Pioneered in Yokohama City, Japan, the Yokohama Urban Design Sketchbook (YUDS) is a citizen engagement and co-creation methodology for urban design at the neighborhood level. It leverages cross-sectional sketches and drawings to translate citizens' visions and ideas of urban areas into concrete...

This report reviews the evolution of Quality Infrastructure Investments (QII) in the Japanese urban sector. The report is structured around the six QII principles (sustainable development, economic efficiency, environmental considerations, disaster resilience, social considerations and...

Culture and creativity have untapped potential to deliver social, economic, and spatial benefits for cities and communities. Cultural and creative industries are key drivers of the creative economy and represent important sources of employment, economic growth, and innovation, thus contributing...

This report builds on the findings from the Technical Deep Dive (TDD) 'Creative Cities: Case of Kyoto,' organized by the Tokyo Development and Learning Center (TDLC) in partnership with UNESCO and the City of Kyoto in January 2020. The TDD focused on the framework for developing creative cities...

The Enabling Conditions for Urban Climate Finance Part 2 is a contribution of the World Bank to the State of Cities Climate Finance Report 2021. Part 2 analyzes enabling frameworks and presents solutions for mobilizing urban climate finance at scale to transition cities to low-carbon,...

Tanzania's growth and poverty reduction aspirations hinge on shifting from a reliance on agriculture toward greater productivity. Cities' key role in generating a more competitive economy is already apparent: in 2012, just four Tanzanian cities produced more than half of the country's gross...

Towns and cities are economic and social microcosms in which large numbers of people and firms interact. These interactions largely shape how a city looks, how it functions, and how it grows. But how exactly does this many-sided relationship work? What are the specific drivers of urban economic...

Cities worldwide are facing resilience challenges as climate risks interact with urbanization, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, poverty, and rising socioeconomic inequality. Extreme precipitation events, flooding, heatwaves, and droughts are causing economic losses, social...

This study of seven provincial capitals in Vietnam's Mekong Delta region, conducted in cooperation with the Vietnam Government, is intended toinform government decision-making on strengthening disaster and climate resilience in these cities, to enable them to contribute to regional economic...

The objective of this report is to explore innovative financing instruments and approaches for catalyzing private sector financing to fill the climate-smart investment gap in cities. The report reviews the existing literature, highlights key barriers in scaling-up private investment in...