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...

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...

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...

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...

In the context of Romania's push toward sustainable and inclusive development, the government has asked the World Bank to support the harmonization of public investments financed by the European Union and the state budget. The current report describes the national program for local development...

The 2014-2015 Romania Regional Development 2 Program is the continuation of the World Bank's technical assistance to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration (MRDPA). Building on the previous engagement, the current work addresses a fundamental question: given Romania's...

This report examines the role of infrastructure in explaining why the region lags so far behind the rest of the country. More importantly, it looks at how improved infrastructure may help the region catch up. Infrastructure is examined here through its impact on social as well as economic...

Romania lags behind other European Union (EU) countries in many health outcomes. The government of Romania plans to build three new regional hospitals in the North-West (NW), North-East (NE), and South-West (SW) regions. These are envisaged to be tertiary referral hospitals providing highly...