NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

The 8th Urbanization and Poverty Reduction Research Conference will bring together academics and development practitioners to present and discuss questions relating to urban expansion and the future spatial organization of cities.

The theme is of increasing importance to academics and policy makers alike as the supply of ideas and demand for solutions grow. Cities in developing countries are growing at faster rates and at lower income levels than those in developed country alternatives. If well-directed and well-managed, expansion and densification of urban areas can bring economic growth while also offering poverty reduction opportunities. If poorly directed and managed, the result can be congestion, contagion, and contraction.

Planning for the cities of tomorrow is thus a crucial task, but one benefitting from a multi-disciplinary approach. This edition of the conference will draw from economists and other scholarly communities at the interface of policy and research to understand which new ideas, new methods, and new collaborations can bring about the change necessary for development.

The policy-focused research conference day will take place on March 7, 2024 and is hosted by the World Bank (Development Research Group and Urban, Disaster Risk, Resilience, and Land), George Washington University (Elliott School of International Affairs and Institute for International Economic Policy), the International Growth Centre (Cities that Work and Cities Research Program), and Millennium Challenge Corporation. The Young Urban Economist Workshop and more technical conference will take place on March 8, 2024.