THIS BOOK SUMMARIZES the findings of the project entitled Capacity Building for the Urban Environment and of a seminar held to discuss initiatives and research in Bolivia, India, Peru and Senegal. In addition to outlining the focus and process of the project, and a review of the best urban environmental practices uncovered, the book discusses a range of themes from the Global Plan of Action from Habitat II, the second UN Conference on Human Settlements held in 1996, in the light of experiences and lessons learned.

Chapter 1 introduces the project, set up in 1994, in recognition of the need to identify initiatives to improve the urban environment. It aims to promote comparative research, training and the exchange of experience. In addition to research and documentation of best practices in Bolivia, Peru and India, capacity-building strategies were developed for all four countries. Chapter 2 focuses on the phases and process of project development in each of the countries, with mention of the lessons and experiences gained. Chapter 3 summarizes best practices from three of the countries, first outlining the institutional and legal framework in which to contextualize the experiences. Among the 17 best practices identified are a community vegetable and plant garden in Bolivia, an integrated study of wetland conservation and urban growth in Calcutta and a micro-enterprise project to promote employment, health and the environment in Lima, Peru.

Chapters 4 to 7 develop themes from the Global Action Plan as a basis for comparative analysis of experiences and lessons from the identified best practices. Chapter 4 deals with the urban governance issues of decentralization and partnerships. Chapter 5 discusses health and environmental issues such as water supply, solid waste management and pollution prevention, whilst Chapter 6 examines how gender issues are important to urban environmental management. Chapter 7 addresses the need for poverty reduction and job creation. Finally, the book concludes with a summary of the lessons learned from the best practices, the capacity-building strategies developed for each country and the agenda needed to implement these strategies. Included in the book’s annexes are detailed outlines of the capacity-building strategies for Bolivia, India, Peru and Senegal.