The paper analyzes the role of central cities as engines of economic growth in their metropolitan area. We wonder if there are increasing returns to central city growth at the metropolitan level arising from the positive externalities associated with the unique features of central cities. To answer this question we analyze the causality between the economic growth of Spanish central cities and the growth of the other jurisdictions belonging to their metropolitan area (i.e., the suburbs). The analysis uses population and economic activity data for a sample of 28 Spanish metropolitan areas during 35 years. We use a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) framework to estimate long-run equilibrium relationships between the growth of central cities and their suburbs. The combination of panel data and a VECM is an innovative approach that is still being developed in econometrics. The results suggest that central city growth has a long-run positive effect on the growth of the suburbs. We also inquire as to whether or not this positive effect depends on the size of the central city. The results suggest that the effect is much higher in the case of the largest cities, but that it is also important in the case of the smaller ones.
Cities are the engines of growth for most national economies. As centers of production, innovation, creativity, trade and connectivity, urban areas are taking a leading role in stimulating global economic growth and competitiveness, resulting in higher incomes per capita and higher productivity. However, cities can also be places where some of the most important challenges of the 21st century, such as inequality, unemployment, segregation and poverty, are concentrated and exacerbated. How can cities balance the economic advantages they have and the associated challenges brought by rapid urbanization and economic growth? What is the role of local governments in achieving and ensuring sustainable economic growth and facilitating job creation? Can cities foster economic development? This volume is part of a book series called "IESE Cities in Motion: International Urban Best Practices." Cities and the Economy focuses on how cities can address these challenges in order to achieve sustainable economic growth, and assess the role of city governments and firms in promoting and ensuring local economic development. The book aims to be: - an insightful analysis of the main urban economic trends and challenges - a collection of international best practices on sustainable urban economies and local economic development - a tool to help city managers and policymakers in their endeavors to develop and deploy policies and initiatives to achieve urban areas that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.
A rich and nuanced analysis of the interplay of social, political, and economic factors in thirteen Canadian city-regions, large and small, this collection integrates research focusing on innovation, creativity and talent-retention, and governance in order to understand the distinctive experience of each region.
Cities are considered “engines of economic growth,” yet many cities in the global South struggle to increase productivity and provide significant economic opportunities for their growing populations. There is a need to deepen the knowledge on the links between public goods and services and equitable economic growth and how to support such processes, in policy and strategic terms, locally and globally. Against this background, this publication developed in the collaboration between Cities Alliance’s Equitable Economic Growth Cities Campaign initiative and three international research networks N-AERUS, AURI, REDEUS_LAC. The research explores how the interface between urban research and policymaking can be redefined to ensure that public goods and services foster equitable growth. It reveals a richness of practices that provide a broad and lasting positive impact in terms of equitable economic growth in urban development. One of them shows that collaborative efforts between academia, policy makers, communities, and practitioners can play a crucial role in enriching these debates and processes. Städte gelten als „Motoren des Wirtschaftswachstums“. Im globalen Süden kämpfen viele Städte darum, die ansässige Produktivität zu steigern um der wachsenden Stadtbevölkerung bessere wirtschaftliche Möglichkeiten zu bieten. Deshalb ist es erforderlich, Wissen über die Verbindungen zwischen öffentlichen Gütern und Dienstleistungen und gerechten Wirtschaftswachstum zu vertiefen, um Prozesse auf politischer und strategischer Hinsicht und lokaler und globaler Ebene zu unterstützen. Diese Publikation als Ergebnis der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Cities Alliance, über das Equitable Economic Growth Cities Programm und der internationalen Forschungsnetzwerke N-AERUS, AURI, REDEUS_LAC, untersucht wie die Schnittstelle zwischen Stadtforschung und Politikgestaltung neu definiert werden kann, so dass öffentliche Güter und Dienstleistungen gerechtes Wachstum fördern können. Die Forschung weist auf Praktiken, die einen breiten und dauerhaften positiven Einfluss auf ein gerechtes Wirtschaftswachstum in der Stadtentwicklung haben hin. Sie zeigt u.a., wie gemeinsame Bemühungen zwischen Hochschulen, politische Akteure, Gemeinden und Praktikern eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Bereicherung dieser Debatten und den laufenden Prozessen spielen können.
When and how were cities born? Does urbanization foster innovation and economic development? What was the level of urbanization in traditional societies? Did the Industrial Revolution facilitate urbanization? Has the growth of cities in the Third World been a handicap or an asset to economic development? In this revised translation of De Jéricho à Mexico, Paul Bairoch seeks the answers to these questions and provides a comprehensive study of the evolution of the city and its relation to economic life. Bairoch examines the development of cities from the dawn of urbanization (Jericho) to the explosive growth of the contemporary Third World city. In particular, he defines the roles of agriculture and industrialization in the rise of cities. "A hefty history, from the Neolithic onward. It's ambitious in scope and rich in subject, detailing urbanization and, of course, the links between cities and economies. Scholarly, accessible, and significant."—Newsday "This book offers a path-breaking synthesis of the vast literature on the history of urbanization."—John C. Brown, Journal of Economic Literature "One leaves this volume with the feeling of positions intelligently argued and related to the existing state of theory and knowledge. One also has the pleasure of reading a book unusually well-written. It will long both be a standard and stimulate new thought on the central issue of urban and economic growth."—Thomas A. Reiner, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
Nearly 4,000 cities on our planet today have populations of 100,000 people or more. We know their names, locations, and approximate populations from maps and other data sources, but there is little comparable knowledge about all these cities, and none that can be described as rigorously scientific. The Planet of Cities together with its companion volume, the Atlas of Urban Expansion, contributes to developing a science of cities based on studying all these cities together—not in the abstract, but with a view to preparing them for their coming expansion. The book puts into question the main tenets of the familiar Containment Paradigm, also known as smart growth, urban growth management, or compact city, that is designed to contain boundless urban expansion, typically decried as sprawl. It examines this paradigm in a broader global perspective and shows it to be deficient and practically useless in addressing the central questions now facing expanding cities outside the United States and Europe. In its place Shlomo Angel proposes to revive an alternative Making Room Paradigm that seeks to come to terms with the expected expansion of cities, particularly in the rapidly urbanizing countries in Asia and Africa, and to make the minimally necessary preparations for such expansion instead of seeking to contain it. This paradigm is predicated on four propositions:1. The expansion of cities that urban population growth entails cannot be contained. Instead we must make adequate room to accommodate it.2. City densities must remain within a sustainable range. If density is too low, it must be allowed to increase, and if it is too high, it must be allowed to decline.3. Strict containment of urban expansion destroys the homes of the poor and puts new housing out of reach for most people. Decent housing for all can be ensured only if urban land is in ample supply.4. As cities expand, the necessary land for public streets, public infrastructure networks, and public open spaces must be secured in advance of development.The first part of the book explores planetary urbanization in a historical and geographical perspective, to establish a global perspective for the study of cities. It confirms that we are in the midst of an urbanization project that started in earnest at the beginning of the nineteenth century, has now reached its peak with half the world population residing in urban areas, and will come to a close, possibly by the end of this century, when most people who want to live in cities will have moved there. This realization lends urgency to the call for preparing for urban expansion now, when the urbanization project is still in full swing, rather than later, when it would be too late to make a difference.The second part of the book seeks to deepen our understanding and thus lessen our fear of urban expansion by providing detailed quantitative answers to seven sets of questions regarding the dimensions and attributes of urban expansion:1. What are the extents of urban areas everywhere and how fast are they expanding over time?2. How dense are these urban areas and how are urban densities changing over time?3. How centralized are the residences and workplaces in cities and do they tend to disperse to the periphery over time? 4. How fragmented are the built-up areas of cities and how are levels of fragmentation changing over time?5. How compact are the shapes of urban footprints and how are their levels of compactness changing over time?6. How much land would urban areas require in future decades?7. How much cultivated land will be consumed by expanding urban areas?By answering these questions and exploring their implications for action, this book provides the conceptual framework, basic empirical data, and practical agenda necessary for the minimal yet meaningful management of the urban expansion process.The companion volume, Atlas of Urban Expansion, was also authored by Lincoln Institute visiting fellow Shlomo “
Economic challenges in developing Asian countries have become more complex: urban populations are growing at great cost to the environment, climate change has increased risks of natural disasters, and income gaps within and between developing countries are widening. These factors threaten the sustainable growth and development of urban areas, the drivers of Asia's economy. A strategic approach for inclusive growth is needed. The City Cluster Economic Development approach provides a strategic framework and a set of analytical tools, which governments, businesses, and communities can use to support the inclusive and sustainable development of competitive urban economies in Asia. Said approach was developed and tested by the Asian Development Bank to improve the basis for integrated planning and development of urban regions in Asia and the Pacific. It also elps urban managers and other city stakeholders identify action plans and determine priority investment areas.
