Big data can help build better cities for the poor

The rate of migration to cities in East Asia is very high. People move to urban areas in search of more jobs and a better life. But urbanization comes with risks that can prolong impoverishment and lack of opportunity instead of improving prospects. Once cities are built, their urban form and land-use patterns are locked in for generations. Getting it right prevents spending decades and large sums of money trying to undo mistakes.

Therefore, it is important to understand the inter-related mega-trends that accompany urban growth. To do so requires monitoring and tracking the complex issues involved, including migration, labor, employment, income, transport, health, education and public infrastructure.

Big data can be a very useful tool in this exercise, which is the focus of our (World Bank's) new report, "East Asia's Changing Urban Landscape: Measuring a Decade of Spatial Growth". It uses satellite imagery and geo-spatial mapping of the region's urbanization in the first decade of the 21st century.