Social Development and Public Governance > Social Development > Urban Development
The Challenge of an Urban Continent
By Eduardo Rojas (02/04, En, Es)
The Work of the IDB in Urban Development
Operating in the most urbanized of developing regions, the Inter-American Development Bank has devel-oped a large and complex portfolio of urban loans. The Bank?s contribution to urban development in Latin America and the Caribbean is linked to its origins as a multilateral development institution. The Bank?s first loan, granted more than 40 years ago to the Government of Peru, was for the expansion of the water supply of the city of Arequipa. Since then, the portfolio of urban loans has steadily grown in vol-ume and complexity. To date, Bank loans address a wide variety of urban problems including traditional areas of concern for urban governments, like expanding water and sanitation services, and more recent issues, like urban violence and social and spatial exclusion of groups and individuals. Over the decades, Bank lending for urban development has evolved into a complex area of activity with multiple linkages to other areas of development. In the process of providing support the region?s cities, the Bank has accumu-lated a wealth of knowledge. Sharing and disseminating this knowledge is a significant contribution to borrowers in their efforts to achieve an efficient and egalitarian urban development process in the region.
The present publication traces the history of the Bank's lending for urban development and discusses the Bank's approaches to current urban issues. It is intended for specialists and individuals interested in get-ting acquainted with the evolution of the Bank portfolio. I hope that this publication will contribute to a better understanding of the Bank's contribution to urban development as, in the next twenty years, the Americas becomes the most urbanized region of the world.
Last updated: 06/08/07
