Urban Development Series Knowledge Papers
19 items available
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Produced by the World Bank’s Urban Development and Resilience Unit of the Sustainable Development Network, the Urban Development Series discusses the challenge of urbanization and what it will mean for developing countries in the decades ahead. The Series aims to explore and delve more substantively into the core issues framed by the World Bank’s 2009 Urban Strategy Systems of Cities: Harnessing Urbanization for Growth and Poverty Alleviation. Across the five domains of the Urban Strategy, the Series provides a focal point for publications that seek to foster a better understanding of (i) the core elements of the city system, (ii) pro-poor policies, (iii) city economies, (iv) urban land and housing markets, (v) sustainable urban environment, and other urban issues germane to the urban development agenda for sustainable cities and communities.
Items in this collection
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Publication
Sustainable Infrastructure Financing for Small Towns in China: Approaches to Attract Long-Term Capital for Small-Scale Infrastructure Projects
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-11)China has experienced rapid urbanization in the past three decades, which has successfully brought unparalleled economic growth, employment creation and improvement in living standards. This paper is focused on exploring the feasibility of establishing a pooled Infrastructure Financing Facility (IFF) at the sub-national level to provide sustainable long-term finance to infrastructure projects in small towns. The paper reviews China’s fiscal and infrastructure financing system, including the 2014 amendment of China’s Budget Law and associated regulations, presents an overview of pooled IFFs, and explores the potential application of a pooled financing facility in China, specifically for urban infrastructure projects in the greater Shanghai region. -
Publication
Sustainable Financing and Policy Models for Municipal Composting
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-09)Municipal solid waste generation is expected to continue rising, especially in low- and middle-income countries, along with the associated greenhouse gas emissions. This report attempts to understand how cities can more sustainably manage organic waste through composting. It presents successful municipal-level composting models and the social, policy, and financial environments that enabled them. Starting with the pre-conditions needed in the initial planning phase to potential financing sources and supportive policies, this report walks through the key factors a city must deliberate prior to pursuing composting as a waste management solution. -
Publication
Investment in Urban Heritage : Economic Impacts of Cultural Heritage Projects in FYR Macedonia and Georgia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-09)Although World Bank projects in the cultural heritage field are subject to the usual assessments that are applied to any project implementation, little is known about the subsequent performance of these projects in the years post-completion. This study was undertaken to provide some empirical evidence for the economic impacts of cultural heritage investment. Two case studies were chosen for this purpose, in the historic town centers of Skopje, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Tbilisi, Georgia, respectively. The economic principles those are important for the analysis of cultural heritage investment decisions make use of concepts such as scarcity, opportunity cost, and public preferences. The study confirms the positive impacts of the investments. In the Macedonian case, the project helped to stimulate an ongoing investment of US$2.5 million in the project site, the Skopje old bazaar. Tourist numbers increased compared to the control site in Prilep; between 2005 and 2010, daily tourist numbers in the Skopje Old Bazaar increased by 90 percent compared to a slight decline in Prelip. Employment also grew more rapidly in the target site than in the control area. This study leads to some lessons for the design of heritage projects and for the conduct of an ex post economic impact evaluation. -
Publication
Financing the Urban Expansion in Tanzania
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-01)This paper seeks to develop estimates of the net cost of the urban expansion in Tanzania. The paper focuses on developing estimates of the cost of planning and servicing land for new residential urban settlement. It does not attempt to develop detailed estimates of the cost of addressing infrastructure backlogs which would include the retrofitting of basic urban infrastructure to unplanned areas. On the revenue side, estimates of current spending in urban areas takes into account urban Local Government Authority (LGA) budgets as well as sectoral spending in urban areas (e.g., in the water sector). A number of assumptions were made to estimate both costs and revenues. These assumptions have been set conservatively, therefore, estimates of the net cost of the urban expansion are considered to be on the lower end of the possible range. These estimates can inform discussions on future investment needs of urban LGAs. They may also serve as the basis for analyzing options for financing each type of infrastructure; for determining what might be financed publicly versus privately, what might be financed with current funds versus credit, what might be financed with local versus national funds; and to determine the spatial arrangement of infrastructure to maximize efficiency, equity and sustainability. This paper focuses on estimating the cost of providing a basic package of urban infrastructure to service new residential neighborhoods. While urban population growth will multiply demands for infrastructure spanning commercial, industrial and residential areas of the city, this paper focuses on residential areas only. Additionally, while urban population growth can potentially lead to the densification of existing (planned and unplanned) urban areas as well as the growth of new urban settlements, this paper focuses on infrastructure provision in new urban settlements, with cost estimates based on the assumption that these areas will be planned. This is a significant simplifying assumption since in Tanzania the majority of urban development is unregulated. -
Publication
Guidebook on Capital Investment Planning for Local Governments
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-10)The purpose of this guidebook is to provide practical advice to local governments (LGs) in developing countries on how to establish and maintain a process of planning and funding capital investment as a regular activity integrated with other activities of the LG and based on principles of good public management. The guidebook is addressed mainly to cities that have not yet established such a process or are interested in revising their current processes. The guidebook is written for decision makers and technical experts in LGs who are engaged or should be engaged in this process. The guidebook is designed primarily for urban LGs, but much of the information is useful for mixed or rural jurisdictions as well. This guidebook also is useful for the staffs of donor agencies and/or consultants who assist cities in municipal development projects. This guidebook is one instrument integrated with other World Bank urban programs and instruments that support sustainable urban development in developing countries within the framework of the World Bank Urban and Local Government Strategy. These other urban programs include the: (1) Urbanization Review Framework (URF), which provides macro-level diagnostic tools to identify key policy issues related to urbanization and the investment priorities for it; (2) Eco2: Ecological Cities as Economic Cities (city or metropolitan sustainable urban development initiative that assists developing country cities to achieve environmental and economic sustainability; and (3) Disaster Risk Management Program (DRM). This guidebook will help LGs prepare specific capital investment plans (CIPs) based on their national urbanization strategies and city-based sustainable urban development plans elaborated through the Eco2 initiative and/or various Disaster Risk Management Program (DRM) instruments. The guidebook will be especially useful to LGs if they have adopted their urbanization strategies and established clear investment priorities. -
Publication
Memo to the Mayor : Improving Access to Urban Land for All Residents - Fulfilling the Promise
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-06)As the world is urbanizing, many cities are grappling with a population that is growing rapidly, thereby increasing demand for land and housing. This pressure on land and housing markets often is exacerbated by inappropriate or inadequate policies. The result is a supply of well-located land and housing that falls well short of demand and the proliferation of poorly serviced informal settlements, many of which are located far from jobs, city services and amenities. This paper discusses the major policy levers local leaders may have at their disposal to improve access to land and housing and thereby change the landscape of cities for the better. It discusses common obstacles administrative, political, and financial and options for overcoming them. In particular, the report: (1) takes a fresh look at some traditional mechanisms such as land regulation, property taxation, and public-private partnerships; (2) reintroduces some innovative land tools community land trusts, guided development, transfer of development rights, land pooling/readjustment, and land sharing that may have a place in cities' arsenal of responses; and (3) suggests ways to garner the political support that will be needed to move forward with programs of reform.