Local and Urban Governance – serie

The book explores and discusses some of the changes, challenges and opportunities confronting local governance in the context of the new urban paradigm associated with the HABITAT III New Urban Agenda, a 20-year strategy for sustainable urbanization, adopted in October 2016 in Quito, Ecuador.

The book explores and discusses some of the changes, challenges and opportunities confronting local governance in the context of the new urban paradigm associated with the HABITAT III New Urban Agenda, a 20-year strategy for sustainable urbanization, adopted in October 2016 in Quito, Ecuador.

Sub-Saharan Africa faces many development challenges, such as its size and diversity, rapid urban population growth, history of colonial exploitation, fragile states and conflicts over land and natural resources. This collection, contributed from different academic disciplines and professions, seeks to support the UN Habitat New Urban Agenda passed at Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador, in 2016. It will attract readers from urban specialisms in law, geography and other social sciences, and from professionals and policy-makers concerned with land use planning, surveying and governance.Among the topics addressed by the book are challenges to governance institutions: how international development is delivered, building land management capacity, funding for urban infrastructure, land-based finance, ineffective planning regulation, and the role of alternatives to courts in resolving boundary and other land disputes. Issues of rights and land titling are explored from perspectives of human rights law (the right to development, and women's rights of access to land), and land tenure regularization. Particular challenges of housing, planning and informality are addressed through contributions on international real estate investment, community participation in urban settlement upgrading, housing delivery as a partly failing project to remedy apartheid's legacy, and complex interactions between political power, money and land. Infrastructure challenges are approached in studies of food security and food systems, urban resilience against natural and man-made disasters, and informal public transport.

Sub-Saharan Africa faces many development challenges, such as its size and diversity, rapid urban population growth, history of colonial exploitation, fragile states and conflicts over land and natural resources. This collection, contributed from different academic disciplines and professions, seeks to support the UN Habitat New Urban Agenda passed at Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador, in 2016. It will attract readers from urban specialisms in law, geography and other social sciences, and from professionals and policy-makers concerned with land use planning, surveying and governance.Among the topics addressed by the book are challenges to governance institutions: how international development is delivered, building land management capacity, funding for urban infrastructure, land-based finance, ineffective planning regulation, and the role of alternatives to courts in resolving boundary and other land disputes. Issues of rights and land titling are explored from perspectives of human rights law (the right to development, and women's rights of access to land), and land tenure regularization. Particular challenges of housing, planning and informality are addressed through contributions on international real estate investment, community participation in urban settlement upgrading, housing delivery as a partly failing project to remedy apartheid's legacy, and complex interactions between political power, money and land. Infrastructure challenges are approached in studies of food security and food systems, urban resilience against natural and man-made disasters, and informal public transport.

This book addresses and explores recent trends in the field of local and urban governance. It focuses on three domains: institutional reforms in local government; inter-municipal cooperation; and citizen participation in local governance. In the last decades, in different regions of the world, there is ample evidence that sub-national government, in particular the field of local governance, is in a permanent state of change and reflux, although with differences that reflect national particularities. Since these institutional changes have an impact in the local policy process, in the delivery of public services, in the local democracy, and in the quality of life, it is mandatory to monitor these continued institutional changes, to learn and develop with these changes, if possible before these experiences are transferred and replicated in other countries. The editor and contributors address issues of interest for a wide audience, comprising of students and researchers in various disciplines, and policy makers at both national and sub-national tiers of government.

This book addresses and explores recent trends in the field of local and urban governance. It focuses on three domains: institutional reforms in local government; inter-municipal cooperation; and citizen participation in local governance. In the last decades, in different regions of the world, there is ample evidence that sub-national government, in particular the field of local governance, is in a permanent state of change and reflux, although with differences that reflect national particularities. Since these institutional changes have an impact in the local policy process, in the delivery of public services, in the local democracy, and in the quality of life, it is mandatory to monitor these continued institutional changes, to learn and develop with these changes, if possible before these experiences are transferred and replicated in other countries. The editor and contributors address issues of interest for a wide audience, comprising of students and researchers in various disciplines, and policy makers at both national and sub-national tiers of government.

What are the major hurdles they face in their day to day lives barring their emancipation?The main strength of the book lies in the in-depth grounded research in four small cities (Darjiling, Balurghat, Raniganj and Hugli-Chinsurah) using both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

What are the major hurdles they face in their day to day lives barring their emancipation?The main strength of the book lies in the in-depth grounded research in four small cities (Darjiling, Balurghat, Raniganj and Hugli-Chinsurah) using both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Using original archival sources to reveal the intricacies of local and national policy processes, weak rural housing performances are shown to owe more to national governance regimes than local under-performance.

Using original archival sources to reveal the intricacies of local and national policy processes, weak rural housing performances are shown to owe more to national governance regimes than local under-performance.

This book comprehensively describes the history of Gatineau Park, from the first proposals for a “national park” in the early 1900s to the governance issues in the present period, and it highlights the issues concerning the planning and governance of this unique near-urban ecological area.

This book comprehensively describes the history of Gatineau Park, from the first proposals for a “national park” in the early 1900s to the governance issues in the present period, and it highlights the issues concerning the planning and governance of this unique near-urban ecological area.

The book provides a global perspective of local government response towards the COVID-19 pandemic through the analysis of a sample of countries in all continents.

The book provides a global perspective of local government response towards the COVID-19 pandemic through the analysis of a sample of countries in all continents. It examines the responses of local government, as well as the responses local government developed in articulation with other tiers of government and with civil society organizations, and explores the social, economic and policy impacts of the pandemic. The book offers an innovative contribution on the role of local government during the pandemic and discusses lessons for the future. The COVID-19 pandemic had a global impact on public health, in the well-being of citizens, in the economy, on civic life, in the provision of public services, and in the governance of cities and other human settlements, although in an uneven form across countries, cities and local communities. Cities and local governments have been acting decisively to apply the policy measures defined at national level to the specific local conditions. COVID-19 has exposed the inadequacy of the crisis response infrastructures and policies at both national and local levels in these countries as well as in many others across the world. But it also exposed much broader and deeper weaknesses that result from how societies are organized, namely the insecure life a substantial proportion of citizens have, as a result of economic and social policies followed in previous decades, which accentuated the impacts of the lockdown measures on employment, income, housing, among a myriad of other social dimensions. Besides the analysis of how governments, and local government, responded to the public health issues raised by the spread of the virus, the book deals also with the diversity of responses local governments have adopted and implemented in the countries, regions, cities and metropolitan areas. The analysis of these policy responses indicates that previously unthinkable policies can surprisingly be implemented at both national and local levels.

This book deals with the issue of Digital Participatory Platforms (DPPs) for urban governance. It explains the role and potential that ICTs play in the decision-making processes of the Public Administration and citizens' participation. The book also illustrates the main technologies that encourage innovation and social inclusion, with particular focus on use of DPPs in urban regeneration programs and projects. It presents international best practices from local to European level and it describes the process of creation, development and testing of a DPP project with reference to the Italian case. The book is divided into three parts:the first one gives a framework of neighborhood urban and civic engagement through ICTs, studying in depth the role of ICTs in support of Public Administration’s processes and citizens participation;the second part investigates the topic of Digital Participatory Platforms (DPPs) with the description of their potentialities, the presentation of some international best practices and a specific focus on the Italian context;the third part draws the conclusions of this path by asking which are the main challenges in the adoption of Digital Participatory Platforms, in order to increase citizen participation and collaboration via technology.

This book deals with the issue of Digital Participatory Platforms (DPPs) for urban governance. It explains the role and potential that ICTs play in the decision-making processes of the Public Administration and citizens' participation. The book also illustrates the main technologies that encourage innovation and social inclusion, with particular focus on use of DPPs in urban regeneration programs and projects. It presents international best practices from local to European level and it describes the process of creation, development and testing of a DPP project with reference to the Italian case. The book is divided into three parts:the first one gives a framework of neighborhood urban and civic engagement through ICTs, studying in depth the role of ICTs in support of Public Administration’s processes and citizens participation;the second part investigates the topic of Digital Participatory Platforms (DPPs) with the description of their potentialities, the presentation of some international best practices and a specific focus on the Italian context;the third part draws the conclusions of this path by asking which are the main challenges in the adoption of Digital Participatory Platforms, in order to increase citizen participation and collaboration via technology.

The book explores the key factors affecting the successful implementation of public participation spatial systems in participatory planning as part of the urban governance system. It brings insight from nation-wide research in the Czech Republic and the implications to other countries in the region and beyond. The main aim of the proposed book is to analyse the state-of-the-art of using geoparticipatory tools for citizens’ participation in community decision-making process and to suggest the effective implementation of the geoparticipatory tools available in urban governance.This book explores the situation in the Czech Republic as a representative of for Eastern Bloc country, three decades after the political transition, on its way to public participation in local and urban governance. The active involvement of the citizens into the local and urban decision making process via geoparticipatory spatial tools is becoming a popular research field among human geographers, behavioural geographers, GIS scientists, environmental psychologists, policy scientists and many others scientific areas.

The book explores the key factors affecting the successful implementation of public participation spatial systems in participatory planning as part of the urban governance system. It brings insight from nation-wide research in the Czech Republic and the implications to other countries in the region and beyond. The main aim of the proposed book is to analyse the state-of-the-art of using geoparticipatory tools for citizens’ participation in community decision-making process and to suggest the effective implementation of the geoparticipatory tools available in urban governance.This book explores the situation in the Czech Republic as a representative of for Eastern Bloc country, three decades after the political transition, on its way to public participation in local and urban governance. The active involvement of the citizens into the local and urban decision making process via geoparticipatory spatial tools is becoming a popular research field among human geographers, behavioural geographers, GIS scientists, environmental psychologists, policy scientists and many others scientific areas.

The book provides a pioneering overview of the evolution of the local government and urban policy in Cape Verde after independence, offering a multi-scale perspective of local governance in Cape Verde from 1970 - 2020.

The book provides a pioneering overview of the evolution of the local government and urban policy in Cape Verde after independence, offering a multi-scale perspective of local governance in Cape Verde from 1970 - 2020. ​ It examines the process of urban development in the country, and in the capital city in particular, and explores the consequences and challenges for spatial planning, housing, urban heritage, and the environment, namely issues related to climate change in the post-independence period.

The book addresses in detail local governance in Spain. In recent decades, local governments in Europe have increasingly found themselves under pressure from a multitude of new challenges, such as demographic change, climate change, fiscal austerity policies, digitization, the demand for more citizen participation in local affairs, and the migration crisis in some of them, to name just a few. Consequently, a wave of political and administrative reforms to address these challenges, pressures and problems, has changed local governance in many countries. In part, these changes were the result of reform policies introduced by national and state governments, often triggered by austerity policies, which has become an overwhelming reality for Spanish local governments that have been forced to introduce innovations in local governance. This book aims to give an account of these innovations in local governance in Spain.This book considers the local political-administrative structure in its dimensions, focusing on the analysis of its party system, electoral competition and political behavior in the local arena, as well as on local finances, all of which are determining elements in urban and rural governance processes. On the occasion of the recent crisis unleashed by Covid-19, the book will also deal with local governance in crisis situations. The book will also contextualize local governance processes in Spain in relation to the trends in local governance observed in other European countries.

The book addresses in detail local governance in Spain. In recent decades, local governments in Europe have increasingly found themselves under pressure from a multitude of new challenges, such as demographic change, climate change, fiscal austerity policies, digitization, the demand for more citizen participation in local affairs, and the migration crisis in some of them, to name just a few. Consequently, a wave of political and administrative reforms to address these challenges, pressures and problems, has changed local governance in many countries. In part, these changes were the result of reform policies introduced by national and state governments, often triggered by austerity policies, which has become an overwhelming reality for Spanish local governments that have been forced to introduce innovations in local governance. This book aims to give an account of these innovations in local governance in Spain.This book considers the local political-administrative structure in its dimensions, focusing on the analysis of its party system, electoral competition and political behavior in the local arena, as well as on local finances, all of which are determining elements in urban and rural governance processes. On the occasion of the recent crisis unleashed by Covid-19, the book will also deal with local governance in crisis situations. The book will also contextualize local governance processes in Spain in relation to the trends in local governance observed in other European countries.

This book analyzes ancient cities that are facing crisis, and their coping mechanism to maintain resiliency and sustainability to remain economically viable and historically relevant. The book takes a fresh look at the underlying causes of the crises and recommends good governance and strategic planning options that the city could use to develop a robust economy using surveys and other materials, including geez (old Ethiopian language) church sources. This book illustrates the usage of the concepts of resilience and sustainability to critically assess the historical and cultural transformation of cities and the role of local government in maintaining a sustainable community.A historic city that served as the national capital for close to 250 years, where Christians, Moslems, and Jews lived side by side for centuries, and once dubbed “Paris de l’Abyssinie” by European travelers because of its rich cultural resources, modern artifacts, and setting of new fashions, today Gondar is experiencing stagnation and decline because of changes that moved the center of political power from the city to Addis Ababa in the central part of the country. Since the last century, Gondar has been struggling to maintain its identity as the historical and cultural center of Ethiopia.This book also gives insights on some of Gondar’s extraordinary historic issues/subjects including who were the main construction workers that built the Fasil castle, how did the Ethiopian Orthodox churches of Gondar sustain themselves for centuries, where is kurate Reesu (the 16th century painting of Christ with crown of thorns) treasured by Gondarian emperors, how did the tabot of Abune Teklehaymanot of Debre Libanos (the most influential church in Ethiopia) end up in Azezo (Gondar) and stayed there for over 260 years, and who were the main royal women that opposed the Jesuits plan of converting Ethiopia to Catholicism?

This book analyzes ancient cities that are facing crisis, and their coping mechanism to maintain resiliency and sustainability to remain economically viable and historically relevant. The book takes a fresh look at the underlying causes of the crises and recommends good governance and strategic planning options that the city could use to develop a robust economy using surveys and other materials, including geez (old Ethiopian language) church sources. This book illustrates the usage of the concepts of resilience and sustainability to critically assess the historical and cultural transformation of cities and the role of local government in maintaining a sustainable community.A historic city that served as the national capital for close to 250 years, where Christians, Moslems, and Jews lived side by side for centuries, and once dubbed “Paris de l’Abyssinie” by European travelers because of its rich cultural resources, modern artifacts, and setting of new fashions, today Gondar is experiencing stagnation and decline because of changes that moved the center of political power from the city to Addis Ababa in the central part of the country. Since the last century, Gondar has been struggling to maintain its identity as the historical and cultural center of Ethiopia.This book also gives insights on some of Gondar’s extraordinary historic issues/subjects including who were the main construction workers that built the Fasil castle, how did the Ethiopian Orthodox churches of Gondar sustain themselves for centuries, where is kurate Reesu (the 16th century painting of Christ with crown of thorns) treasured by Gondarian emperors, how did the tabot of Abune Teklehaymanot of Debre Libanos (the most influential church in Ethiopia) end up in Azezo (Gondar) and stayed there for over 260 years, and who were the main royal women that opposed the Jesuits plan of converting Ethiopia to Catholicism?

This book is the first to consider the roles, challenges and governance responses of secondary cities in southern Africa to changing circumstances.

This book is the first to consider the roles, challenges and governance responses of secondary cities in southern Africa to changing circumstances.

This edited volume surveys how current local governance policies and development strategies across Africa and the Middle east are advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This edited volume surveys how current local governance policies and development strategies across Africa and the Middle east are advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Morocco's recent experience with local development strategies serves as starting point for the discussion. Over the past decade, Morocco has undertaken a variety of initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and social inequalities and providing essential services to marginalized communities. These initiatives provide great opportunities to reshape the spatial organization of regions, and to address chronic local issues of infrastructure and investment. Local governance is the most direct way of providing basic services to populations, helping to alleviate socio-spatial inequalities. Also, it is and will continue to be the best way to engage people and local governments in economic, social and human development agendas. However, placing local governance at the heart of development strategies requires going well beyond participatory approaches to policy making. Local communities and their governments need to be empowered. As responses to the Covid19 epidemic have laid bare, new and more efficient modes of territorial governance are needed at local and regional levels if current global-scale challenges are to be met.While development and governance strategies like Morocco's are framed by global agreements and standards, there is a need to understand them at the regional scale. Are there discernible patterns in how African and Middle Eastern countries design and implement them? This volume assembles case studies from across the region, allowing for understandings that transcend the usual spatial dichotomies between "North" and "Sub-Saharan" Africa, between Africa and the Middle East, and between the "Anglophone" and  "Francophone" spheres.The volume builds upon an international conference on the topic held at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco Morocco in February of 2022.The volume is aimed at a readership of researchers and development practitioners, and will be of most direct benefit to advanced undergraduate and graduate-level students.

The book draws from regulation theory to explain urban planning policies and outcomes in Southeast Asia as a function of governance structures and processes.