Overview -- The Urban Imperative : Toward Shared Prosperity

Glaeser, Edward ; Joshi-Ghani, Abha

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: AFFORDABLE HOUSING;    AGGLOMERATION BENEFITS;    AGGLOMERATION ECONOMICS;    AGGLOMERATION ECONOMIES;    AIR;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-6875
RP-ID  :  WPS6875

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Urbanization is undoubtedly a key driverof development -- cities provide the national platform forprosperity, job creation, and poverty reduction. Buturbanization also poses enormous challenges that one isfamiliar with: congestion, air pollution, social divisions,crime, the breakdown of public services and infrastructure,and the slums that one billion urban resident's callhome. Urbanization is perhaps the single most importantquestion in development today. It is clear that cities havenot performed as well as can be expected in theirtransformative role for more livable, inclusive,people-centered, and sustainable development. But they haveenormous potential as growth escalators, offering theopportunity to lift millions out of poverty, and serve ascenters of knowledge, innovations, and entrepreneurship.Cities in both the developed and developing world want toattract more entrepreneurs and create more jobs. Cities alsoneed to be resilient to natural hazards and the impacts ofclimate change. If these are left unaddressed, cities willbecome part of the problem rather than the solution.