A new report, Livable Pacific Cities and Towns: Urbanization Strategies for Resilience, Sustainability and Inclusion, offers a regional analysis of current trends, practical recommendations to address resilient urbanization, and diagnostic tools for policymakers and practitioners involved in planning, design, and building cities in the region.
As urban populations grow, the ability of cities to generate jobs and drive development is increasingly critical. When urban centers expand, they foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and employment, helping entire regions and countries to become more prosperous and productive.
With World Bank support, over 1.15 million jobs were created as a result of the Ethiopia Urban Institutional and Infrastructure Development Program (UIIDP). Infrastructure investments in 117 cities helped improve living conditions for more than 6.6 million people, fueling employment and economic growth. Strengthened local governance and financial systems enabled cities to plan, deliver, and ...
How an Urban Program in Ethiopia Delivered More than a Million Jobs
Kigali is bringing nearly 500 hectares of urban wetlands back to life—the largest city-wide urban wetland rehabilitation in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Five Wetland Ecosystem Parks will draw over one million annual visits by 2031, create 5,000 jobs, and result in $45-90 million in avoided flood damages, linking recreation, research, and nature-based tourism to community benefits.
Demographic trends are diverse among regions, within regions and within countries: while many cities will continue to grow, albeit at declining rates, many other cities are looking at declining or aging populations. In the near future, many more cities will face an increasing aging population, with important implications for the provision of urban infrastructure and service provision.