A world more urban...
The world is undergoing massive urbanization, and is projected to increase from three to over four billion city dwellers, mostly in the developing world, within 15 years. This historic shift is producing dramatic effects on human well-being and the environment.

...but less poor
Unplanned shanty-towns without basic services are not an inevitable consequence of urbanization and slums are not explained by poverty alone. Urban misery also stems from misguided policies, inappropriate legal frameworks, dysfunctional markets, poor governance, and not least, lack of political will.
Urbanization and economic development go hand-in-hand and the productivity of the urban economy can and should benefit everyone. Living conditions for the urban poor can be dramatically improved with proper solutions, backed by decisive, concerted action.

More Urban - Less Poor brings order to the complex and important field of urban development in developing and transitional countries. Written in an accessible style, the book examines how cities grow, their economic development, urban poverty, housing and environmental problems. It also examines how to face these challenges through governance and management of urban growth, the finance and delivery of services, and finding a role for development cooperation. This is essential reading for development professionals, researchers, students and others working on any facet of urban development and management in our rapidly urbanizing world.

About the author(s)

Göran Tanerfeldt, Architect SAR/MSA, is a senior advisor on urban development with more than forty years of international experience and has been the initiator and head of the Urban Division of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
Per Ljung is Chairman and CEO of PM Global Infrastructure, a firm that specializes in infrastructure reform and financing, and he has been head of the World Bank's operational division dealing with urban development in North Africa and the Middle East as well as chief of its central unit for policy development and research in urban development.

Contents

Part I, AN URBANIZING WORLD * Urban growth continues * Understanding urbanization * Urban-rural linkages * Part II, URBAN POVERTY * Nature of urban poverty * Who are the poor? * Earning a living * Part III, CITIES AND TOWNS FACING PROBLEMS * Slums, favelas, shantytowns * Environment and health * Development obstacles * Urban challenges in the transition countries * Part IV, MANAGING URBAN GROWTH * Critical issues * Governance * Urban management * Improving municipal finances * Enhancing service delivery * Creating functioning housing finance services * Enabling a livelihood * Key areas in pro-poor urban development * Part V, THE ROLE OF DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION * Rationale for support to urban development * Policy framework * Objective and approaches * Strategic focus * Funding needs * A final word *