This book reviews the role of addressing within the array of urban management tools and explores the links between addressing and civic identity, urban information systems, support to municipal services, tax systems, land management and tenure issues, slum upgrading, support to concessionary...

This review of the active portfolio of World Bank projects aimed at improving urban environmental quality was carried out during 2002-03 in order to assess the level of commitment of the institution to urban sustainability. The review focuses on the contributions of key sectors to urban...

Africa is urbanizing rapidly, and this creates both opportunities and challenges. Labor productivity appears to be much higher in developing-world cities than in rural areas, and historically urbanization is strongly correlated with economic growth. Education seems to be a strong complement to...

The fast and often chaotic urbanization of the developing world generates both economic opportunity and challenges, like contagious disease and congestion, because proximity increases both positive and negative externalities. In this paper, we review the expanding body of economic research on...

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...

In the coming decades, climate change will force cities to grapple with new operating conditions to construct and maintain key urban infrastructure. Strategies for covering the costs of climate-resilient upgrades will vary by locale, reflecting differing market, regulatory, and policy...

There is clear evidence on the need for cities to rapidly scale-up their investments in climate change mitigation programs and build strong foundations for climate-resilient communities. Investing in low carbon infrastructure and climate resilience can generate competitive returns and is crucial...

Urbanisation is taking place at an unprecedented rate throughout the world, often outpacing plans and the capacity of city managers. As a result, natural open space areas in cities are being degraded and diminished, and problems such as flooding, air and water pollution are getting worse. The...

Community-development development (CDD) programs require monitoring and evaluation (M&E) to tell those implementing and funding the programs whether they are on track to deliver, or have delivered, desired outcomes such as improved services, economic activity, and empowerment. The objective of...

By the year 2020, Ha Long will be a city of tourism, a center of seaborne commerce, a commercial capital and playing the role of a core urban area in the Northern region of Vietnam. It will be a place that will attract investment and tourism from all over the world with a growing, dynamic,...