Cities for tomorrow

IUESA: Dr Hossein wrote a note entitled “cities for tomorrow” in Donyaye Eqtesad Newspaper, following is the full text: according to the UN predictions, two-third of the world population will live in cities by 2050. More than 70 per cent of people live in cities in our country and metropolises settled 25 per cent of the population. Today, cities have changed into the generator of national economy to achieve better position in global economy and creating a better future. Most models and evolutions of national and global economy origin from cities. Cities and particularly metropolises are not counted as a threat for development any more, but rather they are valuable opportunities for national and local policy-makers and planners. The world is changing into be urbanized with rapid growth. De-urbanization does not have any position in macro approaches and policies.

Yet, understanding economic opportunities and merits of city and achieving to the clear and accepted landscape about its economic future is an important issue. Cities can be successful in new arena to know competitive merits, monitor economic changes, and have essential flexibility to respond quickly. In addition to the mentioned issues, finding scientific answers for economic challenges of city and access to appropriate responses about economic reasons of locating institutes and households in the city are considerable issues.

Principally, cities are complex system of relations, structures, and interactions among human groups and city life is considered as the most advanced process of human life. Massive financial system and economic decision-making organizations are located in the metropolises with their increasing role in global economy. Generally, the newest and most advanced achievements of each country are shown in large cities since they are the center of production, science and wisdom, wealth, culture and instance of general situation of each society. In this regard, complicated and at the same time planned structures of cities with millions of people grant unique potential for the society to bring more wealth for citizens by utilizing human, financial, and management resources. In fact, cities are environment and context that economic events occur in them. In other words, management, the art of tapping the potential of the metropolises and increase in productivity and orientation to the activities determine the place of metropolises in national and international economy. Improvement of economic and social conditions of countries, economic boom and production, expansion of science, knowledge, and technologic advancements are possible only in the shadow of unique capacities of cities. Thus, the number and area of cities are increased globally and large numbers of population migrate to them. On the other hand, industrial and post-industrial productions, and presenting services at national and international levels need infrastructures that only cities are able to present them.

The issue of urban economy and management has been considered as a necessity and practical knowledge by metropolis managers, but there is a lot of distance to ideal point. We should consider that reduce in oil price, sanctions, and Supreme Leader’s demands for the implementation of resistance economy increased the necessity of economic look to city and urban management. 24 articles of resistance economy policies can be considered regarding resistance economy and its role in urban economy. Some of these articles are very influential in urban economy. For example, the first paragraph refers to activating all facilities, financial resources, and urban human capital in order to urban entrepreneurship and maximizing citizenship participation in economic activities, paragraph 3 to productivity growth of urban production factors and empowerment of urban work force, paragraph 4 to use the capacity of implementation of targeting subsides to reduce energy in urban consumption, and article 8 refers to the management of urban consumption emphasizing on implementation of overall policies of reforming consumption pattern and promoting domestic goods. Thus, it should be declared that it is necessary to look economically to cities. Cities can achieve to dynamicity and vitality that they have sustainable revenue and economical costs and it is achieved only through attention to economics and urban management.