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Urban areas in mainland China are divided into shih (cities) and chen (towns). As the two units share in many features in common and differ mainly in size alone, they are equally important to any study of urbanization. In this article, the author traces the development of shih and chen and attempts to estimate their degree of urbanization. (DÜI-Sen)

This Kenya urbanization review takes a deep look at Kenya's urbanization process. It provides initial policy options in several key areas including housing and basic services, land use and transport, planning, subnational finance, and local economic development. These are not the only areas of concern for Kenya's urban practitioners and policy makers. But they were identified as areas for more in-depth study during initial stakeholder consultations and as key priorities in consultations with government experts. It is hoped that the Review will serve to raise understanding of the important opportunity that urbanization presents for the country, informing policy makers and interested parties alike and expanding dialogue on Kenya's urbanization. The review is laid out in three parts. The first looks at some of the demographic, economic, and spatial trends of Kenya's urban areas (chapter one). The second describes the challenges or threats to a smooth urban transition: large, growing informality and inequality within and between urban areas, in three categories of access (chapters two, three, and four). The third examines the modern institutions needed to address the challenges head on and to ensure that Kenya's cities have the opportunity to serve as true drivers of economic growth (chapters five, six, and seven).

In all geographical departments of Greece there has been noticed a significant population change since 1920. Until 1928 the population of the country increased because of the compulsory exodus of the Greeks from Asia Minor which followed the great military defeat of 1922. The mo st important population increase was noticed in the Greater Athens Area during the period 1920-28. Also in Macedonia which has shown la considerable density rate there was an increase from 30.9 to 40.5 inhabitants per square kilometer while Thrace showed a greater increase from 24.1 to 34.8 inhabitants per square kilometer. ; peer-reviewed

The rapid urbanization in many developing countries over the past half century seems to have been accompanied by excessively high levels of concentration of the urban population in very large cities. Some degree of urban concentration may be desirable initially to reduce inter- and intraregional infrastructure expenditures. But in a mature system of cities, economic activity is more spread out. Standardized manufacturing production tends to be de-concentrated into smaller and medium-size metropolitan areas, whereas production in large metropolitan areas focuses on services, research and development, and non-standardized manufacturing. The costs of excessive concentration (traffic accidents, health costs from exposure to high levels of air and water pollution, and time lost to long commutes) stem from the large size of megacities and underdeveloped institutions and human resources for urban planning and management. Alleviating excessively high urban concentration requires investments in interregional transport and telecommunications to facilitate de-concentration of industry. It also requires fiscal de-concentration, so that interior cities can raise the fiscal resources and provide the services needed to compete with primate cities for industry and population.

The Malawi Urbanization Review aims to provide fresh perspectives on urbanization in Malawi, by analyzing the current and potential contribution of urbanization to long-term national development and the current institutional and financial capacity of local governments to manage the process. Analyses presented in this report are particularly timely as Malawi is planning for the coming half decade through the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) III (2016-2020). Malawi is urbanizing at a moderate rate and has a good chance of proactively managing the urbanization process. Opportunities may arise from a positive structural change that Malawi's economy is undergoing, whereby the driver of growth and job creation moves from agriculture to non-agricultural sectors. Faster urbanization, with strong linkages with rural areas, can contribute further to deepening such structural change. To unlock the potential of urbanization as a catalyst for long-term economic development, it is necessary to strengthen the capacity of urban local governments to generate revenues and meet the key infrastructure and service needs in urban areas, which remain challenging even at the current rate of urbanization.

Africa is now the least urbanized of the continents but is becoming more so at one of the fastest rates in the world. The history of urbanization in Africa predates the birth of Christ; it may have developed as early as 3500 B.C. in the flood plain of the lower Nile for control and administration of the Nile Valley by the Pharaohs, though most of the ancient and pre-colonial African urban centers are now insignificant towns and some have become extinct. Between 1500 B.C. and 500 A.D., the Mediterranean coast of North Africa saw the creation of many cities, which flourished because of trade between the Phoenicians and Carthaginians.

The objective of this report is to inform the government's policies and strategies on urbanization as a driver of economic development, job creation, and poverty reduction. Note 1 examines Rwanda's urbanization process since 2002 by analyzing satellite images and other sources. This note presents and analyses the core features and trends of Rwanda's urbanization process. In the first part, it lays out the overall trends in Rwanda's levels of urbanization and the primary trends in urban expansion of Rwanda's key cities, and presents central legal and institutional elements that influence and inform the dynamics of urbanization. Second, it analyses the characteristics and spatial economy of the urban system. Third, it provides an analysis of key characteristics of connectivity of the urban system, domestically and with perspectives to regional connectivity. Last, the note lays out a set of policy implications.

Urbanization and growth : setting the context / Patricia Clarke Annez and Robert M. Buckley -- Rethinking economic growth in a globalizing world : an economic geography lens / Anthony J. Venables -- Are cities engines of growth and prosperity for developing countries? / Gilles Duranton -- Urbanization, agglomeration, and economic development / John M. Quigley -- Spatial inequality and economic development : theories, facts, and policies / Sukkoo Kim -- Housing policy in developing countries : the importance of the informal economy / Richard Arnott -- The U.S. subprime mortgage crisis : issues raised and lessons learned / Dwight M. Jaffee.

'Rural community building' is one of the most prominent policies of rural urbanization and village renovation in China. Since the nationwide implementation of this policy within the scope of the programme 'Building a new socialist countryside', the large-scale construction of new residential complexes has accelerated the transformation of the country's rural landscape. However, extensive demolition and relocation have drawn increasing criticism, and the policy has become synonymous with the seizure of rural land resources by local governments. When Xi Jinping came to power, the new leadership initially appeared to abandon the policy but has eventually revived it. This article studies the implementation and evolution of the rural community building policy as a case of policy learning. The analysis of national and local policy documents and implementation practices in four provinces highlights a new framing of the policy, more intensive hierarchical controls over rural land use, and the state's increasing reach into village governance, as well as new incentives for local governments to continue with demolition and relocation projects. These changes reveal a mode of policy learning in the context of an authoritarian regime whose goal is to improve policy implementation in the face of growing public criticism and social tension.