The Time is Now : How Can Uzbekistan Leverage Urbanization as a Driver of Sustainable Development?
Urbanization and growth of cities are the defining development trends in Uzbekistan, and the country has a unique opportunity to use them as drivers of development. To make the most of the urbanization opportunity, Uzbekistan needs to learn from gl...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099650006092233844/P17452003170f001708cc10479893d7c193 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37535 |
| Summary: | Urbanization and growth of cities are
the defining development trends in Uzbekistan, and the
country has a unique opportunity to use them as drivers of
development. To make the most of the urbanization
opportunity, Uzbekistan needs to learn from global
experiences, understand the challenges that growing cities
face, and act quickly to create favorable conditions for
urbanization. While reforms directly affecting urbanization
are already underway in Uzbekistan, they can be more
effective if they are based on a better understanding of the
ongoing urbanization process and its challenges. Government
of Uzbekistan initiatives such as the propiska reform, land
privatization, and administrative reforms (among others)
will have a direct impact on how cities develop, and whether
they become drivers of social and economic progress. This
report offers an overview of key characteristics of the
urbanization process in Uzbekistan and issues associated
with it, and thus sets a baseline for detailed work on
advancing policy reforms related to urbanization and urban
development. The second chapter of the report offers a
review of the key outcomes of urbanization in Uzbekistan
thus far and opens discussion about the two critical
conditions that could be holding Uzbekistan back: factor
market distortion and poor urban management. The third
chapter presents more detailed analysis of key urbanization
trends in Uzbekistan today and demonstrates the channels
through which inefficient factor markets and deficient urban
management limit the development benefits of urbanization.
Chapter 4 digs deeper into these factors that might be
causing the inefficient and unsustainable urbanization
trends and attempts to identify policy-relevant conditions
that might be driving these trends. Finally, chapter 5
discusses key directions for policy reform that are pivotal
for effective and sustainable urbanization and urban growth
in Uzbekistan. |
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