The 11th Urbanization and Development Conference will take place December 14-16, 2026 in partnership with the 2026 SMU-Jinan Conference on Urban and Regional Economics. The event will be held in Singapore at the Singapore Management University (SMU) and is organized jointly by the World Bank Group, George Washington University, the School of Economics at SMU, and Jinan University. The conference will bring together world-leading experts to share the latest knowledge and research in urban and regional economics. 

The organizers invite submissions of high-quality academic papers in urban and regional economics, including (but not limited to) the economics of cities, housing, real estate, local public good provision, transportation, and the distribution of economic activity in space. 

Given this year's focus, priority will be given to papers focusing on urbanization and economic development in the developing world as well as studies that are particularly relevant for developed Asia or developing Asia. However, papers on other topics or regions are more than welcome.

Travel expenses and registration fees will be covered for a few selected younger scholars who are still doing their PhD or have completed their PhD less than two years ago. There is no funding available for other presenters or conference participants.

Also note that a related policy workshop is planned for December 16-17, 2026 that will give participants an opportunity to dive into practical implementation issues and dialogue with policymakers. Additional details will be shared in due course.  

For the Registration Fee, please refer to the Registration tab for more information.

For Paper Submissions, please view the Call For Papers for details.

In-Person Keynote Speakers:

• Professor Thomas CHANEY
  John Elliott Chair in Economics and Professor of Economics, University of Southern California
• Professor Melanie MORTEN 
  Associate Professor, Stanford University
• Professor Paul NOVOSAD 
  Associate Professor of Economics, Dartmouth College
• Professor Steve REDDING
  Kleinheinz Family Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics, Stanford University

Program Committee:

• Nate BAUM-SNOW (University of Toronto)
• Thomas CHANEY (University of Southern California)
• Alice DUHAUT (World Bank Group)
• Yi Jie GWEE (MTI Economist Service)
• Remi JEDWAB (George Washington University)
• Jing LI (Singapore Management University)
• Shimeng LIU (Jinan University)
• Lin MA (Singapore Management University)
• Melanie MORTEN (Stanford University)
• Paul NOVOSAD (Dartmouth College)
• Steve REDDING (Stanford University)
• Tanner REGAN (George Washington University)
• Mark ROBERTS (World Bank Group)
• Harris SELOD (World Bank Group)
• Hongjia ZHU (Jinan University)