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Financing the UK’s infrastructure: private and public gains

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Istanbul's planning tug-of-war

In Istanbul, population growth, road traffic, congestion and pollution are at worst contributing to the rapid decline of the city&;s liveability, and at best putting at serious risk the city&;s ambition to be a cultural, economic and logistical hub of Eurasia.

Bogotá bucks the trend

Traffic in developed world cities has usually developed gradually over time, which has given policymakers more time and resources to creatively solve problems. Traffic problems in many developing cities are a more recent phenomenon, brought on by expanding economies and a rapidly-growing middle class. Solving them presents more of a headache.

Age-friendly cities

Are cities better suited to younger people? The general consensus, according to our survey, is yes—while roughly three-quarters of respondents say the inner city is the best place to be in one's first job, or to develop a career, more than one-half would opt for the suburbs to raise a family. More than 40% would move out to a smaller town upon retirement.

Perspectives on cities

Below are some of the key messages for urban policymakers, based on analysis of our global survey of professionals.

Broad: A new generation

Zhang Yue, the president and chief executive officer of Broad, a private Hunan-based manufacturer of air-conditioners, heating systems and air purifiers, is among China’s new generation of entrepreneurs. While many of China’s companies compete on price, Mr Zhang has put his faith in developing Broad’s technology and a strong service model to build his company.

Competition spurs innovation: Li Ning counts on R&D and supply chain management

Li Ning, China’s largest domestic sportswear brand, not only needs to fend off multinational sportswear giants Nike and Adidas, but also needs to stay ahead of its increasingly savvy domestic rivals, including brands such as Anta and 361°. Such mounting competitive pressure has turned into a major driver for innovation, confirms Guo Jianxin, Li Ning’s chief operating officer.

Applied Materials: Continued growth in Asia

Applied Materials, with revenues of more than US$10bn in 2011, is the world’s largest supplier of manufacturing equipment and services for the semiconductor, flat-panel display and solar industries. “About 75% of our revenue comes from Asia, up from about 50% a decade ago. We have a significant presence throughout Asia in China, Taiwan, Singapore, India, Japan and South Korea, and are continuing to grow our footprint in the region,” says Russell Tham, regional president of Applied Materials South East Asia.

World Precision Machinery: Moving up the technology ladder

World Precision Machinery (WPM), an integrated manufacturer of precision metal stamping machines based in Jiangsu, China, has seen its revenues multiply five-fold between 2005 and 2010. In the first nine months of 2011, the firm had revenues of RMB 947.9m (US$150.1m), amounting to year-on-year growth of 30%.

American Water contractor digs up a solution

In one recent project American Water faced considerable push-back from a Kentucky community over traffic disruption caused by the installation of a 30-mile underground water transmission line. The utility company’s contractor ultimately found a solution that saved everyone time and money.

Infosys in Bangalore

In Bangalore's extraordinary transition from a dusty town to a thriving IT hub that is home to more than 600,000 IT executives, Infosys has played a leading role. The IT services company has developed a large campus at Electronics City—based on Microsoft's in Seattle—that is one of India's largest industrial parks, and representatives from the company sit on many city and state committees.

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