The World Bank's Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) marked its 20th anniversary in October, celebrating 20 years of leveraging Japanese and global knowledge and expertise to maximize the impact of urban development projects.
TDLC was launched in 2004 as a partnership between the World Bank and the Government of Japan as a regional distance learning center in the Asia-Pacific. Twenty years on, TDLC has evolved into a global knowledge sharing hub.
TDLC’s signature “Technical Deep Dive” workshops have brought over 2,000 participants from 95 countries to Japan to learn from Japanese cities, generate new insights, and exchange actionable solutions. These weeklong workshops have covered a wide range of urban development topics, ranging from solid waste management to affordable housing, to age-ready cities, to transit-oriented development. As of October 2024, TDLC has delivered 50 Technical Deep Dive workshops, supporting 447 World Bank projects worth $73 billion across 95 countries.
Despite its name, TDLC doesn’t just work in Tokyo – it collaborates with multiple cities across Japan through its City Partnership Program, including Kitakyushu, Kobe, Toyama, Yokohama, Kyoto, Fukuoka, and Hiroshima. Through TDLC, Japanese cities have had a global impact, such as the pioneering collaboration between the Japanese city of Fukuoka and the Indian city of Ahmedabad, which has leveraged Fukuoka’s knowledge and operational support to improve wastewater management in Ahmedabad.
Photo: The World Bank's TDLC celebrated their 20th anniversary at a special symposium in Tokyo, Japan in October 2024. The event gathered representatives from the World Bank, Government of Japan, and international community.
A Chapter Full of Stories
Speaking at the TDLC launch event in Tokyo in 2004, World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn expressed his ambition that “[TDLC] will serve as a center for collaboration, especially in promoting intra-regional knowledge sharing. More than just a new facility, we are, I hope, opening a new chapter in Japan’s engagement with the region and the world.”
Two decades later, that new chapter has been filled with stories of successful knowledge sharing and exchange. As attendees heard at the TDLC 20th Anniversary event in Tokyo in October, TDLC’s workshops have contributed to the preparation and implementation of urban development projects around the world. These include projects in:
- Antananarivo, Madagascar: Madagascar’s Integrated Urban Development and Resilience Project for Greater Antananarivo (PRODUIR) integrated lessons from TDLC’s “Urban Flood Risk Management” Technical Deep Dive. This project has significantly enhanced urban living conditions and flood resilience in Antananarivo, benefiting 500,000 people through infrastructure improvements and urban works.
- Narayanganj, Bangladesh: Mayor Salina Hayat Ivy of Narayanganj, Bangladesh, attended the “Compact Cities” Technical Deep Dive in 2016. Inspired by the clean and well-maintained Fugan Kansui Park in the Japanese city of Toyama, she was motivated to redevelop the canals in Narayanganj through the Municipal Governance and Services Project. Benefits have included increased security, property values, and business activity.
- Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: The Dar es Salaam Urban Transport Improvement Project (DUTP) adopted Japan’s approach after the project team participated in TDLC workshops on transit-oriented development and land value capture. The project includes three main components: establishing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, improving road safety infrastructure, and institutional strengthening and reform, ICT innovation, safety net, and transport studies.
Photo: World Bank President Jim Wolfensohn at the opening of the Tokyo Development Learning Center in 2004, accompanied by Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Sadako Ogata.
The Next Chapter of TDLC
As TDLC looks to the future, it continues to support the World Bank’s mission to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet.
“Today’s global challenges are more complex and intertwined than ever, demanding innovative ideas and successful experiences from other countries to tackle ongoing and emerging crises,” says Christopher Pablo, a World Bank senior urban specialist who heads the TDLC.
“TDLC’s journey over the past 20 years demonstrates the power of knowledge sharing and collaboration. Through our partnership with the Government of Japan and cities across the country, TDLC has leveraged Japanese expertise to achieve global impact, helping to create more livable and sustainable cities around the world.”
As it celebrates its 20th anniversary, TDLC remains committed to its mission of knowledge sharing and looks forward to building the livable cities of tomorrow.
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