what makes cities grow

7/25/2019 What Makes Cities Grow

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WHAT MAKES CITIES GROW

The pace of global urbanization is one of the greatest challenges that governments face in the

21st century. Over half the worlds population now lives in urban areas, and urban populations

are forecasted to increase by roughly 2.3 billion between 21! and 2" to reach ##$ of the

global population %&' ()*+ 21!.

+nalysis suggests that under business as usual economic growth, three broad groups of cities

will play a particularly important role in the global economy and climate over the ne-t two to

three decades )merging /ities %fast growing middle income cities in countries such as /hina

and 0ndia, lobal egacities %middle and higher income cities with populations over 1

million and ature /ities %higher income cities where carbon emissions per capita are already

high. These three groups, representing only !# cities in total, will account for over #$ of

global income growth and "$ of energy4related greenhouse gas emissions growth between

212 and 23 %5loater, 6ode et al. 21!

7/ountries that are highly urbanized tend to have higher incomes, more stable economies,

stronger institutions and are better able to withstand the volatility of the global economy8 %&',

29. :ith cities growing in significance and acting as hubs of innovation and economic

activity, it is e-tremely important for us to understand the dynamics of growth of cities. :hat are

the factors that enable a city to grow; :hat type of policies can facilitate growth of cities; These

are the


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of businesses, which then specialize. The presence of a car manufacturer leads to other

companies specializing in microchips for cars, for e-ample.

This results in cost reductions. ?ut to maintain these wor=ers and businesses a city must provide

strong infrastructure and a high standard of living. +nd cities have problems li=e unemployment,

and high /O2 emissions from transport and housing. *mart growth means finding innovative and

cost4effective solutions to these problems.

/ities today face tough economic times. 5or growth they must create @obs, and not @ust any old

@obs. They have to compete with other cities to attract the best talent, and to do that they need

good infrastructure, and therefore innovation.

+ccording to artin Aowell,8 /ities li=e Bondon and the big cities are where people find

employment. 0ts very important for cities to protect that employment and to find the =ind of

industries that are going to =eep those cities remaining attractive, while protecting the


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The Aolish city of dynia on the coast of the ?altic *ea is an interesting case study. 0t is at the

heart of a new trolley4bus revolution in )urope. Than=s to two pro@ects funded by the )uropean

&nion, the city has completely revamped its transport networ= across the entire region, including

the cities of dans= and *opot.

Trolley4buses ma=e public transport cheaper than using the car. Aiotr alolepszy, the president

of AET, e-plained 76egarding mar=et share, based on the number of passengers using public

transport, we estimate it is almost a third of all passengers. :e operate the trolley4buses mainly

in the centre of dynia and they are very popular.8

Fan *zymaGs=i, the director of the (epartment of Aomors=ie 6egional Arogrammes, added

7:ere trying to build the whole system to facilitate connections for people going to wor= in

offices and factories, so they can use public transportC trolley4buses, trams, and also bicycles.8

5aster @ourney times, increased comfort, and reduced environmental impact all improve the


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what makes cities grow

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