SPECIAL REPORT

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 Urbanization is a driving force for growth and poverty reduction. Globally, over 80 percent of economic activity is concentrated in cities, and cities are essential for lifting millions of people out of poverty through the opportunities that density and agglomeration can bring with jobs, services, and innovation. However, if not carefully managed and planned for, the benefits of urbanization are not realized and can result in congestion, slums, pollution, inequality and crime. City competitiveness is an important part of successful urbanization. A competitive city facilitates its firms and industries to create jobs, raise productivity, and increase the incomes of citizens over time. At the same time, it is not possible to achieve these objectives without strong institutions, social inclusion, resilience, and environmental sustainability. All of these elements are important to harnessing the benefits of urbanization and must be enabled by both national and local governments 

 Each chapter includes a framework for analysis, identification and assessment of key issues, and provides recommendations for the Government of the Philippines to consider. Important topics related to environmental sustainability and resilience are included as a cross-cutting issue as they relate to urban planning and land management but not covered in depth as they have been addressed in other World Bank reports.  

Citation

“World Bank. 2017. Philippines Urbanization Review: Fostering Competitive, Sustainable and Inclusive Cities. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27667 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”