Urban planning and sound infrastructure are at the heart of what makes cities great places to live. This livability stems from key factors such as safe roads, affordable housing, reliable transit , green public spaces and more. It has been well demonstrated around the world that smart planning shapes how people live, move, and work. But smart urban planning is more than simply securing livable cities, it’s also an economic strategy, because well designed cities draw in businesses, boost productivity, and help create jobs right in the neighborhoods where people live.
In collaboration with UN-Habitat ROAP, the World Bank Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) is hosting a roundtable session on Shaping Livable and Productive Cities through Urban Planning and Quality Infrastructure.
This session brings together leading voices to explore how urban planning and infrastructure development are not just tools for shaping cities but also powerful drivers of local economic growth. From revitalizing neighborhoods to unlocking job opportunities, we’ll discuss how smarter, more inclusive urban investments can build cities that work better for everyone.
[Event Overview]
Date and time: Friday, August 22 2025, 13:30～15:00
Location: World Bank Tokyo Office TDLC Studio (Fukoku Seimei Building 14th Floor, Tokyo, Japan)
Sequential format: Opening remarks, welcome remarks, keynote speech, lightening talks & panel discussion, closing remarks.
This session will be delivered in hybrid format.
Please register here to participate by Friday, August 15.
[Program]
- Opening remarks: Minoru Hasegawa, Director for Policy Co-ordination, Multilateral Development Banks Division, International Bureau, Ministry of Finance and Kazuko Ishigaki, Regional Director, UN-Habitat
- Welcome remarks: Octávio Henrique Dias Garcia Côrtes, Ambassador of Brazil to Japan
- Keynote speech: Anaclaudia Rossbach, Executive Director, UN-Habitat
- Urban Planning and Urban Infrastructure as a backbone of livable cities - Lightning Talk followed by Panel Discussion
Speakers:
Khaled Mahmoud Abdelhalim, Governor of Qena, Egypt
Ryosuke Toura, President, Tokyu Research Institute, Inc.
Keitaro Takigami, Director, Urban Development Promotion Office, City Development Policy, Planning Bureau, Sapporo City, Japan
Mark Roberts, Lead Urban Economist, World Bank
Moderator: Jon Kher Kaw, Senior Urban Development Specialist, World Bank
- Closing remarks: Satoru Kawasaki, Deputy Director-General, National Spatial Planning and Regional Policy Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan
Session details and speakers are subject to change without notice.