Over the next two decades the number of city dwellers will soar to nearly five billion, 60 percent of the world’s population. Virtually all of this urban growth will occur in cities of the developing world, overwhelming ecosystems and placing tremendous pressure on the capacity of local governments to provide necessary infrastructure and services. The profound demographic and economic transformations brought by urbanization are reshaping the world and how it works, demanding research, policies and practice that reflect a new urban reality.
Recognizing the need to strengthen the ties between urban policymaking and new scholarly work on urban development, and to disseminate evidence-based research on urban programming, the Wilson Center’s Comparative Urban Studies Project, USAID, the International Housing Coalition, the World Bank and Cities Alliance have teamed together to cosponsor the fourth annual “Reducing Urban Poverty” paper competition for advanced graduate students.  Winning authors of the 2013 paper competition will present their solutions-oriented research, with commentary offered by experienced professionals working in the urban sector.