Vibrant Cities: Advancing Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Urban Development

During the panel discussion Vibrant Cities: Advancing Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Urban Development, Lall and Shilpi presented the key findings of the World Bank paper Vibrant Cities - On the Bedrock of Stability, Prosperity, and Sustainability, emphasizing the critical role of cities in developing countries in driving economic dynamism and boosting development. They define a vibrant city as one that offers firms and families high expectations of economic returns on investments while ensuring sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity. The authors identified three pillars crucial for cities to achieve these goals: inform, support, and protect.

Lall and Shilpi stressed the importance of setting expectations and motivating firms and families to act on market signals and government policies. They highlighted the need for investments in infrastructure and services based on rigorous assessments and the significance of buffering shocks to protect vulnerable firms and families. They also presented groundbreaking research on carbon emissions in cities, revealing the relationship between urban density and CO2 emissions and the importance of income growth in achieving CO2 savings.

Guy Michaels, an associate professor of economics at the London School of Economics, commended the report's scope and the combination of evidence and concrete policy advice. He offered suggestions for further exploration, such as the role of green transition for oil exporters, the impact of global policies on poor cities, and the potential of solar energy in the Middle East and North Africa.

Mohammad Omar Masud, CEO of the Urban Unit in Pakistan, shared his perspective as a policymaker and practitioner. He emphasized the need for indicators to measure resilience, inclusivity, and productivity and highlighted the importance of disaggregated data at the city level. Masud also stressed the significance of equipping existing rules and organizations for implementing policies related to resilience and productivity.