Blogs
Going the first/last mile: How ride-hailing services expand access to public transport, VoxDev, Sept. 8, 2025.
Has extreme poverty been urbanized? Feb. 27, 2024.
When is a place urban? Applying a new method for defining urbanization to Africa Feb. 22, 2024.
How can East Asia's city leaders rise to the extreme urban heat challenge? Dec. 21, 2023.
Explaining the differences in productivity across cities: Evidence from 16 Latin American and Caribbean countries, VoxEU, Oct. 18, 2023
The transformative power of cities: tackling climate change through green, resilient, and inclusive urban development, May 18, 2023
Tracking economic activity in response to the COVID-19 crisis using night lights – The case of Morocco, March 16, 2021
When the lights go out: How COVID-19 affected cities in the Middle East and North Africa, August 27, 2020
Cities without Sewers - Solving Indonesia’s Wastewater Crisis to Realize Its Urbanization Potential, February 17, 2020
Supporting sustainable urbanization in Indonesia, January 21, 2020
Time to ACT! Realizing Indonesia’s urban potential, October 3, 2019
How to define a metro area?, December 10, 2018
Three key factors for boosting the productivity of Latin American and Caribbean cities, September 14, 2018
Measuring the economic potential of Indian districts, May 9, 2016
Of tigers and elephants: The rise of cities in Asia, May 3, 2016
More than dust in Delhi, October 27, 2015
South Asian Urbanization: Messy and hidden, September 28, 2015
South Asia not realizing full potential of urbanization, September 24, 2015
Urbanization in South Asia: How is it going?, September 20, 2015
Bright Lights, Big Cities, November 7, 2013
Webinars, Recorded lectures etc.
"An Anatomy of Urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa", June 12, 2025, 9th World Bank-GWU-IGC Urbanization and Development Conference, Cape Town.
"Thriving: Making Cities Climate Ready", May 18, 2023, World Bank Live Event.
"Tracking Economic Activity in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis Using Nighttime Lights: The Case of Morocco", December 10, 2020, Geo4Dev Workshop
"Is City-led Economic Growth Under Stress?", July 6, 2020, Habitat Forum, INHAF.
"Leveraging Urbanization in South Asia", October 2017, World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C.
Podcasts
"Thriving – Making Cities Green, Resilient, and Inclusive in a Changing Climate", Urban Exchange Podcast, Episode 8, Dec. 2022
Policy and Research Briefs
Estimating Urban Poverty Consistently Across Countries, World Bank Poverty & Equity Note, Issue 48, July 12 2022 (with P.P. Combes, S. Nakamura, and B. Stewart)
Reshaping Economic Geography: Implications for New EU Member States, World Bank Europe & Central Asia Knowledge Brief, Vol. 4, April 2009 (with C-C. Goh and I. Gill).
Letters
Moving to the city, Letter published in The Economist, May 29th - June 10, 2010 edition