Cities as Growth Accelerators: Fostering National and Urban Development Policies for Success

The purpose of this paper is to delve into the question of spatial policies from the vantage point of what is best for the achievement of national development goals. National strategies aim to increase economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve welfare for a 11 large segment of society. In successful countries, one sees a clear link between these national aims and efforts and the process of urban development. Given the costs of overconcentration, the lack of policy effort at coordinating national and urban policies to achieve more spatially equitable development is puzzling. The organization of the paper is as follows: a. Chapter 1 discusses global urbanization trends in the context of growth performance and regional dynamics. Chapter 2 describes the salient urbanization trends in Latin America, including demographic, economic and physical expansion dynamics as well as governance challenges. Chapter 3 highlights how urban development and economic growth are strictly interwoven with the geography of trade in Latin America. Chapter 4 concludes with a focus on policy issues facing the conference.