The document outlines a collaborative research project between the Asian Development Bank and the CAF Development Bank of Latin America aimed at analyzing and enhancing the competitiveness of cities in Asia and Latin America. It explores research questions related to city competitiveness, policy design, governance arrangements, and infrastructure planning, with case studies from various cities including Bogotá and Curitiba. Initial findings indicate that while Latin American cities excel in quality of life, they lag in business dynamics compared to Asian cities, which are more export-oriented and experiencing faster growth.

1. Sixth Urban Research and Knowledge
Symposium 2012
Barcelona, Spain | October 8-10, 2012
‘A
Framework for a Comparative Analysis of the
Competitiveness of Asian and Latin American Cities’
Brian H Roberts
Emeritus Professor
Land Equity International, Australia
and
Marco Kamiya
Dirección de Políticas Públicas y Competitividad
CAF- Development Bank of Latin America
Session Name: Economic 3 | Cities and Economy - How real is City
Competitiveness?
Date . October 8, 2012
Time 4.00-5.30 pm

2. Background
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Corporación Andina de
Fomento (CAF) Development Bank of Latin America are
collaborating on a wide ranging research project to develop a better
understanding of factors that underpin and drive the
competitiveness and development of cities in Asia and Latin
America.
• The banks would like to gain knowledge from this research to
improve the approaches to their lending program activities and
project so these are more effectively designed and targeted to
support the sustainable development of cities in the two regions.
• The research examines the process of birth, growth and
consolidation of regional competitive cities with and outcome
focused on learning how cities can develop better integrated public
policies to catalyze private sector development for business in
support of industry cluster development in the two regions
Brian Roberts Marco Kamiya Sixth Urban Research and Knowledge Symposium 2012 2

3. Research Question(s)
• How does competitiveness in cities manifest itself, grow and
develop?
• How is policy design to enhance city competiveness conducted?
• What are the institutional and economic governance arrangements
foster competiveness and sustainable economic development?
• What are the main instruments existing for cluster development and
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)?
• How is strategic infrastructure planned in consonance with private
sector needs of urban economic development?
• Last, but not least, how and where are social and environmental
policies applied to avoid social and environmental conflicts with
respect to sustainable local economic development?
Brian Roberts Marco Kamiya Sixth Urban Research and Knowledge Symposium 2012 3
]

4. Research Methodology
Economic Development of Asia and Latin America
(ALA) Cities
•Study Background, Purpose, Objectives
•Urbanization and economic development in ALA
•Drivers of Economic Development in ALA cities
•Challenges of City Economic Development in ALA
•Need for Enhancing City Competitiveness
•Framework for Analysing Competitiveness of ALA cites City Case Studies:
• Bogotá: Colombia
• Curitiba: Brazil
• Dhaka: Bangladesh
Review of City Competitiveness • Guayaquil: Ecuador
Studies • Lima: Peru
• Global • Ho Chi Minh City: Vietnam
• Asian Countries • Nanning: China
• Latin American Countries • Seoul: Republic of Korea
• Bangkok -HCMC Corridor
Analysis , Lessons Strategic Directions for ADB and CAF to Enhance the
Competitiveness of Asian and Latin-American Cities

5. Scope of City Case Studies
• Historic background and general information on the city and its economy
• Economic profile of the city's economy
• Institutional governance and business dynamics
• Analyze the holistic and sector competitiveness of economic drivers
– A. Cost of Doing Business
– B. Dynamics of Local Economy
– C. Human Resources and Training
– D. Infrastructure
– E. Responsiveness of Government To Business Needs
– F. Quality of Life
• Analysis of adequacy of the strategic infrastructure supporting the city’s
economy and its development
• Identify describe and analyze two key Industry clusters that are expected to
play a key role in the development of the selected city’s economy
• key strategic initiatives to enhance the competitiveness of the city's
economy

6. Policy Consequences
• Improved approaches to the design and implementation
of ADB-CAF urban sector projects
• More sustainable approaches to planning for local
economic development in cities
• More competitive and efficiently managed cities in both
regions that will stimulate trade and exchanges between
the two regions
• Enhanced cooperation and knowledge sharing between
ADB-CAF and cities in both regions on urban sector
economically sustainable development and management

7. Progress and Initial Findings
• Study Started in February 2012 and is expected to be completed
December 2012, with finding and report presented to a joint meeting
of ADB and CAF-Development Bank of Latin America in May 2013
• Draft case studies of four Latin American cities are completed.
Initial indications show Latin American cities are ahead on quality of
life indicators, lagging in business dynamics, and on a par with
human capital and infrastructure development.
• Asian cities are much more export-orientated and growing above
national economic growth rates. Latin American cities are moving
into a post–industrialization phase of development and growing
slower than the national economic growth rate.
• There is much stronger competition and city to city trading of goods
and services occurring in Asian than Latin American cities

8. Latin America: preliminary Results
• Cities: Curitiba (Brazil), Bogota (Colombia), Lima (Peru), Guayaquil
(Ecuador)
• Curitiba: Excellent public private coordination and a long history of
planning and long term policies.
• Bogota: Relatively high institutional capacity in the public sector.
• Lima: Fast growing city which should improve public to public
coordination and private sector involvement in policies.
• Guayaquil: The governor was key to implement planning reforms.
In general competitiveness of cities except for Curitiba are driven by
recent economic growth and not by a long term vision. Still the
recent economic boom has allowed to strengthen public capacity
and public sector growth setting the basis for improved urban
planning and higher competitiveness.

9. Knowledge Gaps & Recommendation for
Future Research
• Methodologies and indicators used to measure the competiveness of
cities vary significantly at a global and national level
• Data on the economy of Asian cities is much more difficult to obtain
than for Latin American cities
• Data and statistics on trade between cities is extremely difficult to
obtain in the two regions
• Factors and drivers which shape the competiveness of cities vary
significantly and the correlation between level of economic
development and competitiveness is not well understood
• The role and importance of industry clusters as drivers of economic
development is not well understood in the context of developing cities
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10. Questions