Comments on: The World Bank and Cities: Dawn of A New Era? http://citiwire.net/post/1602/ Our mission... to reflect a new narrative for 21st century cities and regions. Leaving behind the 20th century pattern of cheap energy, endless automobility, burgeoning suburbs, threatened inner cities. To a challenge-packed 21st century: energy prices headed north, perilous carbon emissions, deepening have-have not divisions, excruciating social problems and deep challenges in education. But a time of exciting promise, too. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:15:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jeffrey Kenworthy http://citiwire.net/post/1602/comment-page-1/#comment-1068 Jeffrey Kenworthy Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:08:27 +0000 http://citiwire.net/?p=1602#comment-1068 This is an important development in the World Bank's perspective. It is to be hoped that the bank, as part of its new urban agenda, has also cast off its fairly longstanding reticence to get involved in the funding of urban rail systems. It is interesting that the venue of the meeting referred to in this article, Singapore, was an early case in point of the bank's reluctance to fund urban rail systems, preferring instead to fund bus-based systems and indeed recommending this course of action for the city-state. Singapore nevertheless carved out its own path and built its very successful MRT system, around which it has also shaped its metropolis, with high density residential and mixed use centers in constellations around stations. Urban rail systems and bus systems complement each other, but it is generally true that cities develop more significant and higher use transit systems when the structural backbone is rail. Indeed, cities with strong rail systems have higher per capita bus patronage than cities with buses only. Sincerely Jeff Kenworthy Professor in Sustainable Cities This is an important development in the World Bank’s perspective. It is to be hoped that the bank, as part of its new urban agenda, has also cast off its fairly longstanding reticence to get involved in the funding of urban rail systems. It is interesting that the venue of the meeting referred to in this article, Singapore, was an early case in point of the bank’s reluctance to fund urban rail systems, preferring instead to fund bus-based systems and indeed recommending this course of action for the city-state.

Singapore nevertheless carved out its own path and built its very successful MRT system, around which it has also shaped its metropolis, with high density residential and mixed use centers in constellations around stations.

Urban rail systems and bus systems complement each other, but it is generally true that cities develop more significant and higher use transit systems when the structural backbone is rail. Indeed, cities with strong rail systems have higher per capita bus patronage than cities with buses only.

Sincerely
Jeff Kenworthy
Professor in Sustainable Cities

]]> By: LawrenceGulotta http://citiwire.net/post/1602/comment-page-1/#comment-1066 LawrenceGulotta Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:54:35 +0000 http://citiwire.net/?p=1602#comment-1066 The World Bank and Cities: Dawn of A New Era? Neal Peirce / Dec 31 2009 It is fitting that we welcome the World Bank's commitment to cities and the "dawn of a new era. In my region, New York State, we have a "Downstate" mega metropolis of 8+ million people, NYC, and its surrounding suburbs of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland with over 5+million residents. Mostly ignored by the intensely NYC based multi-media are the remaining fifty-three (53) counties of NYS comprising the so called "Upstate." There is a strong undercurrent of disaffection between the downstate megalopolis and the upstate counties. So strong, of late, that some political leaders are supporting legislation to create a separate 51st State comprising the non-NYC centered counties, "Upstate." Upstate suffers from declining population, anemic job creation/ high unemployment, significant pockets of rural and urban poverty, technological underdevelopment, and a strong cultural disaffection from powerful downstate NYC. The significant Upstate cities, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Bingington, Niagara Falls,etc. have experienced de-industrialization, population loss, declining standards of housing maintenance and development, cultural and civic anomie. The academic and urban expert, Dr. Fred Siegel, recently described "Upstate, beyond Albany, " as Appalachia. The World Bank needs to focus some of its energies on assisting the vast "Upstate" NY region realize its potential in the 21st century, by working with the great University system, SUNY, and other civil and private institutions to rescue this vast region from its long-standing underdevelopment and stagnation. The alternative to doing nothing is to reinforce the separatist and know-nothing-ism currently in vogue. The World Bank and Cities: Dawn of A New Era?
Neal Peirce / Dec 31 2009

It is fitting that we welcome the World Bank’s commitment to cities and the “dawn of a new era.

In my region, New York State, we have a “Downstate” mega metropolis of 8+ million people, NYC, and its surrounding suburbs of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland with over 5+million residents.

Mostly ignored by the intensely NYC based multi-media are the remaining fifty-three (53) counties of NYS comprising the so called “Upstate.”

There is a strong undercurrent of disaffection between the downstate megalopolis and the upstate counties. So strong, of late, that some political leaders are supporting legislation to create a separate 51st State comprising the non-NYC centered counties, “Upstate.”

Upstate suffers from declining population, anemic job creation/ high unemployment, significant pockets of rural and urban poverty, technological underdevelopment, and a strong cultural disaffection from powerful downstate NYC.

The significant Upstate cities, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Bingington, Niagara Falls,etc. have experienced de-industrialization, population loss, declining standards of housing maintenance and development, cultural and civic anomie. The academic and urban expert, Dr. Fred Siegel, recently described “Upstate, beyond Albany, ” as Appalachia.

The World Bank needs to focus some of its energies on assisting the vast “Upstate” NY region realize its potential in the 21st century, by working with the great University system, SUNY, and other civil and private institutions to rescue this vast region from its long-standing underdevelopment and stagnation. The alternative to doing nothing is to reinforce the separatist and know-nothing-ism currently in vogue.

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