Governing Our Cities: Will People Power Work?

CITIES CANNOT BE successful – economically, politically or culturally – if the divisions between rich and poor continue to widen. The solution to sustainable development in cities is for poor people to be allowed to assert their own rights and increasingly to organize themselves to provide their own services and infrastructure. Poverty reduction depends on poor people participating with government in policy and decision-making as well as contributing to implementation and costs. Often, the private sector is also involved.
Successful privatization of services such as water also depends on meeting the needs of the poor, and the role of government is to ensure and facilitate this. Successful privatizations involve consultation and choice for the poorest citizens, with cross-subsidization or differential levels of service to keep the process affordable. Decentralization is a means to greater effectiveness, transparency and accountability. However, real ceding of autonomy, including financial power from national to city governments, is rare.
This booklet discusses some of the key issues on topics such as urban governance, participation and partnership, housing and land, and privatization and the state. It also covers political issues such as political will and greater citizen participation. Examples are given to illustrate some of the points.