Between 1900 and 1930 typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases were largely eradicated from U.S. cities. This achievement required a mix of technological, scientific, economic, and bureaucratic innovations. This article examines how the interaction of those forces influenced water and...

This paper examines the effects of renovating deteriorated public spaces on local socioeconomic outcomes. We analyze the impacts of a randomized experiment implemented in 28 fragile neighborhoods of Santiago, Chile. Our findings indicate that the renovation of local squares led to increased use...

Cities in growth regions face major urban development challenges in meeting the demand for housing within the city. At the same time, capacity limits of urban technical infrastructures may arise and counteract the guiding principle of compact and thus land-saving inner development. The project...

In this paper, I explore the coping mechanisms deployed by shopkeepers in the face of extortion in the port city of Buenaventura, in southwestern Colombia. Relying on six months of fieldwork experience in a hardware shop of Ciudad Blanca, an impoverished neighborhood, I examine the everyday...

This case study examines the grievance redress mechanisms (GRMs) put in place for two World Bank financed projects in the Republic of Rwanda: the Feeder Roads Development Project (FRDP) and the Rwanda Urban Development Project (RUDP). Based on consultations and interviews with key informants,...

India is rapidly urbanizing, with about 600 million people expected to be living in cities by 2036. This will put additional pressure on the already stretched urban infrastructure and services in these cities. This report estimates that India will need $840 billion in investment into urban...

The paper explores the properties of a modern urban model in which households' and firms’ locations in the city are endogenously determined as functions of technology, preferences, and geography. This class of model provides insights into the factors that determine the shape and growth of...

The path of urbanization around the world and in particular in China has been rapid. This study addresses measurement of a composite index of networking among key components of societal infrastructure and how it affects the process of urbanization. This study has a number of objectives. First we...

Cities today are confronting never-before-seen challenges to their top spot in the economic hierarchy. In this chapter, we lay out four challenges, past and future, that cities face today and identify policies that can help address the problems we identify. We call attention to the need for many...

It has long been understood that public utilities, and especially sewers, play a powerful role in shaping patterns, rates, and forms of urban development. But decisions about whether and where to build this “growth-shaping” infrastructure are largely left to local communities, who frequently...

We study the persistent and adverse effects of colonial ethno-racial segregation on modern urban sorting patterns. After the conquest of Mesoamerica, Spaniards segregated natives into settlements called Pueblos de Indios. By the end of colonial times, there were two types of settlements: Pueblos...

We contribute to the literature by developing a three-stage sequential game theoretical framework to examine the impact of local crime rates on financing commitments for infrastructure projects. We test the propositions of this framework using a panel dataset with 542 public private partnership...

In this Essay, I reflect on the different ways in which cities engaged in what I call “infrastructure sharing” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cities around the world responded to the pandemic by repurposing their streets and sidewalks into outdoor seating, dining spaces, and car-free...

To address the inter-connected climate and biodiversity crises, it is crucial to understand whether, and if so how, nature-based solutions are perceived to contribute to carbon neutrality, biodiversity, human well-being and justice outcomes. We propose and explore the concept of carbon-smart...

Kinder können sich die Verhältnisse, in denen sie aufwachsen, nicht aussuchen. Deshalb hat der Staat eine besondere Verpflichtung, gerade ärmeren Familien unter die Arme zu greifen und Bedingungen zu schaffen, die Kindern und Jugendlichen ein gutes Leben ermöglichen. Doch die Infrastrukturen...

The upgrade paradigm has been a widely accepted solution to informal settlements. However, implementing an effective upgrade program has been challenging for governments of most developing countries. This paper reports a study which examined informal settlement residents' preferences for...

Poorly maintained public infrastructure is common in low- and middle-income countries, with consequences for service delivery and public health. By experimentally identifying the impact of incentives for local maintenance for both providers and potential users, this paper provides one of the...

Kinder können sich die Verhältnisse, in denen sie aufwachsen, nicht aussuchen. Deshalb hat der Staat eine besondere Verpflichtung, gerade ärmeren Familien unter die Arme zu greifen und Bedingungen zu schaffen, die Kindern und Jugendlichen ein gutes Leben ermöglichen. Doch die Infrastrukturen...

In analyzing the dynamics of Tokyo housing price, we have compiled annual micro data sets from individual listings in a widely-circulated real estate advertising magazine. A data set compiled from "properties for investment" lists both asking (sales) prices and rents for the same properties....

Recent work in the sociology of economic development has emphasized the establishment of a professional bureaucracy in place of political appointees as an important component of the institutional environment in which private enterprise can flourish. I hypothesize that establishment of such a...

Urban Infrastructures -- Globalization and the City -- The New Complexity -- A reference Model -- Elements of Deglobalization -- The Financialization of Urban Infrastructure -- Infrastructure Changes -- Financialization in the Global City -- Types of Urban Infrastructure -- The Smart City:...

Cities are shaped by transportation infrastructure. Older cities were anchored by waterways. Nineteenth century cities followed the path of streetcars and subways. The 20th century city rebuilt itself around the car. The close connection between transportation and urban form is natural, since...

Cities are faced with the huge challenge of providing infrastructure that meets the needs of a rising urban population, with limited public resources. Decisions and investments in urban infrastructure must be urgently leveraged to achieve sustainable economic growth within the carrying capacity...

Service industries are increasingly important in international trade and offer additional paths to economic development. There are many opportunities to expand trade in services between South Africa and other African countries. Improvements in urban planning, design, and governance are vital to...

This book analyses how informal economy traders and the marketplace institution dominate the local economy in African cities. According to the World Bank, being an African reduces the probability that an individual is an entrepreneur in the manufacturing sector by more than 95 percent. Exporting...

U.S. cities invested heavily in water and sewer infrastructure throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These investments improved public health and quality of life by helping U.S. cities control typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases. We show that segregated cities invested in...

India is rapidly urbanizing, with about 600 million people expected to be living in cities by 2036. This will put additional pressure on the already stretched urban infrastructure and services in these cities. This report estimates that India will need dollar 840 billion in investment into urban...

This case study examines the grievance redress mechanisms (GRMs) put in place for two World Bank financed projects in the Republic of Rwanda: the Feeder Roads Development Project (FRDP) and the Rwanda Urban Development Project (RUDP). Based on consultations and interviews with key informants,...