PPEL480

042091

Many countries of the Global South are set to urbanize rapidly over the next several decades, adding over 2.5 billion new residents to the world's cities by 2050. At the same time, many developing world cities are undergoing this surging expansion at much lower levels of income and governance capacity than has historically been the case when today's high-income countries went through their urban transitions. Rapid urbanization combined with poor governance are among the most pressing international development challenges of the 21st century. New policies and governance models are needed to help humanity deal with such challenges. Charter cities are one such model.

Charter cities are new cities with new rules. Charter cities might have different courts, different administration, different labor law, different business registration, or all of the above. Singapore, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Dubai - all proto-charter cities - are some of the most successful cities of the post-war era. Replicating their successes in low-income countries today can help lift tens of millions of people out of poverty.

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Undergraduate

PPEL580