THIS BOOK EXAMINES the nature of governmental–non-governmental cooperation based on 34 case studies from Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America and Europe. Each case study is summarized at the back of the book. The aim is to examine the processes of governmental–non-governmental interaction in order to:
·increase the capacity to improve housing and neighbourhoods;
·provide an insight into NGO and community-based organization efforts and their interactions with government agencies;
·contribute to long-term democratic development; and
·use these experiences to redirect development issues.

In the introduction, Diego Carrión reflects on the case studies and the general issue of cities, considering the concepts of modernization and globalization. He proposes forms of intervention on how to confront housing and neighbourhood environmental problems, including the transfer of power from government to local level. He notes the growing importance of self-help processes and the role of NGOs, and concludes that consistent and long-term action involving all actors is needed to "humanize the city".

In Chapter 2, Meera Mehta considers the trends in new governmental–non-governmental partnerships evident in the case studies and the need for government’s role to change. She describes the shift of emphasis from access to housing and physical quality of life to the fact that the development process needs to centre on human development, especially with regard to land, housing, infrastructure and services, economic and social services, credit and capacity, and the development of community-based organizations. She explores the different types of NGO and focuses on their changing roles, namely their greater cooperation and strengthened links with community-based organizations, increasingly in an advisory capacity, and their influence on government policies and the institutionalization of more participatory planning systems.

Joël Audefroy then draws lessons and proposals from the Habitat International Coalition’s conference in Mexico City in 1996, focusing on the factors that contribute to the development of local governance. The chapter focuses on the changing nature of the interactions between government and non-government actors, considering the varying degrees of this interaction with reference to decentralization, deconcentration and restructuring. The factors influencing this interaction and the different models of partnership are examined, as is the increased organization of social movements, bringing the role of the state into question. The chapter concludes with proposals relating to the decentralization of the state and governance, the impact of participatory experiences on public policy, and new models for action and cooperation.