Bhutan Development Update, June 2019 : Harnessing Urbanization
Despite its small population and land area, Bhutan is among the most rapidly urbanizing countries in South Asia. While this urbanization parallels robust economic growth and the expansion of job and investment opportunities in cities, there remain...
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/244991561011294417/Bhutan-Development-Update-Harnessing-Urbanization http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31988 |
| Summary: | Despite its small population and land
area, Bhutan is among the most rapidly urbanizing countries
in South Asia. While this urbanization parallels robust
economic growth and the expansion of job and investment
opportunities in cities, there remain challenges to fully
leveraging the potential of urban areas. Bhutan has made
impressive gains toward the convergence of access to basic
services across the country, but there are gaps in the
quality of coverage, particularly for water and sanitation.
Local governments will have an increased role in basic
service provision and capital investment, but it requires
enhanced capacity and resources to improve efficiency and
responsiveness to local needs. Urban growth has increased
demand for quality housing, which has resulted in a scarcity
of affordable units and has increased pressure for urban
expansion. Finally, the concentration of people and property
in growing cities also changes the hazard risk profile of
these areas, which is not adequately understood due to a
lack of adequate data systems and poor integration into
planning mechanisms. An integrated approach to urbanization
is essential; one that leverages the benefits of
agglomeration while also managing the diseconomies and
negative externalities of urban growth. |
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