Events

8th Urbanization and Poverty Reduction Research Conference

March 7-8, 2024

Washington, DC

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Postcard for the 8th Urbanization and Poverty Reduction Research Conference

Video Replays

Recordings of the plenary sessions on March 7, 2024 are available on YouTube:

For additional details on the sessions, see the agenda tab.

About the Conference

The 8th Urbanization and Poverty Reduction Research Conference will bring together academics and development practitioners to present and discuss questions relating to urban expansion and the future of cities.

The theme is of increasing importance to academics and policy makers alike as the supply of ideas and demand for solutions to address the challenges of urban expansion are growing. Cities in some developing countries are growing at faster rates and at lower income levels than those in developed countries. If well-directed and well-managed, expansion and densification of urban areas can bring economic growth while also offering poverty reduction opportunities. If poorly directed and managed, the result can be congested, unsustainable, and unproductive environments.

Planning for the cities of tomorrow is thus a crucial task, but one benefitting from a multi-disciplinary approach. This edition of the conference will draw from experts at the interface of policy and research to understand which new ideas, new methods, and new collaborations can bring about necessary changes.

The conference will feature a series of policy- and research-oriented events on March 7, 2024, followed by a more technical series of seminars and events (including a Young Urban Economist Workshop) on March 8, 2024. The conference is co-sponsored by the World Bank (Development Research Group and Urban, Disaster Risk, Resilience, and Land), George Washington University (Elliott School of International Affairs, Institute for International Economic Policy, and Center for International Business Education and Research), the International Growth Centre (Cities that Work and Cities Research Program), and Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Conference Organizers

Harris Selod (The World Bank)

Remi Jedwab (George Washington University)

Victoria Delbridge (International Growth Centre)

Oliver Harman (International Growth Centre)

Tanner Regan (George Washington University)

Mesbah Motamed (Millenium Challenge Corporation)

Roman David Zarate (The World Bank)

Inquiries

Contact Elaine Wylie at urbanizationconference@worldbank.org

Logos of the partner organizations of the 8th Urbanization and Poverty Reduction Research Conference

The organizers acknowledge the generous financial support received from the World Bank Knowledge for Change Program www.worldbank.org/kcp in support of the conference.

DAY 1 (March 7) | DAY 2 (March 8)

Last updated: March 13, 2024

DAY 1 (March 7)

8:30 - 9:00am	Registration and Coffee (MC Front Lobby)
9:00 - 9:15am	WELCOMING REMARKS (Preston Auditorium - ground floor) WATCH RECORDING Indermit Gill, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist, The World Bank Deon Filmer, Director, Development Research Group, The World Bank Jonathan Leape, Executive Director, International Growth Centre
9:15 - 10:35am	OPENING SESSION: Urban Expansion and the Future of Cities (Preston Auditorium - ground floor) WATCH RECORDING CHAIR AND MODERATOR Bernice Van Bronkhorst, Global Director for Urban, Resilience and Land Global Practice, The World Bank PANELISTS Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, and C-40 Co-Chair Omar Masud, Chief Executive, Urban Unit, Pakistan and Cities that Work Council Member Don Davis, Ragnar Nurkse Professor of Economics, Columbia University Maisy Wong, James T. Riady Associate Professor of Real Estate, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
10:35 - 10:45am	Mini Coffee Break (MC Front Lobby)
10:45am - 12:15pm	POLICY SESSION: Planning in African Cities (Preston Auditorium - ground floor) WATCH RECORDING CHAIR Alyssa Ayres, Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University POLICY ADDRESS Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, and C-40 Co-Chair Charles Hinga, Principal Secretary, State Dept for Housing and Urban Development, Kenya Mohammed Alhassan Damba, Immediate Past President of Ghana Institute of Planning, Ghana RESPONDENTS Shlomo Angel, Professor of City Planning at the Marron Institute, NYU Edward Glaeser, Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics, Harvard University, and Co-Director of the Cities Research Programme, International Growth Centre
12:15 - 1:30pm	Lunch Break (MC Front Lobby)
1:30 - 3:00pm	KEYNOTE ADDRESS AND DEBATE (Preston Auditorium - ground floor) WATCH RECORDING CHAIR Mark Sundberg, Deputy Vice President and Chief Economist, Millennium Challenge Corporation KEYNOTE ADDRESS: The Promises, Problems, and Policy Pitfalls of Urban Development Gilles Duranton, Dean's Chair in Real Estate Professor, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania RESPONDENTS Hugh Cole, Director of Strategy, City of Cape Town, South Africa Elena Ianchovichina, Head of Frontier Knowledge, World Bank's Jobs Cross-cutting Solutions Group Catalina Marulanda, Practice Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa Region, The World Bank Omar Masud, Chief Executive, Urban Unit, Pakistan and Cities that Work Council Member Ming Zhang, Practice Manager, East Asia and the Pacific Region, The World Bank
3:00 - 3:30pm	Coffee Break (MC Front Lobby)
PARALLEL THEMATIC SESSIONS Note: The following three sessions will run in parallel from 3:30 - 5:00pm
3:30 - 5:00pm	THEMATIC SESSION A: Urban Expansion (Preston Auditorium - ground floor) Subtopics: Pace of expansion, horizontal and vertical growth, densification, land use conversion CHAIR Mesbah Motamed, Lead Economist, Millennium Challenge Corporation ACADEMIC SPEAKERS Mark Roberts, Lead Economist, The World Bank Mathilde Lebrand, Senior Economist, Prospects Group, The World Bank POLICY SPEAKER Shlomo Angel, Professor of City Planning, Marron Institute, New York University DISCUSSANT Harris Selod, Senior Economist, The World Bank
3:30 - 5:00pm	THEMATIC SESSION B: Incremental Housing (MC 4-800, 4^th floor, conference room 800, in the 800s section of the building) Subtopics: Informal housing, slum upgrading, sites and services CHAIR Tanner Regan, Assistant Professor, George Washington University ACADEMIC SPEAKERS Guy Michaels, Associate Professor of Economics, LSE Maisy Wong, James T. Riady Associate Professor of Real Estate, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania POLICY SPEAKER Mohammed Alhassan Damba, Immediate Past President of Ghana Institute of Planning, Ghana DISCUSSANT Olivia d’Aoust, Senior Economist, Urban, Resilience, and Land, The World Bank
3:30 - 5:00pm	THEMATIC SESSION C: City Structures (MC 13-121, 13^th floor, conference room 121, in the 100s section of the building) Subtopics: Spatial organization of cities, formal and informal land markets, spatial mobility and productivity CHAIR Stephane Hallegate, Senior Climate Change Adviser, World Bank ACADEMIC SPEAKERS Stephen Redding, Harold T. Shapiro 1964 Professor in Economics, Princeton University Nick Tsivanidis, Assistant Professor, UC Berkeley, and Co-Director of the Cities Research Programme, International Growth Centre POLICY SPEAKER Hugh Cole, Director of Strategy, City of Cape Town, South Africa DISCUSSANT Arti Grover, Principal Economist and Regional Program Leader, IFC
5:30 - 7:30pm	Cocktail Reception George Washington University, Elliot School of International Affairs, Lindner Commons Room (6th floor), 1957 E ST NW, Washington, DC (intersection of E and 19th Street, on E Street)

DAY 2 (March 8)

8:30 - 9:15am	Registration and Coffee Latecomers registration at Visitor’s Center (on the side of the building) and coffee (rooms MC 2-800, MC C2-350 and MC 13-121)
PARALLEL RESEARCH SESSIONS 1 Note: The following three sessions will run in parallel from 9:15 - 11:15am
9:15 - 11:15am	RESEARCH SESSION 1A: Local Economic Development (MC 2-800, 2^nd floor, conference room 800, in the 800s section of the building) CHAIR Jake Grover, Senior Advisor, Millennium Challenge Corporation PAPERS Paper 1A.1: Stephen Redding (Princeton), “Neighborhood Effects: Evidence from Wartime Destruction in London” Paper 1A.2: Tillman Von Carnap (Center for Food Security and the Environment), “Rural Marketplaces and Local Development” Paper 1A.3: Jevgenijs Steinbuks (The World Bank), “Infrastructure Complementarities and Local Economic Growth: Evidence from Electrification and Highway Construction in Brazil” Paper 1A.4: Qingua Zhang (Guanghua School of Management), “Build up a Metropolis: Land Use Regulations. Spatial Misallocation, and Welfare DISCUSSANT Ayah Mahgoub, Senior Urban Development Specialist, The World Bank
9:15 - 11:15am	RESEARCH SESSION 1B: Segregation (MC C2-350, basement level C2, conference room 350, in the 300s section of the building) CHAIR Henry Telli, Senior Country Economist, Ghana, International Growth Centre PAPERS Paper 1B.1: Fernanda Rojas-Ampuero (University of Wisconsin), “Segregation and Health: The Consequences of Slum Clearance on Mortality” Paper 1B.2: Magdalena Rossetti (London School of Economics), “Identifying the Spatial Patterns of Multidimensional Poverty: The Case of Chile” Paper 1B.3: Shohei Nakamura (The World Bank), "Where is Poverty Concentrated? New Evidence based on Internationally Consistent Urban and Poverty Measurements" Paper 1B.4: Tekalign Gutu Sakketa (German Institute of Development and Sustainability), “Urbanization and Social Cohesion: Theory and Empirical Evidence from Africa” DISCUSSANT Nicholas Li, Assistant Professor of Economics, George Washington University
9:15 - 11:15am	RESEARCH SESSION 1C: Transportation (MC 13-121, 13^th floor, conference room 121, in the 100s section of the building) CHAIR Stephane Straub, Chief Economist for Infrastructure, The World Bank PAPERS Paper 1C.1: Alice Duhaut (The World Bank), “Public and Private Transit: Evidence from Lagos” Paper 1C.2: Lucas Conwell (University College London), “Subways or Minibuses? Privatized Provision of Public Transit” Paper 1C.3: Lea Bou Sleiman (NBER), “Displacing Congestion: Evidence from Paris” Paper 1C.4: Shanjun Li (Cornell), “The Welfare Effects of Passenger Transportation Infrastructure: Evidence from China's High Speed Rail Network” DISCUSSANT Roman Zarate, Economist, The World Bank
11:15 - 11:30am	Break
WORKSHOPS AND POLICY SESSIONS Note: The following two workshops will run in parallel from 11:30am - 12:30pm
11:30am - 12:30pm	YOUNG URBAN ECONOMIST WORKSHOP - PART 1 (MC 2-800, 2nd floor, conference room 800, in the 800s section of the building) INTRODUCTORY REMARKS Deon Filmer, Director, Development Research Group, the World Bank CHAIR Oliver Harman, Cities Economist, International Growth Centre PAPERS Paper YUE 1: Ronak Jain (Harvard University), “Entrepreneur of Emotions: Evidence from Street Vending in India” Paper YUE 2: Stefan Leeffers (University College London), “It Will Rain: The Effect of Information on Flood Preparedness in Urban Mozambique”
11:30am - 12:30pm	USING QUANTITATIVE SPATIAL MODELS FOR POLICY WORKSHOP (MC 3-570, 3^rd floor, conference room 570, in the 500s section of the building) CHAIR Juliana Oliveira-Cunha, Policy Economist, International Growth Centre SPEAKERS Steve Redding, Harold T. Shapiro 1964 Professor in Economics, Princeton University Nick Tsivanidis, Assistant Professor in Real Estate, UC Berkeley, and Co-Director of the Cities Research Programme, International Growth Centre Roman Zarate, Economist, The World Bank RESPONDENT Hugh Cole, Director of Strategy, City of Cape Town, South Africa
12:30 - 1:15pm	Lunch Break (Rooms MC 2-800 and MC C2-350)
Note: The following workshop and policy session will run in parallel from 1:15 - 2:45pm
1:15 - 2:45pm	YOUNG URBAN ECONOMIST WORKSHOP - PART 2 (MC 2-800, 2nd floor, conference room 800, in the 800s section of the building) CHAIR Oliver Harman, Cities Economist, International Growth Centre PAPERS Paper YUE 3: Fabiola Alba-Vivar (Columbia University), “Opportunity Bound: Transport and Access to College in a Megacity” Paper YUE 4: Olivia Bordeu (Chicago Booth), “Commuting Infrastructure in Fragmented Cities” KEYNOTE ADDRESS: "Cities, Infrastructure, and Government Capacity" Edward Glaeser, Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics, Harvard University, and Co-Director of the Cities Research Programme, International Growth Centre
1:15 - 2:45pm	POLICY SESSION: Connecting Policy, Projects, and Research (MC 13-121, 13th floor, conference room 121, in the 100s section of the building) CHAIR Mesbah Motamed, Lead Economist, Millennium Challenge Corporation Jonathan Leape, Executive Director of the International Growth Centre RESPONDENTS Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, and C-40 Co-Chair Hugh Cole, Director of Strategy, City of Cape Town, South Africa Mohammed Alhassan Damba, Immediate Past President of Ghana Institute of Planning, Ghana Charles Hinga, Principal Secretary, State Dept for Housing and Urban Development, Kenya James Maina, State Department of Housing and Urban Development, Kenya Omar Masud, Chief Executive, Urban Unit, Pakistan and Cities that Work Council Member
2:45 - 3:00pm	Coffee Break (Rooms MC 2-800, MC C2-350 and MC 13-121)
PARALLEL RESEARCH SESSIONS 2 Note: The following three sessions will run in parallel from 3:00 - 5:00pm
3:00 - 5:00pm	RESEARCH SESSION 2A: Crime and Conflict in Cities (MC 2-800, 2nd floor, conference room 800, in the 800s section of the building) CHAIR Camilla Sacchetto, Senior Country Economist, Jordan, International Growth Centre PAPERS Paper 2A.1: Carlos Schmitt-Padilla (Penn Development Research Initiative), “Gangs, Labor Mobility, and Development” Paper 2A.2: Daniel Ramos Menchelli (Johns Hopkins SAIS), “Spatial Mobility, Economic Opportunity, and Crime” Paper 2A.3: Joaquin Urrego (UC Berkeley), “The Evolution of Slums in Chile, 2000-2021” Paper 2A.4: Andre Gray (UC San Diego), “Diversity, Conflict, and Agglomeration in African Cities” DISCUSSANT Paul Carrillo, Professor, George Washington University
3:00 - 5:00pm	RESEARCH SESSION 2B: Housing (MC C2-350, basement level C2, conference room 350, in the 300s section of the building) CHAIR Hina Shaikh, Senior Country Economist, Pakistan, International Growth Centre PAPERS Paper 2B.1: Daniel Agness (UC Berkeley), “Housing and Human Capital: Condominiums in Ethiopia” Paper 2B.2: Qiayo Zhou (University of Maryland), “Haste or Waste? The Role of Presale in Residential Housing” Paper 2B.3: Vaidehi Tandel (University of Manchester), “Do Mandatory Disclosures Squeeze the Lemons? The Case of Housing Markets” Paper 2B.4: Kala Sridhar (Institute for Social and Economic Change), "Urban Form in India 1975-2015: Have India’s cities become flat?” DISCUSSANT Leah Brooks, Professor, George Washington University
3:00 - 5:00pm	RESEARCH SESSION 2C: Urban Labor Markets (MC 13-121, 13^th floor, conference room 121, in the 100s section of the building) CHAIR Louise Fox, Senior Non-Resident Fellow, Africa Growth Initiative, Brookings PAPERS Paper 2C.1: Eunjee Kwon (University of Cincinatti), “High-Speed Rail and the Gender Gap in Labor Market: Evidence from South Korea” Paper 2C.2: Luc Christiansen (World Bank), “Do More Urban Migrants Lead to Better Urban Wages and Welfare? Insights from Uganda” Paper 2C.3: Yao Wang (Ohio State University), “Evaluating the Relocation of Indonesia’s Capital: A Quantitative Spatial Model Approach” Paper 2C.4: Victoria Xie (Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara), “Do Resource Rents Drive Urbanization and Structural Transformation? A Global Analysis” DISCUSSANT Elena Ianchovichina, Head of Frontier Knowledge, World Bank's Jobs Cross-cutting Solutions Group