Growing Resources for Growing Cities: Density and the Cost of Municipal Public Services in Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico

This paper finds that per capita municipal spending on public services is strongly and non-linearly correlated to urban population density. Optimal expenditure levels for municipal services are achieved when densities are close to 9,000 residents per square kilometer. In this study of approximately 8,600 municipalities in Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico, 85 percent are below this ideal density level. This analysis provides strong policy support for densification, particularly for medium-sized cities in developing countries, which are currently absorbing most of the world's urban population growth.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Inter-American Development Bank
Other Authors:	Nora Ruth Libertun de Duren
Format:	Working Papers biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Inter-American Development Bank
Subjects:	Municipal Management, Urban Development, Fiscal Policy, Public Service, Municipal Expenditure, Public Expenditure, R12 - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity, R58 - Regional Development Planning and Policy,
Online Access:	http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0011707 https://publications.iadb.org/en/growing-resources-growing-cities-density-and-cost-municipal-public-services-brazil-chile-ecuador
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