Person: Kaw, Jon Kher
Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice
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URBAN PLANNING, URBAN RESILIENCE, URBAN ECONOMICS, DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT
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Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice
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Last updated: July 11, 2024
Biography
Jon Kher Kaw is a senior urban development specialist and heads the Urbanscapes global community of practice at the World Bank. He brings with him expertise in integrated urban planning, technology and city innovation. Prior to joining the World Bank, he was with the Singapore public service where he held various key positions at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). There, he oversaw the planning, design and implementation of key growth regions; as well as real estate market research and land allocation policies. He holds a Master in Design Studies (Housing and Urbanization) from Harvard University and a Master of Architecture from Columbia University.
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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
Publication Future Amman Positioned at a Juncture: Three Strategies Toward Climate-Smart Spatial Transformation(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-12) Kaw, Jon Kher; Park, Hogeun; Edilbi, BanIn "Future Amman Positioned at a Juncture: Three Strategies Toward Climate-Smart Spatial Transformation," the intricate dynamics of Amman's urban landscape are meticulously studied to offer a comprehensive roadmap toward spatial transformation. With a focus on growth dynamics, resource allocation, asset management, and planning reforms, the book lays out three strategies crucial for Amman's future development. Strategy 1 delves into the necessity of leveraging spatial planning to manage growth effectively and foster synergies across various sectors. Strategy 2 emphasizes the urgency of strategic sequencing and prioritization of actions to optimize limited resources within Amman's evolving landscape. Finally, Strategy 3 underscores the untapped potential of Amman's public land assets and enterprises in driving economic development and sustainable land value capture. Through insightful analysis and pragmatic recommendations, the publication offers a compelling narrative for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders invested in shaping Amman's future as a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient city.Publication The Hidden Wealth of Cities: Creating, Financing, and Managing Public Spaces(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2020-02-11) Kaw, Jon Kher; Lee, Hyunji; Wahba, SamehIn every city, the urban spaces that form the public realm—ranging from city streets, neighborhood squares, and parks to public facilities such as libraries and markets—account for about one-third of the city’s total land area, on average. Despite this significance, the potential for these public-space assets—typically owned and managed by local governments—to transform urban life and city functioning is often overlooked for many reasons: other pressing city priorities arising from rapid urbanization, poor urban planning, and financial constraints. The resulting degradation of public spaces into congested, vehicle-centric, and polluted places often becomes a liability, creating a downward spiral that leads to a continuous drain on public resources and exacerbating various city problems. In contrast, the cities that invest in the creation of human-centered, environmentally sustainable, economically vibrant, and socially inclusive places—in partnership with government entities, communities, and other private stakeholders—perform better. They implement smart and sustainable strategies across their public space asset life cycles to yield returns on investment far exceeding monetary costs, ultimately enhancing city livability, resilience, and competitiveness. The Hidden Wealth of Cities: Creating, Financing, and Managing Public Spaces discusses the complexities that surround the creation and management of successful public spaces and draws on the analyses and experiences from city case studies from around the globe. This book identifies—through the lens of asset management—a rich palette of creative and innovative strategies that every city can undertake to plan, finance, and manage both government-owned and privately owned public spaces.Publication Transit-Oriented Neighborhoods in Amman: Neighborhood Selection, Analysis, and Urban Design(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-07-11) Vallejo, Jose Luis; Tato, Belinda; Rizzetto, Marco; Kaw, Jon Kher; Park, Hogeun; Edilbi, BanThis synthesis report examines the potential for urban design solutions to facilitate transit-oriented development (TOD) and enhance first-last mile connectivity in selected neighborhoods in Amman, leveraging municipal lands and assets, and through innovative use of public space enhancements across various scales to address neighborhood livability, inclusion and safety; greenery and urban heat islands; and access to public transit nodes, jobs and services.Publication The Welfare and Productivity Effects of Transit Improvements in Amman(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-13) Kleineberg, Tatjana; Murray, Sally; Tang, Yulu; Kaw, Jon KherThis paper studies the long-run welfare and productivity effects of transit improvements in the Greater Amman Municipality. The paper builds a rich quantitative spatial model that includes many aspects of the economic geography of Amman. It studies the effects of new bus rapid transit lines that improve the connection of more peripheral areas to the city center, in two phases: phase 1 (approximately) connecting the north-eastern and north-western regions, and phase 2 adding the southern and south-westerns regions. It finds that the bus rapid transit increases output by 4.4 to 5 percent in phase 1 and 7.2 to 7.6 percent in phase 2. Workers in manufacturing benefit the most, and they also lived farthest from the city center before the bus rapid transit was established. Welfare in all neighborhoods increases, with the largest increases at the outer ends of the new bus rapid transit lines. Phase 1 generally promotes densification and welfare in already dense locations, while phase 2 encourages additional densification to the south. Our preliminary analysis of the interaction of zoning restrictions with the bus rapid transit suggests that legal zoning limits are binding in a few locations where excess demand for real estate after the expansion of bus rapid transit is expected to be large.Publication Vibrant Cities - On the Bedrock of Stability, Prosperity, and Sustainability(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-12-07) Lall, Somik V.; Kaw, Jon Kher; Shilpi, Forhad; Murray, Sally BethHow will the world’s developing cities become vibrant—capable of meeting the climate, social, and economic challenges of tomorrow? Vibrant cities offer firms and households high expectations for good returns on investments, for a sustainable and resilient future, and for dynamic and inclusive growth. Cities thrive not only by increasing incomes and wealth for a select few but by improving common welfare through the equitable provision of basic services and opportu¬nities. To do this, tomorrow’s vibrant cities will be: 1.Resilient and low carbon—Limiting greenhouse gas emissions, reducing vulnerability to climate related hazards, and rebounding from disasters and pandemics. 2.Inclusive—Meeting basic needs for all residents, while enabling all to aspire realistically to a bet¬ter life through investment in skills and through equitable access to job opportunities. 3.Productive—Driving economic growth, creating jobs, boosting incomes, and financing critical social and infrastructure investments. The report provides new evidence, analysis, and policy insights to advance green, resilient, and inclusive urban development—drawing on the latest thinking in spatial urban development and public economics. While spotlighting the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), it offers general insights for city and country leaders around the world. In doing so, it lays the foundations to shore up our technical assistance and policy engagements for urban development in MENA and elsewhere through a new policy framework—inform, support, and protect.Publication Unblocking Transformative Development in Amman: A Way Forward for Planning Law Reform(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-05-31) Berrisford, Stephen; Alexander, Christian; Jonker, Vivienne; Kaw, Jon KherAmman sits at a crossroads. The city's growth presents new opportunities for development that can be both efficient and sustainable. However, rapid urbanization also strains public infrastructure and services, and could result in unsustainable urban patterns that can only be fixed later only with great effort. The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) needs the right tools and systems to properly guide new development and recoup sufficient revenues to re-invest in meeting the needs of residents and businesses. Unfortunately, the current legal framework governing land development in Amman is outdated and does not meet the city's current needs. Recent legislation has provided GAM with the opportunity to put in place much needed legal structures at the local level, while the national government works on implementing broader reforms. But this work has to be focused and efficient if it is to be effective. Unless GAM makes critical legal changes the city will continue to face significant challenges in guiding urban growth or raising revenues to pay for services and infrastructure. GAM is currently working on these reforms, which are critical to setting Amman on the right path towards more sustainable development. This report reviews the Greater Amman Municipality’s (GAM) urban planning, land use and governance legal framework to identify any gaps and propose ways in which the laws could be improved, so that GAM can better meet the development demands of Amman.Publication Amman Urban Growth Scenarios: Pathways Toward a Low-carbon Future(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022-06-12) Kaw, Jon Kher; Li, Yanchao; Morad, Mira; Tammaa, Waad; Ochoa, Ricardo; León, DinorahAlthough Jordan is a small contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, its emissions have rapidly increased in the last four decades. Transport and energy prove to be the two sectors with the highest GHG contribution. The increase in GHG has also been related to the rapid population growth and urbanisation process. The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has been transitioning towards climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. It has developed a comprehensive Climate Action Plan and climate change measures to reduce exposure to environmental hazards and reduce GHG emissions. These strategies have the objective to achieve a resilient city and promote sustainability in the city. The objective of this project was to provide analytical insights into the Jordan Climate Change Development Report (CCDR), focusing on the urban, transport, and energy sectors.