ECONOMISTS and many policy makers think about how things are done, but they do not think much about where things are done. Where economic activity is concentrated in a country can be the difference between poverty and prosperity – for people as well as countries, says the World Bank. No rich country is predominantly rural. No country has grown to middle-income status without urbanising, and none has grown to high-income status without vibrant cities. Cities are the most potent force for social and economic progress and they make possible a standard of living that is inconceivable without them. Cities produce more than 80% of global economic output. The key platforms for national, regional and global growth are urban. The economies of SA’s major cities consistently outperform those of its towns and rural areas. The eight largest cities are home to about 37% of South Africans, yet they account for 59% of economic activity. Average per capita income in the metropolitan areas is about 60% higher than the national average, and is nearly four times higher than that in the rural areas……more