Cities are not just places where people live. They are massive labour markets and engines of economic growth, facilitating structural transformation of economies towards manufacturing and service activities. New urban transport infrastructure changes how people access jobs and matches employees to firms.
Cities: Could taller buildings bring about a better quality of life?
Taller buildings are key to enhancing quality of life as the world’s urban population grows, but cities should not become obsessed with skyscrapers and must prepare for horizontal expansion as newcomers arrive, the World Bank said on Wednesday.
Urban build-up worldwide grew by 30% between 1990 and 2015, with new buildings covering an area roughly the size of Sri Lanka, the bank said in a report that was based on satellite data analysis for almost 10,000 cities.
In poor countries about 90% of new buildings sprung up at the edges of cities, extending their boundaries horizontally, while in rich nations about 35% were built on empty sites within urban centres, the study found.
City planners should work to avoid urban sprawl – but skyscrapers aren’t the only answer, says a new report from the World Bank. There are environmental, economic, and social benefits to compact cities that combine both vertical and horizontal expansion.