| URBAN
GOVERNANCE
Cities are
the most advanced, and demanding, arenas of governance –
their multi-level intensity of public, private and social
organisation, of planning and management functions, and
of specialist administrations, are a forcing ground of organisational
innovations; and at the same time they provide the stimulation
for new forms of participation, empowerment and accountability,
arising out of the emergence of diverse social movements
and non-governmental and community-based networks. Six clusters
of innovative policies and practices contribute, together
with their multiple interrelationships, to the ‘political
dimension’ of urban development. They are: |
The documents gathered in this section illustrate innovative
policies and projects in inclusive governance for neighbourhood
renewal, central city regeneration, access to GIS and related
technologies, and knowledge-sharing.
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This section includes a variety of successful cases of citizens’
participation in political affairs, developing their political
engagement in the redistribution of public resources and
stimulating greater municipal accountability. |
The promotion of accountability and transparency illustrated
here include anti-bribery and corruption schemes, and innovative
practices in ‘ethical’ governance, transparent
procurement and contracting. |
| 
Innovative practices in this field include self- provision
and access to land, transport, infrastructure and basic
services, the setup of community resource centres, neighbourhood
action committees, the strengthening of asset management
and the mobilisation by poor households and communities; |
This section includes the enhancing representation and participation
at the local level, supporting community and neighbourhood
self-government, the extension of local electoral registration,
and innovative practices in deliberative democratic assemblies. |
The documents presented here discuss varieties of participatory
learning, action research, planning, and policy dialogue;
community consultation, community partnerships, social movements
and civil society association involvement. |
