The Wealth of Cities: Towards an Assets‐based Development of Newly Urbanizing Regions

In this essay, the author develops an argument for an endogenous development of city‐regions throughout the world. He emphasizes seven clusters of tangible regional assets in which investments should preferentially be made: basic human needs; organized civil society; the heritage of the built environment and popular culture; intellectual and creative assets; the region's resource endowment; the quality of its environment; and urban infrastructure. The author concludes by making a plea for a ‘whole of government’ collaborative approach to planning for an endogenous development.