Urban

For the first time in history, more than half the world's population lives in urban areas. Urbanisation is taking place on a massive scale in low- and middle-income nations, and around 60% of the world's people are expected to be living in cities by 2030.

Our researchers are exploring what urbanisation that benefits the poor might look like. This research aims to determine what fuels urbanisation and what is, in turn, fuelled by this growing phenomenon in the developing world. Some key questions for investigation include:

• What are the challenges linked to the growth of mega-cities?
• What is the situation in small towns? 
• What policies and public investment might enable urban areas to become not only engines of growth, but also of poverty reduction? 
• Will cities have the institutional capacity to deliver on poverty reduction?