Publication: Pancakes to Pyramids: City Form to Promote Sustainable Growth
Date
2021-05-31
ISSN
Published
2021-05-31
Author(s)
Abstract
Towns and cities are economic and social
microcosms in which large numbers of people and firms
interact. These interactions largely shape how a city looks,
how it functions, and how it grows. But how exactly does
this many-sided relationship work? What are the specific
drivers of urban economic and spatial development? Pancakes
to Pyramids brings us closer to answering these questions,
beginning with an idealized contrast between two patterns of
urban spatial growth. Pancakes are cities that grow outward
and remain relatively low-built. Pyramids are cities that
grow partly outward, but also partly inward and upward,
filling vacant parcels and adding height to central
districts to increase economic and residential densities.
Both types of density can help cities overcome the
challenges that come with population growth, and most
urgently, evolving from a pancake into a pyramid, creating a
platform with more options for controlling greenhouse gas
emissions. This report draws on new evidence, econometric
analysis, and predictive modeling to relate the economic
growth of cities to their past spatial evolution, and to the
possibility and conditions for future pyramidal growth.
Citation
“Lall, Somik; Lebrand, Mathilde; Park, Hogeun; Sturm, Daniel; Venables, Anthony. 2021. Pancakes to Pyramids: City Form to Promote Sustainable Growth. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35684 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”