Building Anew or Retrofitting? Fresh Thinking for Fast-Growing Cities

Описание: Many cities in developing countries face a common challenge: how should they plan for and accommodate rapid growth in ways that boost prosperity, expand opportunity, and strengthen resiliency and sustainability? To meet this challenge, cities must consider different growth management strategies and weigh economic, political, technical, and social considerations. Dhaka, Bangladesh, epitomizes the urban challenge facing fast-growing cities in poor countries.

A recent report from the World Bank, Toward Great Dhaka, proposes a strategic vision for productively managing growth in Dhaka by seizing a unique opportunity. The report details how to frame the challenge, model economic dynamics spatially, consider alternative scenarios, and identify a promising path forward. It suggests that their “more radical approach” can “put Dhaka on a better urban development trajectory, one that can transform it into a truly great global city in just a few decades.”

What is this radical approach? How will it fare in Bangladesh? How relevant are the idea and the analytical method to other cities facing similar challenges? Using this report and its approach as a starting point, this panel will consider the challenges of rapid urbanization, ways that cities can respond, and practical lessons and considerations for cities and their partners.