STATE OF THE WORLD'S CITIES 2012/2013 Prosperity

It is possible to identify the specific contributions adequate
infrastructure can make to the prosperity of cities, but it must be
remembered that they are interrelated and interact with one another
in a variety of ways. As perceived by experts participating in the
UN-Habitat survey, these contributions are the following (by order
of decreasing importance): economic growth; facilitating mobility;
improving access to health and education; improving quality of life;
steering spatial expansion; environmental quality; improving slum
conditions and reducing poverty; and reducing spatial disparities.
These eight types of contribution are presented in the charts for the
four regions under review.
Economic Growth: Infrastructure plays a crucial role in supporting
economic growth, and it is worth noting that the reverse causal
relationship also holds – that is, infrastructure benefits from
economic growth. Infrastructure contributes to growth through
enhanced productivity of the factors of production. Indeed between
1990 and 2005, improved infrastructure contributed one per cent
to per capita economic growth in Africa, and 1.2 per cent in
Asia. 48 In Africa, the greatest impact has been attributed to
telecommunications and, to a lesser extent, roads.
Facilitating Mobility: Seamless movement within and between
cities thanks to efficient mass transit systems is essential to the
proper functionality and prosperity of cities. Cities that have deployed
sustainable transport policies to enhance mobility have reaped huge
advantages that positively impact on the other ‘spokes’ of prosperity.
In Bogotá and Curitiba, for instance, BRT makes both cities more
livable in very tangible ways, including reducing traffic congestion,
decreasing travel times and costs, reducing energy consumption and
improving environmental quality.
Access to health and education: Infrastructure facilitates access
to health and education, which are essential components of
human development and feature prominently among Millennium
Development Goals. Healthy children learn better and healthy
adults work better – both being major assets to the city. Education
is crucial to empowerment, reducing poverty and enhancing
productivity. Cities with a healthier, better-educated workforce are
more likely to be productive and competitive.
Improving quality of life: Infrastructure can improve quality of
life in a variety of ways, including: enhancing safety and security,
especially for youth and women; and expanding the provision of
public goods to enhance the city’s appeal.
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POLICy
Urban Infrastructure: Bedrock of Prosperity
The provision of infrastructure must take into
consideration the needs of women.
Steering spatial expansion: Infrastructure can steer the spatial
expansion of a city, facilitating more compact urban development
and integrating different land uses. This urban form is deemed
to be efficient, inclusive and sustainable in four different ways:
(1) the costs of infrastructure are cheaper; (2) access to services
and facilities is improved; (3) the livelihoods of the urban poor are
enhanced; and (4) social segregation is reduced.
Environmental quality: Many developing country cities are
characterized by inadequate water supply and squalid conditions in
terms of sanitation. These two components of infrastructure are vital
to improved environmental conditions in cities, as they facilitate a
clean and pollution-free environment. On top of this, flood-control
infrastructure safeguards urban areas against erosion, flooding,
landslides and disasters.
Improving slum conditions and reducing poverty: Infrastructure
can contribute to the prosperity of cities through improved slum
conditions and reducing poverty. Providing adequate infrastructure
for roads, water, sanitation and electricity can reduce the health
burden faced by slum dwellers, delivering major benefits in terms of
environmental quality.
Reducing spatial disparities: Infrastructure can reduce spatial
disparities, particularly in uncontrolled and un-serviced peri-urban
areas, connecting them to consolidated parts of the city.
POLICy
Beneficiary communities must be fully
involved in the design, provision and
maintenance of infrastructure.