6th Urban Research and Knowledge Symposium 2012 Partnership Prospectus

Cities of Tomorrow: Framing the Future

Barcelona Conference Centre, Fira de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain | October 8-10, 2012

Organized by

Partnership Prospectus as of April 20 2012.

For more information, visit www.urbanknowledge.org/urks6 and Contact us at urks6@worldbank.org.

Welcome to the 6th Urban Research and Knowledge Symposium (URKS6)

Over the past few years, the global policy debate on urbanization has started transforming from being primarily concerned about managing the ills of urbanization toward one that focuses on harnessing the gains from urban transformation. Initial stocktaking suggests that the jury is still out on the choice, timing, sequence and location of policy instruments and investments that can help in enhancing the benefits from urbanization. There are many unanswered questions on how to enhance economic efficiency and environmental sustainability while balancing social and spatial equity. As many developing countries are rapidly urbanizing at a time when governments have limited administrative and fiscal capacities, underlying land markets and legal institutions to manage urban expansion are incipient. In addition, external environment - both natural and economic - are rapidly changing, requiring policymakers to have access to information that will help make difficult choices today, and will generate the least regret at later stages of development. Innovations and technology have an important role in enhancing the choice set of options, but these need to be weighed alongside institutional capacities and other development objectives. Cities of Tomorrow: Framing the Future has been selected as the focal topic for the 6th Urban Research and Knowledge Symposium (URKS6) to be held in Barcelona, Spain, from October 8-10, 2012. The Symposium is being organized by the World Bank as part of the activities under its Urbanization Knowledge Platform in conjunction with the City of Barcelona. URKS6 is expected to attract over 1,000 participants.

Key Questions to be discussed: How to make policy choices under resource constraints and uncertainty today that will minimize lock-in and path dependency at later stages of development? How to maximize economic efficiency and environmental sustainability while enhancing social and spatial equity?

Urbanization Knowledge Platform The Urbanization Knowledge Platform (UrbKP) is an initiative launched by the World Banks Urban Development and Local Government Unit in February 2011, and is part of the World Bank's "Open Development- Open Knowledge" agenda. The mission of the Urbanization Knowledge Platform is to put the worlds best knowledge and data in the hands of policymakers and practitioners, to harness urban growth for better development outcome.

For more information, visit www.urbanknowledge.org/urks6 and Contact us at urks6@worldbank.org.

Be a Symposium Partner and Become Part of the Action at URKS6

Join widely acclaimed researchers, policymakers and practitioners from all over the world as they gather at URKS6 to discuss cities of tomorrow, develop evidence-based policies for achieving growth and sustainable urban development, acquire the tools for action, and learn how to measure success. While following the traditional Symposium format, URKS6 features several innovations: Initiate a process to inform policy choices that can help policymakers manage potential economic efficiency, environmental sustainability and social equity trade-offs associated with rapid urbanization; Attract ongoing evidence-based analytic work from developing and developed countries to highlight (if and) how urbanization challenges and feasible policy options vary across levels of development and institutional capacities; Showcase practitioner-led innovations that have helped in economic and social transformation of cities; Develop an evidence-based longer term research program to identify new urbanization challenges and strategies over the horizon.
KnowledgeDialogue- Solution approach among Researchers, Policymakers, and Practitioners Confronting aspirations with evidence

The Concept Note of URKS6 (available at www.urbanknowledge.org/urks6) provides further background on the Symposiums objectives and modalities.

Reasons Why Your Organization Should Participate

Connect with some of the best urban thinkers and innovators and gain the latest scientific, policy and practical input on the options and implications for advancing sustainable cities in developing countries; Share urban sustainability knowledge and support developing countries to progress toward urbanization models that deliver economic opportunity, environmental and social sustainability in cities; Learn about the opportunities for partnerships, development projects and investments in the global urban sector and be part of the creative, solutions-oriented conversations and joint agenda about future cities.

Sub-themes of URKS6 The Symposium will comprise three interconnecting analytic clusters economic, social and spatial transformations and two crosscutting key themes governancefinance and sustainability.

For more information, visit www.urbanknowledge.org/urks6 and Contact us at urks6@worldbank.org.

About the Urban Research and Knowledge Symposium

Launched in 2002, the Urban Research Symposium is a leading, unique global platform to facilitate evidence-based discussions among researchers, policymakers and practitioners across public, private and third sectors from developed and developing countries, covering critical urban themes most pertinent for advancing sustainable urban development. The Symposium is part of a broader analytic and policy-oriented research and knowledge program conducted by the World Bank and its network of partners under the Urbanization Knowledge Platform. Past Urban Research Symposium: Washington D.C. USA 2002 Washington D.C. USA 2003 Brasilia, Brazil 2005 Washington DC, USA 2007 Marseille, France 2009

For more information, visit www.urbanknowledge.org/urks6 and Contact us at urks6@worldbank.org.