Urban Development and Civil Society; The Role of Communities in Sustainable Cities

THE CORE OF this book is eight case studies on the role of civil society groups in urban development – for instance, in state-(and international agency-) led shelter projects in peri-urban communities in Maputo; in community development and urban management in Manila; in housing programmes in Costa Rica; and in the struggle for land and housing in South Africa. These are preceded by two introductory chapters on the role of institutions in sustainable urban development, and includes an analytical framework for considering how state–market–society interactions have changed, including approaches to urban planning. The two final chapters present conclusions. The first chapter reflects on the respective roles of the state, market and civil society in the eight case studies and “…how organizational forms and mental models promote or constrain the greater legitimacy of the state and greater responsiveness of civil society within this context” (page 29). The second chapter considers some of the key constraints to creating a more sustainable basis for urban development globally, including mental models of individual consumerism and the limitations of market mechanisms under weak state regulation. It also points to the potential importance of action networks that link community initiatives and aggregate to form new social movements that can guide the state and hold the market socially accountable.