What shapes good relationships between community organisations and local governments

This paper discusses what creates or enhances a successful working relationship between community organizations and local governments in upgrading and housing improvement programmes, and its influence on the quality of the interventions. The authors draw on their long experience of working with community organizations in informal settlements in upgrading initiatives and with local governments. The paper focuses on four initiatives in Greater Buenos Aires: the National Neighbourhood Upgrading Programme in three informal settlements; the Housing Improvement Programme and the Micro-Credit Fund in two informal settlements; a neighbourhood commission’s work on reconditioning a piped water network; and the advocacy work of a network of technical, social and grassroots organizations. Among the key factors for success is local government’s capacity to design programmes that have flexibility, promote inclusion and transparency, and support community leadership through both neighbourhood organizations and committed individuals.

Available at http://pubs.iied.org/10720IIED.html?c=urban

Further reading:

Almansi, Florencia, Ana Hardoy, Jorgelina Hardoy, Gustavo Pandiella, Leonardo Tambussi, Gaston Urquiza, Gordon McGranahan and David Satterthwaite (2011), Limits to Participation: The Struggle for Environmental Improvement in Moreno, Argentina, IIED, 205 pages. 

Almansi, Florencia and Andrea Tammarazio (2008), “Mobilizing projects in community organizations with a long-term perspective: neighbourhood credit funds in Buenos Aires, Argentina”, Environment and Urbanization Vol 20, No 1, pages 121–148, available at http://eau.sagepub.com/content/20/1/121.abstract.

Hardoy, Ana, Jorgelina Hardoy, Gustavo Pandiella and Gastón Urquiza (2005), “Governance for water and sanitation services in low-income settlements: experiences with partnership-based management in Moreno, Buenos Aires”, Environment and Urbanization Vol 17, No 1, pages 183–200, available at http://eau.sagepub.com/content/20/1/121.abstract.