ESN #8 Urban investments-W.pmd

he cities of the developing world are the engines of economic growth, but they also face and cause multiple and pressing environmental issues. Those highlighted at the 1992 “Earth Summit” included water supply, sanitation, and pollution, and shaped the “brown agenda.” A decade later, this agenda includes the interactions between cities and the regional and global environment. This note reviews the World Bank’s urban environment project portfolio, with special focus on the contributions of the Bank’s various sectors and on the achievement of the urban environmental targets set forth in the Millennium Development Goals. The note also argues for a more comprehensive and holistic approach to urban environmental priorities.