City Development Strategies to Reduce Poverty

The world's urban population is growing fast. In Asia, 2.2 billion people (one out of two) are expected to live in cities by 2020. Urban centers are also increasing in size and number. Urban centers are important to national economies because they are the engines of economic growth and the focal points for important activities like trade, commerce, industry, and government administration. Cities are centers of excellence for education, health care, technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and governance. They provide access to large markets for goods and services and communication with the rest of the world. Urban centers create opportunities for jobs, employments, and livelihood. But, despite these advantages, most rapidly growing Asian towns and cities face significant problems. It is the urban paradox that amid the wealth and prosperity generated by towns and cities a high incidence of urban poverty persists. This publication sets out the results of a technical assistance that developed and introduced the concepts and techniques for preparing City Development Strategies (CDS) and Cities Without Slums (CWS) programs. It includes case studies that suggest that, for cities to benefit from their comparative advantages, they must become more efficient, govern well, and establish coherent poverty reduction programs.