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...

This report looks at the growth poles policy in Romania to determine ways to increase its effectiveness and efficiency for the next programming cycle (2014-2020). The growth poles policy in Romania has been initiated in 2008, as a means to support a balanced economic development of the country,...

Cities are where economic development really happens and where the risks from natural hazards are growing. Urbanization in Sierra Leone is occurring at USD 410/per capita, at a far lower level than other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa at similar urbanization levels. This study focuses on...

This study focuses on Bamako, the capital of Mali, that dominates the country's urban landscape. Acentral premise of policy-making in cities is that the flexibility, practicality, and focus of local governments make them ideal players to understand and respond to the needs of their citizens....

Chongqing is at a crossroads where its GDP per capita will reach a level at which cities typically decouple economic growth from energy and resource use, as well as associated carbon emissions and pollution. However, decoupling does not happen automatically. It requires cities to adopt green...

This study of seven provincial capitals in Vietnam's Mekong Delta region, conducted in cooperation with the Vietnam Government, is intended toinform government decision-making on strengthening disaster and climate resilience in these cities, to enable them to contribute to regional economic...