Resilient land use planning integrates multiple perspectives, including exposure to natural hazards and associated vulnerabilities and risks, to ensure that development can cope with disruptions and recover swiftly from disaster events. Resilient land use planning aims to accommodate multiple...

This report uses administrative tax data on firm-to-firm trade in Honduras to evaluate the degree of integration between firms receiving export-oriented tax exemptions and the local economy. We present five stylized facts regarding firms' trade networks in Honduras and show that, across several...

Cities in the developing world are rapidly expanding, boosting countries' economies, reducing poverty, and fueling global prosperity. But as more people, assets, and economic activity become concentrated in cities, and infrastructure struggles to keep up with rapid growth, the risk posed by...

Despite its small population and land area, Bhutan is among the most rapidly urbanizing countries in South Asia. While this urbanization parallels robust economic growth and the expansion of job and investment opportunities in cities, there remain challenges to fully leveraging the potential of...

China's recently established Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has been given the task of developing the country's first National Territorial and Spatial Plan (NTSP). This Plan will replace four separate sectoral plans previously prepared by different ministries. The NTSP is meant to integrate...

The Kingdom of Morocco is endowed with a wealth of marine resources, characterized by high biodiversity with at least 600 identified fish species. In total, Morocco's coastal areas contribute 59 percent of the country's GDP and provide 52 percent of jobs. There is an even greater untapped...

Land use planning is one of the most important policy instruments for urban and regional development aiming to meet the needs of the populations while considering various factors such as environmental sustainability, economic development, and social well-being. The process of land use planning...

Rapid urbanization in Ghana over the past three decades has coincided with rapid GDP growth. This has helped to create jobs, increase human capital, decrease poverty, and expand opportunities and improve living conditions for millions of Ghanaians. Ghana’s urban transformation has been...

The objective of this report is to explore innovative financing instruments and approaches for catalyzing private sector financing to fill the climate-smart investment gap in cities. The report reviews the existing literature, highlights key barriers in scaling-up private investment in...