📅 30 – 31 March 2026
Washington, D.C.
This year’s Urbanization and Development Conference will explore how cities shape the creation and transformation of jobs and firms in developing economies. As technological change, demographic transitions, and structural shifts redefine the future of work, the conference invites research that deepens our understanding of how urban economies can drive economic growth and job creation.
The discussions will center on three interlinked themes:
Structural transformation: how tradable and non-tradable sectors evolve within urban economies, including the role of the informal sector in employment generation, resilience, and structural change. The conference will also explore the role of secondary cities and urban-rural linkages for economic transformation.
Urban labor markets and the changing nature of work: how demographics, infrastructure, technology and policy influence labor force participation, job creation, and the rise of green employment.
Firms, productivity, and urban economic growth: how urban form, spatial dynamics, and agglomeration economies shape firm performance, productivity and wages.
The policy-focused research conference will take place on 30-31 March 2026 and is hosted by the World Bank (Development Research Group and Urban, Disaster Risk, Resilience, and Land), George Washington University (Elliott School of International Affairs and Institute for International Economic Policy), the International Growth Centre (Cities that Work and Cities Research Program), and Johns Hopkins University (School of Advanced International Studies and School of Government and Policy).
There are no associated conference fees and food will be provided.
There is no funding available for conference participants or presenters except presenters for the Young Urban Economist Workshop.
The World Bank and its partners will not be able to sponsor visas for this conference.
