at the strategic level, the study presents the features and parameters to be collected for accurate woodfuel flow analysis and discusses best practices in urban and peri-urban land management for the integration of woodfuel production in multifunctional urban forestry.