Cities & urbanisation

We see urbanisation as a powerful development tool. In fact, no country has ever reached middle income status without urbanising and today’s cities are strong engines of growth and job creation, accounting for some 85% of global GDP. Cities and urban areas are therefore key to global prosperity and we have an important window of opportunity to make it smarter, more productive, sustainable and inclusive.

The coming decades will see us accommodate some 2 billion new urban citizens. However, the vast majority of this rapid growth is expected to take place in developing countries where the skills, finance and institutions required to deliver sustainable urbanisation are already fundamentally constrained. This leads to unplanned and uncoordinated growth which places an enormous strain on infrastructure, services, the environment and societal structures.

Well planned and well managed urban development can deliver more growth and jobs, boosting productivity. Over the coming decade we estimate that US$78 trillion will be invested in urban infrastructure and it is exciting to see new business and governance models, technologies and planning approaches challenging and enhancing traditional city development approaches.

Governments and city leaders are challenged to resolve how to make sure that the growth generated by cities is sustainable and productive, with the benefits shared widely across society. How will they fund the required infrastructure that lays the foundations of a sustainable future?

We support governments and their development partners to create more competitive, resilient and inclusive cities. Our contribution is focused on three areas: finance and investment, infrastructure and technology, and sustainability and climate change.