The Global Urban Futures Project is glad to invite you to the Urban Economics Seminar series Fall 2015, December 1st, 2:00pm, 6 E 16th St, Room 1103, New York NY 10003
This presentation focuses on the growing urban economic challenges facing both developing and industrialized countries. Cities are clearly the engines of growth for most national economies. The paper identifies the dynamic conditions of urban economies and suggests areas deserving policy attention and increased research. It focuses on three foundational components of the urban economy: employment, productivity, and urban finance and emphasizes the need for studies of the economic structure of cities in order to identify priority sectors for development. It also highlights the tradeoffs which exist between employment and productivity and the need to develop a broader definition of urban productivity which is multi-scalar and which relates to sustainability. This broader perspective suggests that the productivity of the urban economy might be considered as a public good in terms of its essential attributes which will ultimately determine the sustainability of specific urban areas. This contrasts sharply to the narrower notion of maximizing the competitiveness of firms and cities as a strategy for urban economic development.
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