Other ESW Reports

226 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2209

This includes miscellaneous ESW types and pre-2003 ESW type reports that are subsequently completed and released.

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

Traffic Management in African Cities: The Way Forward

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-01-31) Arroyo Arroyo, Fatima ; Frame, Gladys ; SSATP

This report explores how to establish important priorities in traffic management. It is neither a toolkit nor a quick fix; rather, it focuses on realistic options for traffic management policies and measures that can be used by local transport officials, international and national transport agencies, universities, and local entrepreneurs. Each theme explored in this report provides a roadmap and guidelines for traffic authorities to follow. The implementation of a Functional Road Hierarchy (FRH), for example, is animportant factor for determining the predominant function of a road within mixed functions, and achieving safe, efficient road use.This report also presents five separate and complementary themes that provide African policymakers with tools to develop a strongerinstitutional foundation for sustainable, safe, and affordable urban traffic management in Sub-Saharan African cities. Known as the “EASI” (Enable, Avoid, Shift, Improve) Framework, these themes emphasize a more people-centric approach to adopting non-motorized modes of transport and addressing parking challenges, while embracing Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and technology to improve safety and efficiency across the board. See a comprehensive outline of the EASI principles below. The five themes are influenced by successful outcomes in European, South American, and Asian cities. These cities evolved in similar circumstances to Sub-Saharan African cities and crafted their own roadmaps to traffic management success. Moreover, these themes are entirely consistent with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: “Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” The proposals also build on some measures that are currently evolving in a few Sub-Saharan African cities.
Urban Mobility in African Cities: Developing National Urban Mobility Policy and Delivering at the City Level - Summary Report

(Washington, DC, 2022-01-31) World Bank

African cities are growing at an extraordinary rate. Unfortunately, many cities are growing so fast that national, provincial, and city governments cannot manage how they develop or assure the provision of the services people need. This has many negative consequences for national and city economies and the people who live in these areas. Urban mobility is one of the key challenges for African cities. In many cities, the transport system has failed to keep up with urban growth. There is inadequate provision of dependable, affordable, and safe transport services to meet the travel needs of the people. Private vehicle ownership and use is increasing, congesting the roads. The informal sector provides much of the general transport service, using very large numbers of small vehicles. At the same time, the travel system impacts the city through congestion, increased costs, pollution, accidents, noise, intrusion, and long delays for both users and non-users. Cities cannot resolve these things alone. National Governments need to lead by guiding the development of cities, developing urban mobility policies, improving the implementation frameworks, and mobilizing finance. Critical to this strategy is ensuring city level capabilities are built to develop and implement locally appropriate strategies. The Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP) aims to provide African decision-makers with the tools necessary to support the implementation of such policies and measures. Within this work, SSATP has developed guidance and prepared specific recommendations for urban mobility policy for 12 Sub-Saharan African countries. This note also provides a concise synthesis of the key issues and guidance, which can then be read in detail in the technical reports.
An Assessment of Customary Tenure Systems in the Lao PDR

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022) Hackman, Richard

The history of land rights in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), hereafter referred to as Laos, is a history of customary land tenure systems which remain the most prevalent form of land tenure. As social systems, land tenure systems in Laos have been affected by and have adapted to external forces such as neighboring kingdoms, colonialization, geopolitics and war, migration, and global economic trends. Ongoing rapid changes in national socioeconomic conditions and domestic political goals continue to alter the customary tenure landscape. Customary tenure systems have responded differently to changes, but the predominant direction is a transition towards formalization that provide varying levels of recognition and protection of land rights. As this transition occurs, a mixed customary-statutory tenure mosaic has emerged across the mountains and plains of Laos. Within this mosaic, the level of tenure security differs. Due to a lack of formal recognition, the most insecure tenure is land held fully under customary tenure. This desk-based assessment considers the culture and ethnicity of customary tenure systems, their prevalence in the country, general typologies found in Laos, customary tenure systems in transition, and past efforts to formalize customary land rights.
Charting a Course for Sustainable Hydrological and Meteorological Observation Networks in Developing Countries

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022) Grimes, David R. ; Rogers, David P. ; Schumann, Andreas ; Day, Brian F.

Over the past 20 years, developing countries have invested in upgrading hydrological and meteorological networks, often with the assistance of development partners. In most of these projects, the share of the investment in the modernization of networks has been between 40 and 50 percent of the total project costs. The objectives of these initiatives have been to create reliable analyses, numerical predictions, and forecasts to inform early action, response, and planning across the whole of society. In some countries, monitoring networks have been sustained and improved over the decades. But in others, maintaining them operationally has remained elusive, resulting not only in inoperable or poorly maintained observational infrastructure and systems but also in a failure to realize the intended benefits. Why did some succeed where others did not That is a question that this report tries to answer by exploring the underpinnings of the successes and the possibilities of replicating these successes elsewhere, and thereby contribute to the body of knowledge on observation networks. This report aims to facilitate the development of more strategic and viable roadmaps for investments in weather and climate observation networks where those investments are likely to be substantial in the coming decades, as countries improve resilience to natural hazards and economies transform in response to climate change challenge.
Citywide Inclusive Water Supply: Role of Supplementary Urban Water Service Providers

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022) Misra, Smita ; Kingdom, Bill

This report outlines a proactive vision of how development of the supplementary service provider in the water sector can promote citywide inclusive water supply, ensure rapid progress is made in achieving SDG 6.1, and deliver on the green, resilient, and inclusive development and jobs development agenda. Using case studies from around the world, it analyzes the potential of off-utility provision of water and develops a framework focused on what is needed to formalize, professionalize, and scale up these services. It also presents potential models for high-quality supplementary service provider water delivery and outlines how these can be implemented.
Innovation in Fare Payment Systems for Public Transport in African Cities

(Washington, DC, 2022-01) Arroyo Arroyo, Fatima ; Van Ryneveld, Philip Clive ; Finn, Brendan ; Greenwood, Karin Chantal ; Coetzee, Gerhardus Koch

This study of African fare payment systems seeks to understand the emerging payment landscape in public transport in Sub-Saharan Africa, identifying key trends and their implications. The research draws on case studies undertaken in five African cities—Cape Town,Kigali, Lagos, Maputo and Nairobi—selected to cover a variety of contexts, innovations and language regions. A sixth case is included from India, identified through a wider international scan and which embodies some significant innovations relevant to the African context.
COVID-19 and Tourism in South Asia: Opportunities for Sustainable Regional Outcomes

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-06) Twining Ward, Louise ; McComb, Jessie F.

COVID-19 (coronavirus) is affecting nearly 47.7 million travel and tourism jobs across South Asia, many held by women and vulnerable communities working in the informal sector. Losses of over 50 billion US dollars in gross domestic product in the region are expected in the travel and tourism sector alone as a result of the crisis. Governments are already responding with emergency programs to help small and medium enterprises stay afloat and save jobs. As the South Asia region moves from crisis to recovery planning, governments and destinations have an opportunity to think strategically about the future of their tourism sectors and implement policies that will improve the industry. This regional brief is designed to raise awareness of the importance of tourism to the region and to the World Bank's regional portfolio, highlight some measures being taken by governments and the Bank to address the crisis, and provide recommendations for short- and medium-term sustainable regional recovery, including through greater intraregional tourism. The brief covers Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan was excluded due to a lack of data.
Facilitating Trade and Logistics for E-Commerce: Building Blocks, Challenges, and Ways Forward

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-12) Huria, Ankur

The objective of this note is to identify the key issues in trade facilitation and logistics that affect the e-commerce landscape, with a focus on cross border (trade facilitation) domestic delivery (logistics); highlight key challenges and opportunities, particularly for developing countries and small and medium enterprises (SMEs); and provide a roadmap for potential areas of World Bank (WB) support in that landscape. This work has broadly covered areas such as customs and border management; information and communications technology for trade; logistics services, including competition issues; and trade-related infrastructure (ports, inland ports, airports, and so on). This note identifies the various issues and challenges relating to e-commerce from a facilitation and logistics point of view and identifies potential solutions, particularly those in which the WBG can play a role in helping developing countries. The note draws from a wide array of developments and literature and from work done by the WBG more generally in trade facilitation and logistics in assisting countries to improve their trade environment. The note explores the required building blocks for facilitating cross-border e-commerce as to address the challenges raised and consist of: (a) improvement programs for creating a more conducive legal environment for automation; (b) improving automation and interconnectivity between agencies; (c) implementing simplified procedures to trade, including for e-commerce; and (d) implementing fully the World Trade Organizations (WTO’s) trade facilitation agreement. The note concludes with the summation that e-commerce offers new challenges and opportunities for governments and firms, but to maximize its benefits requires significant reform. This note has set out a path for countries to continuing the reform and modernization route with recommendations and an action matrix of specific improvements to the trade facilitation and logistics environment that will better position countries and firms to take advantage of the enormous potential that cross border e-commerce offers.