The 2012/2013 version of the UN-Habitat State of the World’s Cities Report was recently released at the World Urban Forum in Naples, Italy. The report is subtitled ‘Prosperity of Cities’.
Please CLICK HERE to download a copy of the report (pdf format, 5.7 MB).
An extract from the report:
…In the 21st as in much earlier centuries, people congregate in cities to realize aspirations and dreams, fulfil needs and turn ideas into realities.
Prosperity in this broader, organic sense transcends narrow economic success to encompass a socially broadbased, balanced and resilient type of development that combines tangible and more intangible aspects. Taken in this multidimensional sense, urban prosperity tightens the links between individuals and society with their everyday environment, i.e. the city itself. Amidst multiple challenges facing cities today, a focus on poverty reduction and/or responses to the economic crisis is gradually shifting to a broader and more general understanding of the need to harness the transformative dynamics and potentials which, to varying degrees, characterize any city anywhere in the world.
How to rekindle momentum, optimize regenerating potential, enhance strategic position in the international business sphere, polishing both image and appeal – in other words, how to foster prosperity – has become the main thrust behind urban development…
