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Mark Roberts

@mroberts10013.bsky.social

370 followers 98 following 30 posts

Lead Urban Economist & Global co-Lead for Urban & Spatial Economics, World Bank. Lover of cities & trying to improve as a runner. Living in Hanoi. https://sites.google.com/view/mark-roberts/home

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Economics 81%

Environmental science 7%

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Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Jul 12

Was great to take part in today’s Bishan Park #parkrun while visiting Singapore! Quite pleased as well with my 8th place overall finish in 21 min 40 sec. Thanks to the organisers & volunteers! #parkrun #running 🏃👟🎽

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Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Jul 2

I’ll be in Singapore next week and I’m tempted to do a #parkrun there (especially because there’s no #parkrun in Hanoi, where I live), although I have some slight doubts because I’m also in middle of half-marathon training. Any advice from anyone who has done a #parkrun in Singapore?

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · May 19

Hope you recover soon, Daniel. I came down with shingles last year while on a work trip & then had to catch an international flight home - was likewise awesome

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Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · May 19

Eased back a bit on my #running last week to allow for some recovery as I continue to try to v slowly build 2 half-marathon fitness & felt so much better for it today!

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · May 9

www.bbc.com/sport/athlet...

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · May 1

Maybe it’s because I’m from the north of England, but I *love* #running in the rain (which doesn’t happen often in Hanoi!). 1st real tempo run as continue to build back training

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Apr 24

Baby steps! 1st time running 5 km again as v gradually step-up training after suffering a calf strain early Feb. that feels like it has/is taking forever to recover from. Still some residual /referred pain, but feeling cautiously optimistic!Plus lovely running weather in DC today! #running

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Feb 18

I’m definitely v far from being a “best runner”, but I do have a mental strategy of “congratulating” myself when I reach a put of fatigue in a race (normally around the three quarters mark), which I find helps me to relax

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Feb 17

Stunning!
www.bbc.com/sport/athlet...

Jacob Kiplimo breaks half marathon world record by 48 seconds

Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo shatters the half marathon record at a World Athletics event in Barcelona.

www.bbc.com

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Feb 8

Thank you! And, yes, I can already see that!

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Feb 8

Yay! Just completed my 1st ever #parkrun while visiting Washington DC! Now I know what I’ve been missing out on! Great to see the enthusiasm among runners of all ages. Also, my fastest 5 k (21 min
29 s) since resuming running 🙂 #running 🏃

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Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Feb 6

I finally found the (in)famous zone 2 😂

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Jan 31

CHÚC MỪNG NĂM MỚI!

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Jan 26

After 2 weeks of treadmill running due to dreadful air quality in Hanoi, was great to finally run outside again! My longest run (15.1 km) since starting running again around 2 years ago! Feeling v happy! 🙂🏃 #running #econ5k

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Jan 9

Very much enjoyed & highly recommend this super-insightful “Brief History of Urban & Spatial Economics” over the last 50 years since the founding of the JUE by Henderson & Thisse, which also includes welcome discussion of developing country issues #urbanecon #econsky

#urbanecon @urban-econ-papers.bsky.social · Jan 4

New in JUE: Urban and spatial economics after 50 years, by J. Vernon Henderson, Jacques-François Thisse. #econsky #urbanecon

Urban and spatial economics after 50 years

Publication date: November 2024 Source: Journal of Urban Economics, Volume 144 Author(s): J. Vernon Henderson, Jacques-François Thisse

www.sciencedirect.com

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Jan 5

Thanks for the shout-out @econ5k.bsky.social and for organising this! Great also to see the achievements of others! There are some v fast economists out there!

Reposted by Mark Roberts

ECON5k @econ5k.bsky.social · Jan 5

!! 2025 ECON5k AWARDS !!

youtu.be/0miW6gUyek4

2025 ECON5k AWARDS CEREMONY

YouTube video by Daniel Bergstresser

youtu.be

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Reposted by Mark Roberts

#urbanecon @urban-econ-papers.bsky.social · Jan 4

New in JUE: Urban and spatial economics after 50 years, by J. Vernon Henderson, Jacques-François Thisse. #econsky #urbanecon

Urban and spatial economics after 50 years

Publication date: November 2024 Source: Journal of Urban Economics, Volume 144 Author(s): J. Vernon Henderson, Jacques-François Thisse

www.sciencedirect.com

Reposted by Mark Roberts

Stephane Straub @stephanestraub.bsky.social · Dec 31

Last day to submit to the @worldbankgroup.bsky.social #Infra4dev conference in Guangzhou!

Stephane Straub @stephanestraub.bsky.social · Dec 22

So submit your papers before Dec. 31: www.worldbank.org/en/events/20...

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Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Dec 30

Last #run of yr & in scorching Trinidad b4 returning home 2 Hanoi. Thankful to have completed 1st full year of almost injury free running, with 8 races, in around 25 years :-) Hope to continue to grad build training, break 21 min for 5 k, 45 min for 10 k & maybe run a half marathon in 2025 #running

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Dec 30

Hi everyone, I wanted to draw attention to the below expressions of interest to attend the World Bank’s annual Land Conference, which will take place in Washington DC, May 5th-8th 2025. Deadline is 15th Jan.

web.cvent.com/event/d800b9...

Summary - World Bank Land Conference 2025

web.cvent.com

Reposted by Mark Roberts

Diego Puga @diegopuga.org · Dec 27

e) @thetahat.bsky.social, @ecmaeditors.bsky.social. Field experiment with GPS data in Bangalore indicates commuters have moderate schedule inflexibility and high value of time, suggesting limited benefits from peak-spreading congestion charges in developing country megacities t.ly/_A6L7

Peak-Hour Road Congestion Pricing: Experimental Evidence and Equilibrium Implications - The Econometric Society

t.ly

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Reposted by Mark Roberts

Diego Puga @diegopuga.org · Dec 27

These are 10 of my favourite #UrbanEconomics articles published in academic journals in 2024 (continues a tradition started in 2018, order is alphabetical by first author, no ranking implied):

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Reposted by Mark Roberts

Jacob Edenhofer @jacobedenhofer.bsky.social · Dec 27

Immensely helpful summary of an illuminating paper!
voxdev.org/topic/migrat...

Who migrates from developing countries?

New data from 99 developing countries challenges conventional wisdom in development policy. People whose labour has higher returns at home are more likely to migrate.

voxdev.org

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Reposted by Mark Roberts

Greg Shill @gregshill.com · Dec 27

New newsletter post: open.substack.com/pub/gregshil...

Updating My Priors on Self-Driving Cars

The tech is really good, which should cause urbanists to update their priors about direct and second-order effects.

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Mark Roberts

Greg Shill @gregshill.com · Dec 26

Zillow: a "silver tsunami" "wouldn't really move the needle in terms of solving our housing affordability crunch...These empty-nest households are concentrated in [already-]more affordable markets," not in the "job centers where young workers are moving." investors.zillowgroup.com/investors/ne...

A 'silver tsunami' won't solve housing affordability challenges

A "silver tsunami" — an expected flood of homes from older owners who will downsize or otherwise move on — has long been discussed as having the potential to relieve the nation's shortage of housing. ...

investors.zillowgroup.com

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Reposted by Mark Roberts

#urbanecon @urban-econ-papers.bsky.social · Dec 25

New in JUE: JUE Insight: The labor market effects of place-based policies: Evidence from England’s Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, by Robert Calvert Jump, Adam Scavette. #econsky #urbanecon

JUE <em>Insight</em>: The labor market effects of place-based policies: Evidence from England’s Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

Publication date: November 2024 Source: Journal of Urban Economics, Volume 144 Author(s): Robert Calvert Jump, Adam Scavette

www.sciencedirect.com

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Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Dec 23

The World Risk Poll may be worth a look - wrp.lrfoundation.org.uk

The Lloyd's Register Foundation World Risk Poll

wrp.lrfoundation.org.uk

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Dec 23

Just saw this sign in a Trinidad credit union. Surprising: (i) number of places still with Covid related signs; & (ii) why closing washrooms would ever have necessarily helped contain (as opposed to making worse) the spread of Covid

Mark Roberts @mroberts10013.bsky.social · Dec 22

This should be a great conference. For urban folk, call 4 papers includes the “role of infrastructure in supporting sustainable urbanization.” Deadline for submission is 31st Dec. @stephanestraub.bsky.social

Stephane Straub @stephanestraub.bsky.social · Dec 22

Let me explain why I think this conference is important, and you should send us your best papers.
First, Infra4dev is THE conference on infrastructure and development where frontier research can get to talk to both policymakers, MDBs, and private sector folks.

Stephane Straub @stephanestraub.bsky.social · Nov 28

The World Bank and Lingnan College of Zhongshan University, Guangzhou are partnering for the fifth annual Infra4Dev Conference, to be held on the 15th and 16th May 2025 in Guangzhou, China.
Submit your paper online:
www.worldbank.org/en/events/20...

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