5th Urbanization and Poverty Reduction Research Conference

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Friday, September 7, 2018
8:30am to 7:30pm

Preston Auditorium, The World Bank
1818 H Street, NW
Washington, D.C., 20433

Across the developing world, the growth of cities is outpacing effective policy. Low density land use results in rapidly expanding cities, raising the costs of infrastructure and service provision and limiting liveability and productivity. At the same time, limited investments in transport infrastructure such as roads limits the connectivity between individuals and opportunities that make cities engines for growth. Effective policy to address these challenges requires an understanding of the spatial organisation of cities, and how the distribution of private and public investments across a city affect economic growth.

On 7 September 2018, the 5th Urbanization and Poverty Reduction Conference will bring together academics and development practitioners to present and discuss questions relating to the spatial organisation of cities and economic growth. In particular, the conference will be focusing on effective land and transport policy in cities and the implications of urban development for national growth. This conference is hosted by the World Bank (Development Research Group), George Washington University (Institute for International Economic Policy),  the International Monetary Fund, and the International Growth Centre.

• 8:30-9:00 – Coffee and Registration
• 9:00-10:45 – Welcoming Remarks
  • Chair and Moderator: 
    Shantayanan Devarajan
    Senior Director, Development Economics, World Bank
  • Panelists:
    Aisa Kirabo Kacyira
    Deputy Director UN-Habitat, former mayor of Kigali
    Edward Glaeser
    Professor of Economics, Harvard and International Growth Center
• 10:45-11:00 – Coffee Break
• 11:00 -12:30 – Session One: Land
  • Mini Keynote: Informal Land Use
    Harris Selod
    Development Research Group, The World Bank
  • Backyarding
    Jan Brueckner, Claus Rabe, and Harris Selod
  • Compactness
    Vernon Henderson
  • Chair:
    TBC
  • Discussant: 
    Mariaflavia Harari
    Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania
• 12:30-13:30 – Lunch
• 13.30-14:15 – Keynote Address:
  • The Geography of Development
    Esteban Rossi-Hansberg
    Princeton University
  • Chair:
    Asli Demirguc-Kunt
    Research Director, Development Research Group, World Bank
• 14:15 -15:45 – Session Two: Transportation
  • Mini Keynote: “Cars in Cities”
    Matthew Kahn
  • Transport in a Congested City – A Computer Equilibrium Model Applied to Kampala City
    Louise Bernard, Julia Bird, Tony Venables
  • Who Wins? Who Loses? Understanding the Spatially Differentiated Effects of Belt and Road within Central Asia
    Bader El Hifnawy, Somik Lall, Mathilde Lebrand
  • Chair:
    Marianna Fay
    Chief Economist, Climate Change
  • Discussant:
    Leah Brooks
    Assistant Professor, George Washington University
• 15:45-16:00 – Coffee Break
• 16:00-17:30 – Session Three: Urbanization, Growth, and Development
  • Mini Keynote:
    Douglas Gollin
  • In Search of a Spatial Equilibrium in the Developing World
    Douglas Gollin, Martina Kirchberger, David Lagakos
  • Modern Urban Technology and the Future of the New Urban Giants
    Remi Jedwab, Prakash Loungani, Anthony Yezer
  • Chair:
    Chris Papageorgiou
    International Monetary Fund
  • Discussant:
    Deniz Igan
    Deputy Division Chief, Research Department’s Macro Financial Division, IMF
• 17:30-18:00 – Break
• 18:00-19:30 – Cocktail Reception and Welcome Speech by Maggie Chen
  • At George Washington University, Lindner Commons Room (6th Floor) of the Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E St. N.W. (at the intersection of E and 19th Streets, on E Street), Washington, DC.