• Cities remain crucial locations for the production of goods and services. They provide a concentration of services and infrastructure; productive labour; management skills; organised work environments; complimentary and competing businesses; and large and varied markets.
  • About 80% of GDP is already produced in our cities and towns, making their economic role and performance central to national development.
  • Cities need to be made into good places to do business. They need to become actively entrepreneurial place. For the benefit of all urban dwellers, city stakeholders must identify and then build on their distinctive competitive advantage in the global economy.
  • Strategies for global competitiveness include cities adopting a new style of action and an innovative approach to development. They also involve far-reaching strategies to create political stability; reducing crime and violence; establishing fiscal discipline; and investing in training and education.
  • A rethinking and a reinforcing of the economic role of cities in an era of globalisation is particularly relevant to South Africa today. The future of the country depends upon them becoming globally competitive. National decision-makers need to understand the urban implications of their policies and actions.