76434 Inside this Issue: ISSUE 2 APRIL 2013  New urban studies — Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh South Asia Urban  Promoting regional growth through connectivity newsletter New urban assessments provide insight into policies and Full assessments are available online, click on links— interventions to seize benefits of urbanization in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka BANGLADESH Bangladesh: The Path to Middle-Income Status from an Urban Perspective By 2021, the 50th anniversary of its tivity and livability. To meet its goal of NEPAL independence, Bangladesh seeks to reaching middle-income status by attain middle-income status. To accel- 2021, Bangladesh will need to trans- erate growth enough to do so, Bangla- form Dhaka into a globally-competitive desh needs to build a competitive ur- metropolitan region, leverage Chitta- SRI LANKA ban space. In analyzing a survey of gong City’s seaport advantage, pro- 1,000 garment firms, this study reveals mote strategically located export- that Bangladesh’s urban areas are fall- processing zones, and enable local ing behind in all the three drivers of economic development in small- and competitiveness – innovation, connec- medium-size cities. Urban Growth and Spatial Transition in Nepal: An Initial Assessment A predominantly rural country, Nepal is prioritize the “where, what, and how� of urbanizing rapidly. Nepal’s urban areas public investments based on develop- have the potential to drive economic ment outcomes, promote development growth to the benefit of the entire coun- and regeneration of the Kathmandu Val- try. By leveraging their comparative ad- ley, and enhance the competitiveness of A predominantly rural country, vantages and unique assets, cities and strategic clusters – such as cultural tour- Nepal is urbanizing rapidly, towns can develop as sustainable tour- ism, handicrafts, and agro-processing – and urban areas are a major ism destinations, handicraft centers to foster sustainable growth and create contributor to economic growth and market and trade centers for economic opportunities in urban areas. and poverty alleviation Nepal’s agro-products. Nepal needs to Turning Sri Lanka's Urban Vision into Policy and Action Sri Lanka's urban vision, as defined in which include, (i) strategic and integrat- the government’s policy framework – ed national, regional and urban plan- the Mahinda Chintana – is to develop ning, (ii) repositioning Urban Local Au- as a system of competitive, environ- thorities as competent and accountable mentally sustainable, and well-linked service providers, (iii) improving metro- Growing secondary cities, such as cities and to provide every family with politan and regional coordination in ser- Kandy, require long-term affordable and adequate urban shelter vice delivery, and (iv) enhancing city liva- strategies based on a common by 2020. To achieve its urban vision, bility through efficient and inclusive land vision to develop sustainably and Sri Lanka needs to undertake system- and housing development. to their full potential wide institutional and policy reforms, Page 2 South Asia Urban Newsletter Urbanization Webinar Series Promoting Regional Growth through Connectivity The emergence of mega-regions, as added industry and service-oriented effects of urbanization expand beyond economy. Industries tend to relocate to the realm of metropolitan areas, is a secondary cities, which are well connect- potential opportunity to mobilize peo- ed, to reduce high costs associated with To listen to webinar recording and ple, goods and services, and develop labor, raw materials, and land in mature read the discussion, click here. supply chains over larger spatial areas. cities. Many South Asian countries are prepar- ing strategic plans for new corridors, to Korea constructed an expressway net- Upcoming Events connect primate cities with secondary work, total length of 2,600km, between cities or emerging urban areas, such as 1970 through 2000. These connections Live chat facebook: April 10, the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor reduced travel time significantly, be- Managing Nepal’s 8:00AM to Urban transition tween Seoul and Busan from more than 8:00PM EST in India, and expressways in Sri Lanka. 15 hours to less than four hours. This Webinar: Upgrading Mid—May To understand how connectivity can attributed to higher gross regional do- Housing in Informal 2013 strengthen and capitalize on a system mestic product, population redistribu- Settlements of cities, the World Bank’s South Asia tion, and greater freight traffic volumes. Regional Workshop: June 3—7, urban team in collaboration with the “Access to Affordable 2013 World Bank Institute, organized a webi- Strategies to consider on intra-city connec- Land and Housing� tivity projects. nar on “Connecting Cities for Growth� E course by WBI: April 22— on March 11, 2013. Actively manage public perception on Safe and Resilient May 22, the impacts of regional connections; Cities 2013 Why are physical and economic connec- Connect lagging regions with sources of tions important for growth? employment, to increase economic activ- Interesting Readings A well-connected system of cities pre- ity; Analyze underlying socio-economic Click on links sents immense opportunities to trans- factors to prepare targeted project inter- Gender and Property Rights form large metropolitan areas, under- ventions; Connect nodes that contribute going a post-industrial transition from a to regional growth including ports and Microfinance for Housing heavy manufacturing to higher value- strategic intermodal hubs. India Urbanization Review In Korea, gross regional domestic productivity increased with higher inter-city connectivity Billions of Korean Won By 2030, 315 million new residents will reside in urban areas of South Asia. We look forward to your The synergies between South Asia's demographic dividend coupled with struc- comments and feedback! tural transformation as the economy shifts from agriculture to services and manufacturing, presents a unique opportunity. The World Bank’s urban strat- Contact Us! egy is to support national, state and local governments in their endeavors to southasiaurban@worldbank.org create well-functioning cities. Important aspects of this are leveraging urban agglomeration, managing spatial transformation & land development, and improving local governance & service delivery.