state of the world's cities 2012/2013 - United Nations Sustainable ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Productivity and the Prosperity of CitiesTable 2.1.2City-specific factors determining a city’s productivityIntrinsic(natural)productivitygrowthfactorsExtrinsicproductivitygrowthfactorsEconomies of scaleProvision of urban servicesAgglomeration economiesMatchingSharingLearningTechnical efficiencyStructural efficiencyLand management policiesSpace efficiencyInfrastructure investmentTaxationDisaster preventionOperational efficiencyDay-to-day urban managementService deliveryEmergency managementInstitutional scaffoldingSound local institutions (e.g., decentralization)Sound governanceEase of doing businessQuality of life (quality of education, safety,cultural life, liveliness)Attractiveness to knowledge-base industriesAttraction and retention of the ‘creative class’Learning-based efficiencyCreativity and innovationResearch and development and technologicaldevelopmentEntrepreneurshipVisionLocal leadershipLocal governanceeconomies (Table 2.1.2). Other city-specific factors dependon the city’s ability to capitalize on the natural productivitypotential of agglomeration economies (‘extrinsic cityspecificfactors’).Intrinsic city-level factors 15One of the most obvious factors determining urbanproductivity is population growth. As a city’s populationincreases, so does the pool of workers and consumers.Agglomeration economies are the benefits firms derivefrom locating near customers and suppliers in order toreduce transport and communication costs and havingaccess to a large labour pool. In larger cities, workersfactThe concentration of infrastructure, people as wellas economic, social and cultural activities, leads tosubstantial benefits and efficiency due to agglomeration and scaleeconomies.benefit from a wider rangeof potential employers,which lowers their risk offailure. Better matchingbetween labour supplyand demand results ingreater flexibility, higherproductivity and strongergrowth for both workersand businesses. Cities alsooffer firms and residentsaccess to a wider and betterrange of shared servicesand infrastructure. 16Extrinsic city-levelfactorsAs cities continue togrow, higher productivitycomes to depend on otherfactors, such as the abilityof a city to maximizethe technical efficiencyof urban systems, bothstructural and operational.Effective managementof agglomerationdiseconomies – includingcongestion and rising inputprices – enables the population and businesses to maximizetheir own productive potential.This has been the case in Mumbai, where seriousattempts to create an international financial hub havebeen defeated by chaotic local transport conditionstogether with a prohibitive property (rental) market, withfactpolicy Agglomerationeconomiesgive cities a competitiveadvantage over ruralareas, as well as largecities over smaller cities.Agglomeration economiesalso benefit denselypopulated areas withincities.policyThe structuralproductivityof cities in part rests uponan efficient supply ofserviced land and reliableinfrastructure, includingtransport, power, waterand sanitation as will asICT. These are criticalenabling factors of urbandevelopment, as theyconstitute basic inputs ofproductive activity and,if deficient, constitutea limiting constrainton growth and privateinvestment.Lack of adequate infrastructure severely hinders thestructural productivity of cities, limiting their capacity toachieve full potential.41
State of the World’s Cities 2012/2013rents twice as high asThe soundManhattan’s pushing majorpolicy operation offinancial companies awaycities, which encompassesfrom the city.traffic to emergency17management, transportSeveral cities areservices, garbage collection, actively expandingand the provision of urban infrastructure as partservices that offer critical of their developmentsupport to social andstrategies. Kenya’seconomic activities arecapital Nairobi isimportant determinants ofthe operational productivitydeveloping transportof cities.and communicationsinfrastructure, withtangible results in terms ofefficiency and productivityin various economic sectors. Similar efforts are underwayin Guadalajara in central Mexico in a bid to attract morehigh-technology firms (electronics and communications). Asa result, production structures are undergoing rapid change,and suburban landscapes with them.For example, Rio de Janeiro’s newly establishedOperations Centre offers a glimpse of the way cities mightbe managed in the future. 18 Conceived as a city-widedecision-making mechanism for emergency situationsbased on real-time information, the centre integratesinformation from multiple departments and governmentagencies, Visual displays of data from various urbansystems, including surveillance cameras, together withmaps, news updates, information about incidents andeven simulations, facilitate real-time monitoring andanalysis. Although initially designed for forecasting floodsand other emergencies, the Centre is also used for dayto-daymanagement of urban functions. Similar projectshave already been implemented in New York City and inGauteng (South Africa). 19With the decline of physical constraints on cities andcommunities as a result of technological progress in recentdecades, creativity and innovation have arguably becomemajor driving forces of productivity and economic growthin urban areas.Figure 2.1.5Factors hampering economic productivityCorruption/lack of good governanceCost of conducting businessWeak public institutionsper cent40Lack of appropriate knowledge & skills developmentDeficient infrastructurePoor access to information35302520151050Africa Asia LAC Arab States All regions42
Page 1 and 2: ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITYEQUITY
Page 3 and 4: Copyright © United Nations Human S
Page 7: AcknowledgementsCore TeamDirector:
Page 11 and 12: Chapter 1.1Conceptualizing UrbanPro
Page 13 and 14: State of the World’s Cities 2012/
Page 35 and 36: Part Two
Page 37 and 38: Chapter 2.1Productivity and thePros
Page 41: State of the World’s Cities 2012/
Page 49 and 50: Chapter 2.2Urban Infrastructure:Bed
Page 69 and 70: Chapter 2.4Equity and theProsperity
Page 79 and 80: Chapter 2.5EnvironmentalSustainabil
Page 89: Part ThreePolicies forProsperous Ci
Page 92 and 93:
From Comparative Advantage to Urban
Page 94 and 95:
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102 and 103:
Page 104 and 105:
Chapter 3.2Innovating to Supportthe
Page 106 and 107:
Innovating to Support the Transitio
Page 108 and 109:
Page 110 and 111:
Page 112 and 113:
Page 114 and 115:
Page 116 and 117:
Page 118 and 119:
Page 120 and 121:
Page 122 and 123:
Page 124 and 125:
Statistical AnnexTable 1City Prospe
Page 126 and 127:
Statistical AnnexTable 2Proportion
Page 128 and 129:
Statistical AnnexUrban Slum Populat
Page 130 and 131:
Statistical AnnexTable 4City popula
Page 132 and 133:
Page 134 and 135:
Page 136 and 137:
Page 138 and 139:
Page 140 and 141:
Page 142 and 143:
Page 144 and 145:
Page 146 and 147:
Statistical AnnexTable 5Urban Popul
Page 148 and 149:
Page 150:
show all

state of the world's cities 2012/2013 - United Nations Sustainable ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?