Virtual Meeting, 15th April 2021

Urbanisation-sensitive Programming:

Urbanise your thinking

Relevance of the two strategic directions

I. Promoting more inclusive, resilient and sustainable

urban systems

• Cities are becoming key actors for development

policies• Inclusive development of small- and middle sized

cities in LMIC

II. Strengthening the positive linkages and dynamics of

rural-urban systems

• Increasingly interrelated dynamics between urban and

rural areas• Potential of small- and middle-sized cities for poverty

reduction and interconnection with bigger cities

12

SDC’s current urban engagement | Learning Journey on urban-rural linkages

in September 2019…

68%100%

by 2050

urban

urbanised

urban development

⇳development in

an urbanising context

“urbanise your thinking”

urban system

Big Center Small Center Intermediate Center Sub Center

Christaller’s Central Place Theory

urban system > ∑(all cities)

Bright lights of the city → Harris & Todaro (1970)

https://wallhere.com/en/wallpaper/629514

Conditio Urbana

where ?⮑ geo-referencing

Geo-referencingspatial character of data

and information, understanding of spatial characteristics of places and connections/ links

Locationbeing in a space, using

a space

Density spatial presence of

people, infrastructure, forms of capital, interactions, movements, ideas

Habitat spatial morphologies

with all their attributes

Territory spatial demarcations with

legal implications, ownership (tenure) & rights linked to a space

Mobility spatial movement of

people, capital, service, goods, finances, information

through spaceAccessibility spatial determination of

opportunity, proximity & affordability of locations and interlinkage between locations

Transaction along spatial dimensions,

like trade, exchange and sharing, connectivity/ connections, transit

Systemsspatial organisation

among different entities like metropolitan areas, corridors, inter-city systems

“Space” changes everything

Thinking through dimensions of urbanisation

densification

economic engines

spatial justice

spat

ial d

ata/

info

informal system

stransactions

land

acce

ssib

ility

basic services

innovation

10 dimensions driving/ driven by

urbanisation

****

101

2

3

4

56

7

8

9

spa$al data/ informa$on

1

economicengines

2

intensifica)on3

spa$al jus$ce

4*

https://www.learning.uclg.org/public-space-right-city

informal systems

5*

Respond instantly & flexibly to situational

change

Exploit marginal space to

manoeuvre

Accumulate marginal profits/

benefits

Feed on near-subsistence levels of “productivity”/

livelihoods

Turn voids/ gaps in systems into

opportunities

Informal Systems

Informal Sector

(Economy)

Informal Settlements

Informal Governance

Informal Entitlements

& rights

accessibility

Rode, P., Heeckt, C., da Cruz, N.F. 2019. National Transport Policy and Cities

6*

THE URBAN ACCESSIBILITY NEXUS

Rode, P., Heeckt, C., da Cruz, N.F. 2019. National Transport Policy and Cities

land7*

transac$ons8

Information

Supplying & selling (produce, water, bioenergy, …) with or without processing/ value addition

Delivering services

Rural migration (permanent)

Family/ social bonds/ relationships

Short-term mobility (consumption, labour, market access, urban services, infrastructure, …)

Leisure/ recreation

Remittances

Economic growth & job creation

basic services

Connecting Systems of Secondary Cities | 21

Collaboration between cities, especially industry clusters, helps to overcome scale issues for some economic activities and reduce common-user costs of infrastructure and services. It could also help sub-national systems of secondary cities to create sub-markets and value-adding opportunities to compete against the dominance of goods and services produced and supplied by metropolitan regions. In some instances, the combined populations and markets of collaborative networks of regional cities are larger than the largest metropolitan region. For example, the UK Core Cities Network (Core Cities, 2010) was established to compete against the market power and dominance of London.

Figure 2.2 shows two models used in supporting the development of systems of secondary cities. The traditional hierarchical model is shown on the left — the orientation of trade, investment, political systems, and transportation is towards the capital city. There are lateral connections between the systems of cities along the corridors, and the focus of value-adding and supply chains is oriented to the country’s largest city. In European and some East Asian countries, such as Japan and Korea, the spatial concentration and range of cities are much more closely knit, and there are significant historical city-to-city links based on trade and manufacturing. Today, with the hollowing out of manufacturing, the orientation of economic activities is much stronger in the capital cities or large metropolitan regions. This is very apparent in the USA, showing significant widening of regional disparities within systems of cities (Florida, 2018).

SUB SYSTEMS OF INDUSTRY SECTORS AND CLUSTERS OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

Inte

rnat

ion

Bord

er

Small Cities

Small Cities

Small Cities

Small Cities

Small Cities

Secondary City

MetropolitanRegion City

MetropolitanRegion City

Secondary City

Secondary City FUNCTIONAL

LINKAGES

AB

CE

F

AB

CE

F

AB

CE

F

Traditional hierarchical linksLateral and non hierarchical linksValue and cluster supply chain linksIndustry clusters engaged in value adding to supply chainst

AB

CE

F

Secondary City

Secondary City

Secondary City

Small Cities

Small Cities

Small Cities

Small Cities

Small Cities

Small Cities

Small Cities

Small Cities

Small Cities

FIGURE 2.1 Emerging systems of cities and connectivity.

Source: AuthorCities Alliance (2019), Connecting Systems of Secondary Cities

9

innova$on10

urbanisationdevelopment work

… along those 10 dimensions