David Sims is an independent urban development economist and consultant, specialized in land management, housing and area up-grading. He has had over fifty years of professional experience with major donor agencies and host governments, all in African, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian countries. He resides in Egypt. He has authored three books and numerous articles about the challenges facing urban areas and the often-mistaken approaches adopted by both donors and host governments. He holds a masters in city planning from Harvard University and a bachelors in economics from Yale University.