Mark Roberts
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mroberts10013.bsky.social
Mark Roberts
@mroberts10013.bsky.social
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
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 🏃👟🎽
July 12, 2025 at 1:46 AM
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?
July 2, 2025 at 4:08 AM
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!
May 19, 2025 at 2:17 AM
May 9, 2025 at 6:56 AM
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
May 1, 2025 at 1:44 AM
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
April 24, 2025 at 5:33 PM
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 🏃
February 8, 2025 at 4:00 PM
I finally found the (in)famous zone 2 😂
February 6, 2025 at 1:37 PM
CHÚC MỪNG NĂM MỚI!
January 31, 2025 at 8:13 AM
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
January 26, 2025 at 1:36 AM
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
January 9, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
!! 2025 ECON5k AWARDS !!

youtu.be/0miW6gUyek4
2025 ECON5k AWARDS CEREMONY
YouTube video by Daniel Bergstresser
youtu.be
January 5, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
Last day to submit to the @worldbankgroup.bsky.social #Infra4dev conference in Guangzhou!
So submit your papers before Dec. 31: www.worldbank.org/en/events/20...
December 31, 2024 at 9:46 AM
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
December 30, 2024 at 11:47 PM
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
December 30, 2024 at 5:19 PM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
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
December 27, 2024 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
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
December 27, 2024 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
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):
December 27, 2024 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
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
December 26, 2024 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
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
December 25, 2024 at 8:15 PM
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
December 23, 2024 at 3:06 PM
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
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.
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...
December 22, 2024 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
I set up this feed to tweet recent articles from JUE, RSUE, and JOEG. One per journal per day, from the publishers’ RSS feeds. Give it a follow if this seems useful to you! (Here’s an article that I edited at RSUE.)
December 19, 2024 at 7:33 PM