Urbanisation is one of the most important potential drivers of productivity and growth in the global economy. But if countries and cities are to capture the productivity benefits of urban growth while minimising the costs, cities will need to shift to a more economically and environmentally sustainable growth pattern.
Cities that are designed and managed well – where people have plentiful options to move around without cars or do not have to go far to get work done – are powerful drivers of growth, creating good jobs and making them attractive places to live, says Lord Nicholas Stern.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala writes that an international effort is under way to encourage countries to remove policies that may contradict their otherwise sincere efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Most developed countries now pursue policies that implicitly or explicitly aim at promoting compact urban form. This report analyses more than 300 academic papers that study the effects of compact urban form, and finds that 69% of the papers reviewed find positive effects associated with compact urban form. Over 70% of studies find positive effects of economic density (the number of people living or working in an area). A smaller majority of studies attribute positive effects to mixed land use (58%) and the density of the built environment (56%).
There’s ample evidence that renewable energy and energy efficiency are booming sectors for business, writes Naina Lal Kidwai in the Financial Times.
Tanzania has the sixth highest rate of urban population growth in the world, but so far it has been largely informal and unmanaged. This paper offers recommendations for managing Tanzania’s urban growth at the country level.
In Africa, the new climate economy of the future will bring benefits ranging from jobs in clean energy to improved air quality and more productive land, writes Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in the Financial Times.
This newsletter covers an event hosted by the New Climate economy and the Swedish Embassy on Business Opportunities for the Climate and Economy, the New Climate Economy's response to the US on the Paris Agreement, a new OECD report, and the latest developments on carbon pricing and renewable energy.
Coal is no longer the best option for energy or for jobs. In fact, it’s become a risky bet, writes President Calderón in the Financial Times.
