Trends in Urbanisation and Urban Policies in OECD Countries: What Lessons for China?

This report presents an overview of trends in urban policies in OECD countries with the objective to identify successes and failure that could inform national Chinese policy-makers in their preparation of an Urbanisation Strategy.


China has became the world’s largest urban nation with today over 600 million urban citizens, a figure that is projected to reach 900 million by 2050. Its national economy is already concentrated in cities: almost 65% of China’s GDP was produced in its 53 metropolitan regions in 2004. Although the scale of China’s urbanisation – and the growing number of metropolitan regions within which this urbanisation is concentrating – is unprecedented globally, issues confronting all levels of government in managing this growth are not unique. Most OECD countries have needed to address a wide range of urban management challenges, and are continuing to acquire valuable experience in doing so. Among the key challenges that many countries have been confronted with include: How to maximise national benefits of urbanisation and mitigating its negative impacts? What are the economic, social, and environmental costs of meeting these challenges? How to define the most effective and efficient allocation of functional responsibilities among various levels of government in the urban context? How to effectively plan urban development in a market context?

Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Trends in urbanisation in OECD countries
1.1. What is ‘urban’?
1.2. Trends in urbanisation
1.3. Stages, pattern and drivers of urbanisation
2. Economic performance of urban areas
3. Main factors of growth and decline
3.1. What are the main drivers of economic growth in urban areas?
3.2. Social disparities, exclusion and poverty: the urban paradox
3.3. Negative externalities of urbanisation
4. Strategies and trends in urban policies
4.1. Urbanisation, market forces and strategic planning
4.2. Recent trends in urban policies in OECD countries
4.3. Urban areas and the new paradigm for regional development in OECD countries
5. Land policy and strategic urban planning
5.1. Legal and technical tools for efficient land markets
5.2. Using land values for urban infrastructure financing
5.3. Managing urban growth
6. Building up competitive cities
6.1. Fostering competitiveness and innovation in urban regions
6.2. Fostering city competitiveness whilst ensuring that others do not fall into neglect
7. Problems of the social environment
7.2. Affordable housing
7.2. Integration in the labour markets
7.3. Integrated urban development for distressed neighbourhoods
8. Climate change and environmental damage
8.1. Urban policies to address climate change and urban sustainability
8.2. National-local policy frameworks
8.3. Incorporating climate change into existing national, regional and urban development frameworks
9. Innovated urban governance
9.1. Main rationale for improving urban governance
9.2. Horizontal co-ordination within urban areas
9.3. Enhancing local capacity
9.4. Beyond the public sphere: involving the private sector in the supply of public goods
9.5. Effective multi-level governance
10. Sustainable urban finance
10.1. Traditional and new funding mechanisms for cities
10.2. Financing urban infrastructure
10.3. Cost recovery policies for urban services
10.4. Experiences of OECD countries with local debt and borrowing
10.5. Experiences with public-private partnerships in OECD countries
10.6. Monitoring performance of local services
Conclusions and suggestions for a Chinese urbanisation strategy
A- Contextual Assumptions
B- Policy Approaches
C- Governance and Finance
BIBLIOGRAPHY