Paper Competition/Policy Workshop/Publication Abstracts due: February 20, 2012 To encourage a new generation of urban policy makers and
promote early career research, USAID’s Urban Programs Team, International
Housing Coalition (IHC), World Bank, Woodrow Wilson Center’s
Comparative Urban Studies Project (CUSP), and Cities Alliance are
co-sponsoring a third annual paper competition. The competition seeks paper
submissions for an upcoming policy workshop and paper competition on urban poverty
in the developing world. Winning papers will be published and
selected authors will present their papers in a policy workshop to be
held in Washington, D.C. in October 2012. The grand prize winner
will also present at the World Urban Forum in September, 2012 in
Naples, Italy. Papers must be linked to one of the following sub-topics: Land Markets The absence of efficient land and housing markets and lack
of secure tenure for both renters and home owners are impediments to
urban and economic development in developing countries. Papers on this
topic should explore strategies and approaches that would enable
property markets to function better and would provide increased
security of tenure and strengthened real property ownership rights.
Papers might examine such topics as: legal and regulatory policies and
frameworks that facilitate the functioning and efficiency of real
estate markets; tenure security for tenants and homeowners; property
ownership in slums and informal settlements; the availability of land to
house lower income households; titling and registration systems;
the availability of public information about property values and
market data; gender aspects of tenure security and property rights. Climate Change People in urban areas across the world will be affected by
climate change. Most at risk are the urban poor, as their already
precarious living situations are exacerbated by rising sea levels,
inland floods, frequent and stronger tropical cyclones, periods of
increased heat, and the spread of diseases. Papers on this topic should
examine how urban populations, especially the poor, are coping with the
impacts of climate change and provide strategic policy analysis to
better understand how cities can become more resilient to climate
change impacts. Youth Most of the youth of the developing world are now or will
soon be living in urban areas, which they perceive to offer greater opportunities than rural areas. Unfortunately, the majority
of them are often growing up in the poorest urban areas -- informal settlements and slum communities where their opportunities
for advancement and positive contributions to society are
limited by a variety of negative factors including circumstances over
which they have little or no control, such as poor housing, education
and health care. Papers should explore how youth can develop knowledge
and skills, find gainful employment, and participate more fully
in society to advance economic growth and social development. Papers should be policy-based and solutions-oriented and
should critically examine existing projects and/or propose new
strategies for tackling issues related to urban poverty. Papers from a
variety of disciplinary and/or interdisciplinary perspectives are
appropriate, including (but not limited to) urban planning, economics,
political science, geography, public policy, sociology, environment,
and anthropology. For more information, please contact
nleahy@usaid.gov. For more information on last year’s competition, please visit:
Process and Timeline
Abstract Submissions:
Request for Full Papers:
Publication:
World Urban Forum: The World Urban Forum (WUF) was established by the United Nations to examine rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies. The Sixth WUF will be held from September 1-7, 2012 in Naples, Italy and will be focused on the theme of “The Urban Future.” In addition to the Washington conference and publication mentioned above, the grand-prize winner will be invited to present his/her winning paper as part of a panel at the World Urban Youth Assembly at WUF to be held on September 1st and 2nd. |
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