As urbanization progresses at a remarkable pace, policy makers and analysts come to understand and agree on key features that will make this process more efficient and inclusive, leading to gains in the welfare of citizens. Drawing on insights from economic geography and two centuries of experience in developed countries, the World Bank’s World Development Report 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography emphasizes key aspects that are fundamental to ensuring an efficient rural-urban transformation. Critical among these are land, as the most important resource, and well-functioning land markets. Regardless of the stage of urbanization, flexible and forward-looking institu- ons that help the efficient functioning of land markets are the bedrock of succe- ful urbanization strategies. In particular, institutional arrangements for allocating land rights and for managing and regulating land use have significant implica- ons for how cities deliver agglomeration economies and improve the welfare of their residents. Property rights, well-functioning land markets, and the management and servicing of land required to accommodate urban expansion and provide trunk infrastructure are all topics that arise as regions progress from incipient urbani- tion to medium and high density.

Land Markets, Regulation, and Welfare.- Government Land Use Interventions: An Economic Analysis.- The Effect of Residential Land Market Regulations on Urban Welfare.- Land Use Regulation: Transferring Lessons from Developed Economies.- Making Urban Land Markets Work Better in South African Cities and Towns: Arguing the Basis for Access by the Poor.- Land Market Policies and the Urban Poor.- The Formalization of Urban Land Tenure in Developing Countries.- Social and Economic Impacts of Land Titling Programs in Urban and Periurban Areas: A Short Review of the Literature.- Informal Neighborhoods in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region: Understanding the Effects of Land Regulation on the Welfare of the Poor.- Informal Rental Markets: The Low-Quality, High-Price Puzzle in Nairobi’s Slums.- Assessing Benefits of Slum Upgrading Programs in Second-Best Settings.- Housing Demand, Tenure Choice, and Housing Policy in Brazil.- Housing Conditions and Income Distribution: Evidence from São Paulo.- Public Land Management.- Does Public Ownership and Management of Land Matter for Land Market Outcomes?.- Taking Land Around the World: International Trends in Expropriation for Urban and Infrastructure Projects.- Guiding Spatial Changes: Singapore Urban Planning.- Aid, Density, and Urban Form: Anticipating Dakar.

As urbanization progresses at a remarkable pace, policy makers and analysts come to understand and agree on key features that will make this process more efficient and inclusive, leading to gains in the welfare of citizens. Drawing on insights from economic geography and two centuries of experience in developed countries, the World Bank’s World Development Report 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography emphasizes key aspects that are fundamental to ensuring an efficient rural-urban transformation. Critical among these are land, as the most important resource, and well-functioning land markets. Regardless of the stage of urbanization, flexible and forward-looking institu- ons that help the efficient functioning of land markets are the bedrock of succe- ful urbanization strategies. In particular, institutional arrangements for allocating land rights and for managing and regulating land use have significant implica- ons for how cities deliver agglomeration economies and improve the welfare of their residents. Property rights, well-functioning land markets, and the management and servicing of land required to accommodate urban expansion and provide trunk infrastructure are all topics that arise as regions progress from incipient urbani- tion to medium and high density.