Uttar Pradesh (UP) is one of the most densely populated states in India with high rates of poverty. The state is a major contributor to the agricultural staples of the country and, at present, a large percentage of the state’s labor force is engaged in low-productivity agricultural activities with the agricultural sector employing 60 percent of all formal workers at the state level. The purpose of this report is to present a range of options for regional development in UP by leveraging spatial development patterns along the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC). The report reflects the Government of India (GoI)-World Bank’s India country partnership strategy that promotes balanced regional growth. The report focuses on identifying potential sub regions for logistic hubs and industrial development in the UP districts and develops an economic potential index (EPI) to assess the likely impacts of investments. Using this methodology, four sub-regions have been identified for economic development, namely: (i) Auraiya-Kanpur; (ii) Ghaziabad-Gautam Buddha Nagar; (iii) Aligarh-Hathras-Firozabad-Agra; and (iv) Allahabad-Varanasi. This report is part of a three-phase examination of potential economic development along the EDFC. The report presents the results of economic modeling to determine the best locations in the state to concentrate logistics hubs, industrial estates, and infrastructure investments. The modeling approach assesses six characteristics in each district associated with variations in economic productivity, namely: (i) market accessibility; (ii) industrial diversity; (iii) commodity flow; (iv) per capita industrial investment; (v) agricultural specialization; and (vi) poor social conditions. The report has eight sections, namely: section one is introduction; section two gives overview of UP; section three presents UP’s economy and infrastructure: a synopsis; section four gives UP’s district economies and economic potential index: key factors; section five presents criteria for locating logistics and industrial hubs within promising sub-regions in UP; section six focuses on moving towards implementation; section seven gives conclusion; and section eight presents annexes.

Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, with their high concentration of population, agricultural productivity, and growing manufacturing activities are economically important for India. The construction of the corridor has the potential to increase inter-state connectivity as well as regional linkages with Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the port of Mumbai, which can in turn spur economic activity and regional integration. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of demographic trends, human development indicators, and economic structure in the six states, as a preliminary repository of data and analysis. This report is intended to help identify detailed technical assistance, better inform policy priorities, and well-targeted investment decisions that leverage planned and ongoing infrastructure projects such as the corridor. The report is structured as follows: (1) introduction; (2) overview of the six corridor states encompassing urbanization, poverty, human development performance, and economic profiles; (3) state-level overview of demographic and economic development performance, disaggregated economic structure, and commodity movements; and (4) conclusion.

Cities' development matters to Pakistan. It is central to economic growth, job creation and quality of life. This is also one of the core themes in the 2011 Government of Pakistan Framework for Economic Growth (FEG). This paper explores the conditions for growth-enhancing spatial change in Pakistan’s cities. Cities' development matters to Pakistan. Two strands of analysis are developed. First, it reviews the performance and impact of land use planning in Pakistan's cities while understanding the institutional culture and rules of the game of urban development practices. Given limited availability of urban data, much of this analysis is based on Pakistan's most urbanized province: Punjab, and large cities, primarily Lahore and Karachi. Second, it uses meta-analysis to suggest an agenda of policy options and priorities that could strengthen Pakistan's prudent implementation of spatial potentials and help materialize its cities' creative capital. Following the introduction the paper examines the critical role cities have in Pakistan's economy and development performance. It provides an analysis of Pakistan's current approach to urban development, examining Pakistan's urban planning and development institutions, legislation and practices with the view to identify critical consequences and constraints hampering balanced urban development. Consequently it offers an agenda of objectives and policy options based on international best practices and key actions to address those constraints and guide spatial change in Pakistan's cities. Lastly, it concludes that successful urban transformation requires political will, a sense of urgency and a commitment for shared action.