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Showing all Blog Posts, Publications in Cities That Work
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Publication - Policy paper
Key considerations for integrated multi-modal transport planning
This paper will start by outlining the limits of city transport policies and planning focused on road and car based infrastructure. It will then outline the main components of integrated multi modal transport plans. This type of planning is increasingly being adopted and to understand why, this paper will outline the potential benefits of such plans if they are...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Informal settlements and housing markets
Across the developing world, over one billion people live in informal settlements, and this number is set to double in the next 15 years. This brief explores options for policymakers both to address existing informal settlements, and to ensure that future urban growth provides affordable formal housing for its residents.
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Publication - Policy paper
How can cities become more resilient? Improving flood management through better governance, private sector partnerships and open data
The health of the world economy is increasingly dependent on well-functioning cities. However, climatic changes and new population patterns are making them increasingly vulnerable to shocks (e.g. flooding) and stressors (e.g. sea-level rise). Robust and timely policy actions, such as finding creative new ways to incentivise cross-institutional cooperation, are...
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Blog post
Data for decision-making: How spatial data is shaping the African urbanisation story
Ahead of the 17th Urban Age Conference and the first to be held in Africa, Sebastian Kriticos and Astrid Haas discuss the need for better data to tackle some of Africa’s biggest urbanisation challenges. On a daily basis, city policymakers need to take decisions: where and how to deliver services, what rates to apply to taxes and where to make investments, amongst others....
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Blog post
Making room for Africa’s urban billion
By 2050, more than a billion people will be living in African cities and towns. As more and more of the continent’s population – 60% of whom live in the countryside – move to urban areas, pressures on land can only intensify. How should we make room for this massive urban expansion? How will city structures have to change to accommodate Africa’s urban billion? And...
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Blog post
Land reform, redistribution, and risk: Towards an inclusive South Africa
At the end of February 2018, a motion was put forward by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a far-left opposition party, to revisit South Africa’s Constitution and amend it to allow for land expropriation without compensation. This motion was successfully passed, and subsequent public hearings across the country confirmed that there was resounding support from the...
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Blog post
From roads to regulation: Realistic transport reform in Greater Kampala
Across developing cities, transportation is struggling to keep up with rapid population growth. Transport systems that are supposed to connect individuals to jobs, services, and markets have limited reach and low capacity. Land allocated to roads in sub-Saharan African cities, for example, is around a third of that in cities in other parts of the world (Collier and Venables...
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Publication - Working Paper
Taxing vacant urban land in Kampala
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Publication - Policy Brief
Considerations for a tax on urban vacant land in Kampala
Vacant land constitutes an estimated 8-10% of Kampala’s land. However, this does not take into account abandoned or derelict buildings, space used for parking, or large pieces of land attached to small buildings. These are all types of land that have been categorised as vacant in other countries. Currently, vacant land is not classified as property under the...
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Blog post
The promises and challenges of special economic zones
On Tuesday 29 May 2018, the Oxford Urbanists and Cities that Work hosted a panel event titled "Can Special Economic Zones (SEZs) Drive Growth in Developing Cities?” to discuss evidence for improved policy. How should we think about Special Economic Zones (SEZs)? What benefits can they bring to developing cities? Where do they fall short? How can...