THIS BOOK PRESENTS a set of principles for the sustainable planning and management of cities as they have been developed during the past decade under the umbrella of Local Agenda 21. Drawing on similar manuals and research on the implementation of Local Agenda 21 plans and associated experiences in Peru and elsewhere in Latin America, it seeks to provide guidance for “local authorities, municipal officials, representatives of the public sector, and civil society leaders and representatives”.
Local Agenda 21 is defined in the book as “...a plan of action for sustainable development, based on a set of economic, social and environmental initiatives...” that helps “...articulate, integrate and give coherence to sectoral and municipal plans, as well as to civil society initiatives, providing a coordinated framework within which everyone can fulfil their role.” The manual does not purport to be a detailed set of guidelines which can be applied in every city but, rather, a general framework to be used in preparing plans of action or manuals that respond to the reality of specific cities or urban and rural settings.
The book is divided into three main parts. The first presents the background to Local Agenda 21 as an approach to urban development; the second lists the steps involved in a Local Agenda 21 planning and management process; and the third comprises seven appendices with useful complementary documentation ranging from the principles underpinning “successful urban development”, to the elements of a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis for cities, and examples of indicators of urban sustainability.