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An argument that operational urban planning can be improved by the application of the tools of urban economics to the design of regulations and infrastructure. Urban planning is a craft learned through practice. Planners make rapid decisions that have an immediate impact on the ground—the width of streets, the minimum size of land parcels, the heights of buildings. The language they use to describe their objectives is qualitative—“sustainable,” “livable,” “resilient”—often with no link to measurable outcomes. Urban economics, on the other hand, is a quantitative science, based on theories, models, and empirical evidence largely developed in academic settings. In this book, the eminent urban planner Alain Bertaud argues that applying the theories of urban economics to the practice of urban planning would greatly improve both the productivity of cities and the welfare of urban citizens. Bertaud explains that markets provide the indispensable mechanism for cities' development. He cites the experience of cities without markets for land or labor in pre-reform China and Russia; this “urban planners' dream” created inefficiencies and waste. Drawing on five decades of urban planning experience in forty cities around the world, Bertaud links cities' productivity to the size of their labor markets; argues that the design of infrastructure and markets can complement each other; examines the spatial distribution of land prices and densities; stresses the importance of mobility and affordability; and critiques the land use regulations in a number of cities that aim at redesigning existing cities instead of just trying to alleviate clear negative externalities. Bertaud concludes by describing the new role that joint teams of urban planners and economists could play to improve the way cities are managed. This Book Emerges From A 55-year Career In Urban Planning, And Is Illustrated By The Author's Real-world Experience. Without Understanding How Markets Work, Urban Planners Are Likely To Design Infrastructure And Regulations That Will Adversely Impact The Functioning Of Cities. By Contrast, Urban Economists Review Decisions And Outcomes After The Fact, Often Publishing Their Conclusions In Specialized Journals That Fail To Influence Decision Making. This Book Is A Call For Qualitative Urban Planners And Quantitative Urban Economists To Come Together. Specifically, The Book Calls For Urban Economists To Take A Larger Role In The Process Of Operational Urban Planning. For Example, Land Prices Decrease The Further Away One Gets From A City Center. When Land Prices Are High, Households And Firms Consume Less Land; That Is, They Live In Smaller Homes And Work In Smaller Offices. Population Density Then Increases Because The City Is Still A Desirable Place To Be, And You Can Fit More People In Smaller Spaces. While Urban Planning Often Tries To Limit Densities, It Is Almost Impossible To Do So When The Price Of Land Is High. Without Understanding The Factors That Lead To High Prices, Urban Planners Cannot Effectively Plan Cities, And Rents Skyrocket And Commutes Take Longer. Cities Generate A Large Amount Of Data, Often Recorded In Urban Departments, But Remain Unused; Urban Economists Can Make Use Of This New Data And Provide Answers To Critical Questions In Urban Economic Development. The Book Does Not Introduce New Concepts Of Urban Economics But Uses Existing Theories To Try To Improve The Practice Of Urban Planning. It Looks At Such Topics As Infrastructure, Housing Affordability, Transportation, Labor Markets, Regulation, Mobility, And Pollution-- Economists And Urban Planners : Two Visions Of Cities That Need To Be Merged -- Cities As Labor Markets -- The Formation Of Urban Spatial Structures : Markets Vs. Design -- The Spatial Distribution Of Land Prices And Densities : The Models Developed By Economists -- Mobility : Transport Is A Real Estate Issue -- The Design Of Urban Roads And Transport Systems -- Affordability : Households -- Income, Regulations, And Land Supply -- Alternative Urban Shapes And Utopias -- Urban Planners And Urban Economists Have An Important Role To Play If They Manage To Work Together. Alain Bertaud. Includes Bibliographical References (pages [383]-394) And Index. This book examines the concept of the compact city and the implication of the current urban context for compact city policies. It explores their potential outcomes, particularly in terms of how it can contribute to Green Growth and looks at developing indicators to monitor compact city and track policy performance. It reviews compact city policies currently being implemented across the OECD in relation to the pursuit of Green Growth objectives and provides ideas to achieve better outcomes. And it assesses the key governance challenges faced by decision-makers as they seek to implement practica This Report Is Thus Intended As “food For Thought” For National, Sub-national And Municipal Governments As They Seek To Address Their Economic And Environmental Challenges Through The Development And Implementation Of Spatial Strategies In Pursuit Of Green Growth Objectives.