Governing Sustainable Cities

Description

Description: Urban governance and sustainability are rapidly becoming key issues around the world. Currently three billion people – half the population of the planet – live in cities, and by 2050 a full two-thirds of the worlds population will be housed in ever larger and increasingly densely populated urban areas. The economic, social and environmental challenges posed by urbanization on such a large scale and at such a rapid pace are staggering for local, regional and national governments working towards sustainability.

Solutions to the myriad problems plaguing the quest for sustainability at the city-level are equally as diverse and complex, but are rooted in the assumptions of the sustainability agenda, developed at the Rio Earth Summit and embodied in Local Agenda/Action 21. These assumptions state that good governance is a necessary precondition for the achievement of sustainable development, particularly at the local level, and that the mobilization of local communities is an essential part of this process. Yet until now, these assumptions, which have guided the policies and programmes of over 6000 local authorities around the world, have never been seriously tested.

Drawing on three years of field research in 40 European towns and cities, Governing for Sustainable Cities is the first book to examine empirically the processes of urban governance in sustainable development. Looking at a host of core issues including institutional and social capacity, institutional design, social equity, politics, partnerships and cooperation and creative policy-making, the authors draw compelling conclusions and offer strong guidance. This book is essential reading for policy-makers, politicians, activists and NGOs, planners, researchers and academics, whether in Europe, North America, Australasia or transitional and developing countries, concerned with advancing sustainability in our rapidly urbanizing world.

Contents

List of Figures, Tables and Boxes

Preface

Acknowledgements

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

1 The Level of Governance Closest to the People. . .

Governing sustainable cities Sustainable cities in Europe The DISCUS Project The chapters

2 Government, Governance and Local Sustainability Introduction

What is good governance? Good governance and sustainable development Understanding social capital The elements of social capital The level and nature of social capital Social capital and local sustainable development Understanding institutional capital The interplay between social capital and institutional capital Institutional capacity-building Institutional capital and capacity-building within local government Local government capacity-building as a step towards governance? Capacity-building for urban sustainable development Partnerships and cooperation Local politics and institutional design Defining success in urban sustainability The theoretical model: Explaining the relationship between civil society and local government in the sphere of urban sustainable development

3 Meeting the Sustainability Challenge

Introduction Areas of progress in the 40 case studies Social equity topics Sustainable economy topics Top 20 cases in the research Top five cases in Eastern Europe Top five case studies in Western Europe Top five case studies in Southern Europe Top five case studies in Northern Europe Conclusions

4 Institutional Capacity and Social Capacity

Introduction Institutional capacity Social capacity Capacity-building Top 18 case studies for institutional capacity, social capacity and capacity-building Top four case studies in Eastern Europe Top five case studies in Western Europe Top five case studies in Southern Europe Top four case studies in Northern Europe Conclusions

5 Local Government and Civil Society

Introduction Understanding the concept of sustainable development Relative importance of local government departments Role of government and civil society in raising awareness of sustainability Partnerships between local government and civil society The responsibility of local governments Experience of joint sustainability projects between local governments and civil society organizations Conclusions on local government and civil society relations

6 Governing for Sustainability

Introduction The Developing Institutional and Social Capacities for Urban Sustainability (DISCUS) research questions Key trends for sustainable development process and progress Dynamic institutional capacity and sustainable development policy achievement: A model Conclusions

7 An Agenda for Action

Introduction Local government as a learning organization Links between departments Alliances with external agencies Creative policy-making Facilitation and leadership Communication with civil society Environmental awareness as a catalyst Vision and strength Networking between local authorities Multilevel governing

Appendix A: DISCUS Fieldwork Methodology

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