Local Governance & Participatory Planning

Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. It is also a city of social inequalities. This article examines how public spaces facilitate social inclusion and intercultural communication and present specific socio-spatial practices and processes that transcend ethnocultural divisions and traditional public and private boundaries. Relying upon scholarly evidence of socio-spatial injustice, as well as upon 19 interviews and a focus group of 13 young participants, I discuss interculturalism as a possible theoretical framework for communication between social groups in public spaces. I frame public space as a means to redefine and redistribute, and discuss the forces that shape, appropriate and redefine it in Toronto. Based on the testimonies of my research participants, I also discuss phenomena such as the privatization of public space and malling. Finally, I present the practice of the domestication of public space and its potential for intercultural communication as a possibility for communities to make public spaces relevant.

Toronto est une des villes les plus multiculturelles du monde. C’est également une ville avec  des inégalités  sociales. Cet article examine comment  les espaces publics facilitent l’inclusion sociale et la communication interculturelle et
présentent des pratiques socio-spatiales et des processus qui transcendent les divisions ethnoculturelles et les frontières traditionnelles des secteurs public et privé. S’appuyant sur une approche d’injustice socio-spatiale, ainsi que sur 19
entrevues et groupes de discussion de 13 participants,  je discute  l’interculturalisme comme un cadre théorique possible pour la communication entre les groupes sociaux dans les espaces publics. Je conçois l’espace public comme un
moyen de redéfinition et de redistribution, et discute des forces qui façonnent, approprient,  et  redéfinissent  cet  espace  à Toronto. Basé  sur  les  témoignages recueillis dans les entrevues, je discute également des phénomènes tels que la
privatisation de l’espace public et le “malling.” Finalement, je présente la pratique de la domestication de l’espace public et son potentiel de communication interculturelle comme une possibilité pour les collectivités de rendre les espaces publics pertinents.

Ce rapport contient le Plan de réduction du risques d'inondation de Tallé, un village administratif de la commune rurale de Gothèye, région de Tillabéri, Niger. Tallé (2 603 habitants en 2012, 0,5 km2 de surface bâtie en 2019) est situé le long de la rivière Sirba, près de la confluence avec le fleuve Niger. Le village est menacé par les inondations fluviales. Le plan est structuré selon l’ISO 31010. L’analyse intègre les connaissances locales et scientifiques. Le processus de planification est entièrement participatif. Les risque d’inondation est identifié et analysé. Les zones inondables suite au débordement de la Sirba et de reflux du fleuve Niger sont identifiées en fonction de trois scénarios de probabilité d’occurrence grâce à une modélisation hydraulique 1D. Les enjeux sont identifiés après une reconnaissance systématique de terrain. Huit mesures de réduction du risque sont sélectionnées et classées par ordre de priorité. L’analyse bénéfice/coût est utilisée pour évaluer l’intérêt de traiter ou d’accepter le risque. Le dispositif de suivi-évaluation est décrit. Le plan comprend règlement des zones inondables, le zonage règlementaire, les cartes des aléas et des enjeux, ainsi que des fiches décrivant chaque action prioritaire. --- (ENGLISH) This report contains the Flood Risk Reduction Plan for Tallé, an administrative village of the rural municipality of Gothèye, Tillabéri region, Niger. Garbey Kourou (2603 inhabitants in 2012, 0.5 km2 of built up area in 2019) is located along the Sirba River, close to the confluence with the Niger River. The village is threatened by fluvial floods. The plan is structured according to the ISO 31010. The analysis integrates local and scientific knowledge. The planning process is fully participatory. Flood risk is identified and analyzed. Areas inundated by the flood of the Sirba river and the backwaters of the Niger river are identified according to three river flood probability of occurrence scenarios through a 1D hydraulic modeling. Floodable assets are identified through a systematic field survey. Eight risk reduction actions are selected and prioritized. Benefit/cost analysis is used to assess the convenience of treating or accepting the risk. The monitoring and evaluation system is described. The plan consists of the flood zone regulation, hazard, assets, and zoning maps, and sheets describing each priority action.

Συμβάλλοντας στην ευρεία δημόσια συζήτηση για την υπό ανάπτυξη περιοχή, σε αυτό το άρθρο παρουσιάζεται ένα σχέδιο συμμετοχικής διαβούλευσης, το οποίο γενικότερα στοχεύει στην οργανική δημιουργία δημόσιων χώρων και στην ενίσχυση της αίσθησης του τόπου (sense of place) στις γειτονιές της πόλης. Στο επίκεντρο του άρθρου βρίσκεται η θεσμική καινοτομία και η έννοια της κυβερνησιμότητας, η οποία έχει ως επίκεντρο την ενίσχυση της ποιότητας ζωής μέσα από την κοινωνική ένταξη και την τοπική πολιτιστική έκφραση. Έτσι λοιπόν, αυτό το άρθρο συμβάλει στη μακροπρόθεσμη εκπόνηση ενός κοινού προβληματισμού σχετικά με το μέλλον της Ελληνικής πόλης. Παρόλα αυτά, η κατανόηση των επιπτώσεων της κρίσης που αφορούν το παρόν και το μέλλον της ποιότητας ζωής στην πόλη, παρουσιάζει μία σημαντική έλλειψη προοπτικής, ενώ οι απαραίτητες αστικές μεταρρυθμίσεις και συνακόλουθες θεσμικές διαστάσεις του αστικού περιβάλλοντος αποτελούν ένα καίριο ζήτημα.

A renewed interest has appeared in citizen co-production of public services due to financial pressure on governments. While social media are considered an important facilitator, many digital participatory platforms (DPPs) have been developed to facilitate co-production between citizens and governments in the context of urban development. Previous studies have delivered a fragmented overview of DPPs in a few socio-spatial contexts and failed to take stock of the rise of DPPs. This article aims to provide a more comprehensive picture of the availability and functionalities of DPPs. Through a systematic review, 113 active DPPs have been identified, analysed, and classified within a citizen-government relationship typology. Almost a quarter of these DPPs demonstrate a realistic potential for online and offline co-production between governments and citizens. The article critically analyses the characteristics of these DPPs and explores their real-world applications in urban development. The article concludes with directions for further research.

In der Veröffentlichung werden über 34 Best Practice Beispiele aus Deutschland, Nordamerika, Frankreich und Großbritannien beschrieben. Es wurden Projekte ausgewählt mit denen die Stadtplanung urbane Gemeinschaftsgärten unterstützt und die sich auf deutsche Kommunen übertragen lassen.

Ziel ist es, den einzelnen Akteuren und Akteurinnen innerhalb der Kommunen ein Hilfsmittel an die Hand zu geben, um ihren Blick auf die Urbanen Gärten zu erweitern und für die eigene Situation Strategien und Kooperationsmöglichkeiten zu entwickeln. Die Studie entstand im Auftrag der Münchner Stiftungsinitiative für urbanes Gärtnern.

Die Best Practice Beispiele kommen aus folgenden Bereichen:

Programme und Maßnahmenpakete
Rahmenplanungen
Koordinationsstellen für Urbane Gärten
Urbane Gärten in Neubaugebieten
Urbane Gärten als Teil öffentlicher Grünflächen
Grundstücke und Dächer für Urbane gärten
Förderung urbaner Gärten innerhalb anderer Programme
Sicherung in Bau- und Planungsrecht
Darüber hinaus stellt Ella von der Haide einen Maßnahmenkatalog für Kommunen auf und bietet Quellen zum Weiterlesen an.

This paper provides a stocktaking of issues and recommendations in improving the assessments of Local Development Councils (LDCs) and Local Development Investment Programs (LDIPs). LDCs have been measured in terms of administrative processes and composition as stipulated by the Local Government Code, but such indicators on 'functionality' has proved insufficient in approximating substantive outcomes-oriented performance, and effective outputs such as the LDIPs and the Comprehensive Development Plans. The recommendations cover a range of technical, administrative, and political issues. The policy note encourages a shift in evaluation paradigm from treating the LDCs as platforms/organizations that need to be constituted, to relationships of negotiation and power. It is through the unpacking of the dynamics of the LDCs (and LDIP formulation) that a theory of change and outcomes prioritization, and further understanding of the local processes can be further pursued.

Kāne'ohe: The Vision 2020 Community Study. 1994.
Beryl Blaich, Robert Choy, Kimberly Evans, Barry Magaoay, Seiichi Matsukawa,
Daniel Ornellas, Veronica Soriano. Luciano Minerbi, faculty participant, co-editor.
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i

This planning study was a service to the Kāneʻhoe Neighborhood Board, the Kāneʻohe Business Association and the Department of Planning of the City and County of Honolulu. 
The community in Kāneʻohe expressed the desire that its future development would protect and enhance existing resources and maintain civic pride. The practicum facilitated the planning process by providing a participatory working tool (document) and preliminary data toward the Development Plan update for the City and County.  The report addresses: (1) cultural landscape; (2) land use; (3) socioeconomic conditions; (4) transportation; (5) residential; (6) community business district (CBD); and (7) views and vistas. Throughout this practicum, the students actively got involved with the community by actively contributing to the Vision 2020 community meetings and events.  The students did also a major display exhibit at Windward Mall showing all their work in the progress. This is a working tool and not a final solution/recommendation for Kāneʻohe, but it documents a participatory planning process and explores relevant themes requested by the residents and business of the area.

This research, conducted by the author when a Senior Researcher at Newcastle University, UK, was funded by a UK governance organisation to help them assess, integrate and improve their understanding of the governed population.

ABSTRACT: Governance organisations have been urged to develop more holistic evidence-based approaches with partners to better deal with issues affecting the governed population. This presupposes an understanding of the population, yet there has been little research work addressing how governance organisations come to understand their governed population, nor how this understanding can be improved upon within such organisations.

This case study examined in-depth how understanding of a governed population was developed within one UK local governance organisation and it explored how such understanding might be developed and improved through more holistic and evidence-based organisational learning within the organisation and its governance partnerships.

The research methodology involved placement within the governance organisation, participant observations on several projects and innovative initiatives, observations within, across, and outside the organisation, and also interviews with varied key stakeholders.

The study examined:

- stakeholder engagement and networks
- current and varied understandings of the population
- mechanisms actually used for developing understandings
- the influence of context on organisational learning

and analysed these to arrive at a recommendations to improve organisational understanding of the governed population.

In the case studied, significant strengths were found: including innovative past learning trials for development, extensive ongoing networking activities, and many varied and accumulating quantitative datasets available across partnerships.

However, entrenched organisational approaches and practices constrained the development of holistic evidence-based understanding, for instance: the absence of systematic maintained collective learning processes; weak recording and forgetting of understandings; methodological exclusion of stakeholders from the development of understanding; the relative neglect of qualitative data, explanations, investigations, interpretations, and reflexivity; and also implicit organisational acceptance of such limitations and low aspirations.

Nonetheless, untapped opportunities existed to enable change including: latent practitioner knowledge and innovative management champions, the desire for improvement and raised aspirations within learning networks, and the development potential of alterative learning approaches.

It was concluded that more holistic evidence-based understanding was possible, but required new learning approaches beyond those then in use in both local government or academia.   

Recommendations are made to utilise and develop improved organisational learning approaches trialed and reported in the case study.

It is argued that the case study findings, conclusions, and recommendations may be applicable to other similar local governance organisations and partnerships that seek to better understand local populations, services and interventions.

The work was also submitted for, and awarded, an MPhil (at Newcastle University, supervised by Prof. Patsy Healy)

O manual é uma ferramenta didática de capacitação concebido para ser utilizado pelas administrações municipais em Moçambique. Aborda temas como: infra-estrutura urbana; história e fases do planeamento urbano; a importância da elaboração de instrumentos de ordenamento territorial; o Plano de Estrutura Urbana (PEU) assim como também Requalificação urbana e Planeamento participativo. O manual contem exercícios práticos e apresentações em formato Power Point, assim como material adicional para o ensino prático (jogo para aprender a Lei de Ordenamento do Território).

The Governance and development practitioners discourse continues to embrace
community participation and community empowerment as an elementary means of building
local capacity towards improving quality of life, poverty reduction, development and
change at local level. This article illustrates a review of decentralization initiative of local
government system after announcement of devolution plan in Pakistan and appraises its
participatory methods to ascertain how far they have improved the process of community
development at local level. This article also measure the impact of community empowerment
on the sustainability of community driven projects implemented under decentralization initiatives
through community based organizations called Citizen Community Board’s (CCB’s).
The results acknowledge the human development and improvement in community empowerment
and sustainability of projects at local but yet sense of community and shared benefits
to be translated for rural communities. The fundamental goal of decentralization seems to
be elusive as only power was transferred at local level, whereby there is less support for
community capacity building, community access to resources, still there is elite holding
over the electoral process. It is argued that community development initiatives in Pakistan
require continues support from local government to boost local rural economies. Likewise,
community-local government participatory development strategies can attain strong local
ownership and empowerment among rural communities.

The concept of urban planning in developing countries emerges as an important part of development in many sectors. Throughout the time, the urban planning concept improves its strategies and mechanisms not to only expect great outcomes, but also to work on the process itself.

Service delivery in local governments in Uganda has progressively improved but is still lacking despite receiving grants from central government to do so. Local development grants (LDGs) are transferred by central government to local governments as performance based grants. Wakiso District Local Government has received LDGs since 2000 however social indicators remain below national standards, e.g. classroom pupil ratio (1:48), teacher pupils ratio 1:60 against national standards of 1:40.  This study sought to establish the extent to which Local development grants management influences service delivery with Wakiso district. The Local development grants management was the independent variable with the dimensions of: decentralized planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring and evaluation, while the dependent variable was service delivery.
A cross sectional design; both qualitative and quantitative techniques was used with a sample of 73 elements was generated through systematic random and purposive selection. Interviews and focus group discussions were conducted and questionnaires administered and generated a response rate of 77 percent. Research findings showed the independent variables had significant and positive relationship with the dependent variable (service delivery). The Pearson’s correlation showed a significant and positive relationship between decentralized planning (r = 0.423**, p = 0.00<0.01); budgeting (r = 0.514**, p = 0.00<0.01); implementation (r = 0.336**, p = 0.00<0.01); monitoring and evaluation (r = 0.579**, p = 0.00<0.01)  and service delivery in Wakiso District Local Government. These independent variables are significant predicators of service delivery, implying that they lead to improved service delivery.  The study recommends governments to consider designing all conditional grants as performance based since it this has  improved service delivery.

Η Γιώτα Θεοδωρά του Κωνσταντίνου είναι Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια της Σχολής Αρχιτεκτόνων Μηχανικών [Σ.Α.Μ.] του Εθνικού Μετσόβιου Πολυτεχνείου [Ε.Μ.Π.], Διευθύντρια του Εργαστηρίου Χωρικού Σχεδιασμού και Γεωγραφικών Συστημάτων Πληροφοριών του Ε.Μ.Π. και μέλος της Ειδικής Διατμηματικής Επιτροπής [Ε.Δ.Ε.] (2018-2022) του Διατμηματικού Προγράμματος Μεταπτυχιακών Σπουδών (Δ.Π.Μ.Σ.) ‘Χωροταξία και Πολεοδομία’ του Ε.Μ.Π.
Η Γ. Θεοδωρά είναι μέλος του Εθνικού Συμβουλίου Χωροταξίας [Ε.Σ.Χ.], του Κεντρικού Συμβουλίου Χωροταξικών Θεμάτων και Αμφισβητήσεων (ΚΕ.ΣΥ.ΧΩ.Θ.Α.), και της Επιστημονικής Επιτροπής Χωροταξίας του Συλλόγου Ελλήνων Πολεοδόμων Χωροτακτών (Σ.Ε.ΠΟ.Χ.). Παράλληλα, ως μέλος διεθνών (ERSA / RSAI, ICOMOS, UfM, IGU, PDAA, APA) και εθνικών (ΤΕΕ, ΣΕΠΟΧ, ΣΑΔΑΣ, ΣΕΠ) Επιστημονικών Οργανισμών / Επαγγελματικών Ενώσεων αναπτύσσει έντονη επιστημονική και διοικητική δράση στο πλαίσιο της ενεργής συμμετοχής της σε Επιστημονικές - Οργανωτικές Επιτροπές, Ομάδες Εργασίας και Δίκτυα Συνεργασίας, καθώς και σε Όργανα Διοίκησης σε ακαδημαϊκό και ευρύτερο επιστημονικό επίπεδο [όπως Εθνικά Συμβούλια, Διυπουργικές Επιτελικές Επιτροπές Συντονισμού και Παρακολούθησης, Εθνικά Μητρώα Αξιολογητών, κ.ά.]. Είναι επίσης μέλος Επιστημονικών Επιτροπών Αξιολόγησης ερευνητικών προγραμμάτων/ έργων/ προτάσεων, χορήγησης υποτροφιών, καθώς και μέλος Εκλεκτορικών Σωμάτων και Εισηγητικών Επιτροπών Κρίσης μελών ΔΕΠ. Τέλος, είναι κριτής σε διεθνή και ελληνικά επιστημονικά περιοδικά.
Η Γ. Θεοδωρά έχει λάβει μέρος σε περισσότερα από 40 ερευνητικά προγράμματα και μελέτες σε εθνικό και διακρατικό επίπεδο κυρίως σε πεδία χωρικής ανάπτυξης, χωροταξικού - πολεοδομικού και περιβαλλοντικού σχεδιασμού, ολοκληρωμένης διαχείρισης παράκτιας ζώνης και θαλάσσιου χωρικού σχεδιασμού, ανάπτυξης και σχεδιασμού παράκτιων και νησιωτικών περιοχών, αστικής αναγέννησης ιστορικών πόλεων, προστασίας και διαχείρισης φυσικής και πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς, και σχεδιασμού υποδομών. Ενεργή είναι η συμμετοχή της σε επιστημονικά συνέδρια και εκδηλώσεις, ενώ πλούσιο και διεθνώς αναγνωρισμένο είναι και το συγγραφικό της έργο στην ελληνική και αγγλική γλώσσα. Τέλος, αξιοσημείωτη είναι και η εθελοντική δράση που αναπτύσσει μέσα από τη οργάνωση και συντονισμό εργαστηρίων χωρικού και συμμετοχικού σχεδιασμού.

Brain drain and human capital mismatch hinder Masbate, a predominantly rural and the poorest province in Bicol Region in the Philippines, from attaining sustainable development. This research tackles the implications of people's career self-management, an integral factor of human capital management, to local development and planning. Applying Massey's power geometry, a survey was conducted to 138 urban high school (UHS) students and 72 rural high school (RHS) students to know their academic and professional career plans and the factors that influenced them. Results showed that most UHS students prefer to study and work in major urban centers outside Masbate, while most RHS students prefer to study and work in Masbate itself. However, for many RHS students, studying and working in Masbate only serve as their initial step to prepare for their future careers in bigger urban centers. These scenarios affirm Massey's claim that people from places with less opportunities are driven toward places with more opportunities. This study suggests that the local government initiates a higher education council to support its development programs and to help address its human capital needs. The creation of a human capital roadmap shall serve as the initial step to ensure sustainable local development.

This easy to read book explores the fundamental ideas of socialism as a prelude to its critical reappraisal of their implementation in the Soviet revolutionary experiment. The book then turns to the seismic economic changes of the neoliberal era which it claims now preclude both national social democratic and Soviet-style paths to socialism. Rather, it is argued, if socialism is to become a force for change in the 21st century, wholly new economic and environmental considerations compel it to adopt a fresh orientation around current designs of democratic ecosocialism. Yet, the herculean challenges this poses tend not to be fully apprehended even among socialist proponents.

Table of Contents:

Preface

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. From Socialism as Idea to Twentieth Century Experiment

Chapter 3. Socialist Failure and Rethinking

Chapter 4. Socialists Confront a Changed World

Chapter 5. Ecosocialism and New Democratic Designs

Chapter 6. We are All Socialists Now

Chapter 7. Conclusion

While local governments in Tanzania have existed for more than a century, their relationship with the central government has been one-sided; with the latter surviving at the mercy of the former. Such an imbalanced relationship notwithstanding, numerous interventions seeking to make local governments more autonomous have been introduced but none of them has managed to resolve the situation. This paper posits that the failure of these interventions stems from a flawed formation of local governments devoid of active players to push for autonomy thus granting absolute latitude to the centre to dictate the functioning of local governments. As various measures for ensuring effective functioning of local government continue to be undertaken under the auspices of the central government, parallel measures seeking to increase the voice of other actors at the grassroots need to be given adequate attention.

This project aims to develop a high-level equity approach to inform the City of Vancouver's Equity Framework for City Plan. Includes best practices on racial and gender equity, intersectionality and decolonization from local governments across North America and Oceania. Provides directions for embedding equity in city planning in a meaningful, transformative and substantive manner to positively impact the lives of all residents, particularly those communities excluded by colonial and other unjust systems.

Placemaking is an approach to designing and planning public spaces, including their management, which is becoming widespread not only in the United States but worldwide. The idea of placemaking is revolutionary because of its approach to urban issues that opens up new possibilities of participatory design. The focus of the practice is on the place, consequently on the community that uses and lives in it because public space symbolizes the “connective tissue” of communities, hence the importance of its care. This paper outlines the issues and major trends emerging from recent placemaking experiences.

The Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) is a new area-based instrument launched for the 2014-2020 ECP Programming Period of the European Cohesion Policy (ECP). It is intended to be a powerful instrument to address, at sub-regional level, crisis-related and other externally-induced issues, as well as to contribute achieving the smart, sustainable and inclusive growth objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. Nevertheless, concerns emerged with respect to the openness and accessibility of the CLLD's local governance framework, the scope and goals that would be targeted by local partnerships, and the suitability and effectiveness of the CLLD's area-based approach in tackling local deprivation. With my contribution I address such concerns from an evidence-based perspective, in order to draw from the practice compelling insights for the improvement of the CLLD instrument. To do so, my paper brings a critical analysis of a recent ERDF co-financed local development programme, namely the Körnerpark Neighbourhood Management in Berlin, whose principles and features are strongly comparable with the approach underlying the CLLD, and which has indeed been taken as a model practice by EU policy-makers. Relying on several interviews to key actors at different governance levels, socioeconomic data, documents analysis, and field observations, I conduct an assessment of the case-study focussing on the inclusiveness of its governance framework as well as on its capability to enhance residents' living conditions. From this assessment, I then infer a number of crucial issues that are likely to be a common challenge for any initiative implemented under the new framework. In particular, I argue that two main lessons can be learned from my case-study. On the one hand participatory decision-making bodies at local level might not be effectively representative of the socioeconomic composition of the target community, but rather risk to be dominated by local elites or powerful groups. On the other hand, fostering local development bears the risk that the most disadvantaged population of the target community might not be fully supported by the initiative but rather, to a certain extent, even penalised. On these grounds, then, my contribution aims at stimulating the debate among European policy-makers towards the fine-tuning of the instrument as a means to effectively tackle poverty and marginality in lagging areas and foster their sustainable development.

Chapter-III in the Book "Decentralization, Governance and Development: An Indian Perspective" edtd. by Dr. Pranab Kr. Das

(Orient Black Swan)

India believed it could take development closer to its people, make the government more accountable, and empower women and oppressed communities through decentralisation—the provision of political and financial autonomy at the local level through the three-tier Panchayati Raj structure.

Fifteen years after the 73rd and 74th Amendments that brought in this innovation, what is the performance of the local government in India? Decentralisation, Governance and Development provides a comprehensive assessment that answers this question.

Drawing from the examples of the two states where decentralisation has been most successful—Kerala and West Bengal—this volume explores the causes and effects of failures in implementation and issues of governance. These essays by scholars from diverse disciplines, as well as policymakers and practitioners, will equip readers with both a theoretical understanding of the issues concerning local government, and the practical problems of designing and implementing policy framework in the field.

The paper reports on both methodological and substantive findings. It presents a method for generating simplified representations for regional urban populations, their geographical sub-populations and communities. the method generates greatly simplified high-resolution socio-economic profiles of populated geographical areas from complex large census data sets.

This paper examines the application of organisation development principles to rural local self-government bodies in Karnataka, India with the objective of developing their organisational capacity and improving their efficiency. The premise is that strong gram panchayats (village councils) can address issues hindering service delivery and governance at the grass roots. The paper illustrates the methodology used in the development of an innovative framework called Gram Panchayat Organisation Development (GPOD) and its implementation in action research mode in two village councils since 2011. It further explores the wider applicability of this framework, which has been extended to over 50 gram panchayats (GPs) since 2014. GPOD works towards strengthening the panchayat as an organisation in its entirety, rather than by tackling stand-alone components. It includes building a shared vision in the panchayat, mapping and re-engineering key processes, developing accountability and incentive structures, and supporting the village body in developing and implementing its annual plans. The approach has evolved to its present form based on real-time change management initiatives in GPs in which politically elected members participated in decision-making and implementation. We argue that by following the principles of organisation development and aligning the panchayat's organisational components, marked improvements in local governance and service delivery were achieved. Impact is captured in terms of systemic outputs such as annual plans, accountability structures and activation of defunct committees, as well as improvements in services such as health, sanitation, drinking water, etc. The paper also includes a critique of the challenges faced as GPOD was scaled up to include new areas.

Ce rapport contient le Plan de réduction du risques d’inondation de Garbey Kourou, village administratif de la commune rurale de Gothèye, région de Tillabéri, Niger. Garbey Kourou (4 600 habitants en 2012, 0,7 km2 de surface bâtie en 2019) est situé le long de la rivière Sirba, l’un des principaux affluents du moyen fleuve Niger. Le village est menacé par les inondations fluviales. Le plan est structuré selon l’ISO 31010. L’analyse intègre les connaissances locales et scientifiques. Le processus de planification est entièrement participatif. Les risque d’inondation est identifié et analysé. Les zones inondables sont identifiées en fonction de trois scénarios de probabilité d’occurrence grâce à une modélisation hydraulique 1D. Les enjeux sont identifiés après une reconnaissance systématique de terrain. Sept mesures de réduction du risque sont sélectionnées et classées par ordre de priorité. L’analyse bénéfice/coût est utilisée pour évaluer l’intérêt de traiter ou d’accepter le risque. Le dispositif de suivi-évaluation est décrit. Le plan comprend règlement des zones inondables, le zonage règlementaire, les cartes des aléas et des enjeux, ainsi que des fiches décrivant chaque action prioritaire.
------ ENGLISH. This report contains the Flood Risk Reduction Plan for Garbey Kourou, an administrative village of the rural municipality of Gothèye, Tillabéri region, Niger. Garbey Kourou (4600 inhabitants in 2012, 0.7 km2 of built up area in 2019) is located along the Sirba River, one of the main tributaries of the middle Niger River. The village is threatened by fluvial floods. The plan is structured according to the international standard ISO 31010. The analysis integrates local and scientific knowledge. The planning process is fully participatory. Flood risk is identified and analyzed. Flood-prone zones are identified according to three river flood probability of occurrence scenarios through a 1D hydraulic modeling. Floodable assets are identified through a systematic field survey. Seven risk reduction measures are selected and prioritized. Benefit/cost analysis is used to assess the convenience of treating or accepting the risk. The monitoring and evaluation system is described. The plan consists of the flood zone regulation, hazard, assets, and zoning maps, and sheets describing each priority action.

World is going through unprecedented turn of events following the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. India is preparing its federal systems to fight this spread. A series of initiatives has been marshaled to protect the rural India from panicky spread and containment. A Kerala model of management and containment of the pandemic is much praised and the female agency-Kudumbashree is assisting the state in executing the ideas and practices.Kudumbashree is the poverty eradication and women empowerment programme implemented by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala The role of Kudumbashree in the State of Kerala in Indian subcontinent is described with its unique initiatives in this context of pandemic. It offers a spectrum of innovative practices along with the health and law and order personnel in the state. The output is commendable achievement with reports on epidemic management amidst its vulnerable exposure with migrant workers around the globe. The present paper highlights the role and effectiveness of Kudumbashree in building self-reliant rural economy. It also brings in the vital statistics of Kerala in terms of epidemic management with in the first 100 days since its first reported case.

This article discusses how inclusive development is translated into policy and regional development planning. Inclusive development has been a buzz word since the implementation of sustainable development paradigm. Perspectives used are that of the regional government apparatus in-charge of development planning. As a strategic actor in decision making, those in charge of development planning hold an important role in determining what counts as inclusive development, who the targets are, and how such inclusivity could be realized through development programs. The research was conducted in Bandung Regency, one of the regions that have been experiencing rapid economic growth, as well as one that is facing the challenges of poverty and the decline of environmental support capacity. These indicates that there is still a gap between inclusive commitment and practice of resource's allocation through planning and budgeting policy. To reveal the reason behind this gap, this research applies mixed method analysis from survey questionnaire and textual analysis of regional development planning documents. This initial research concludes that policy and practice of development in Bandung Regency has not go beyond a narrow understanding of development as a primarily economic process to an integral focus on the achievement of equity and the rights of citizenship. The issues of poverty and the poor are mentioned in development planning strategic documents. However, the programs create to overcome these issues are still uncomprehensive and sectoral based, aimed only to pursue macro indicators of development. Therefore, there is a need to create a comprehensive effort towards achieving an inclusive development agenda as the primary goal in Bandung Regency development.

Despite great advances in ICT, social media, participatory platforms and mobile apps, we seem to still be locked in the one-way communication " paradigm " where information flows unilaterally from government to citizens and seldom vice-versa. As a result, citizens are more receivers rather than conscious producers of information, data, ideas, solutions and decisions in the context of public policies. By means of an extensive literature review, this paper aims to explore the challenges on the part of government that prevent the transition to more dialogic governance and identifies the requirements for a meaningful application of social media for this purpose. The paper contributes to the literature in three ways: i) redefining a typology of social media-based citizens-government relationship; ii) clarifying the difference between challenges and risks of social media application by governments and identifying a typology of government challenges; and iii) identifying government requirements as a conditio sine-qua non for overcoming these challenges upfront, enabling more effective two-way interactions between governments and citizens. The paper concludes with discussion of implications and directions for further research.

This report contains the flood risk reduction plan of Guéchémé, capital of the municipality of the same name, in Niger. Guechémé is a rural local government with 108 778 inhabitants (2012) and a territory of 1075 km2. The jurisdiction is crossed by the dallol (valley) Maouri: a very long intermittent watercourse tributary of the Niger River and one of the most important wetlands in the country. Guéchémé town (8412 inhabitants in 2012) is growing fast. The town is not threatened by the overflow of the dallol Maouri but by the intense rains that generate on a deeply degraded catchment area, catastrophic floods. The risk reduction plan is organized according to the international standard ISO 31010. The flood risk is identified and analyzed. Risk reduction measures are identified and evaluated. The participatory monitoring and evaluation system is described. The plan consists of the flood zone regulations, zoning map, and action description sheets. The analysis and evaluation integrate local and scientific knowledge. The methodology and implementation are fully participatory. Flood zones are identified according to two flood probability scenarios through 2D hydraulic modeling. Floodable assets are identified through visual photointerpretation of very high resolution open access satellite imagery complemented by ground-based asset recognition. The assessment uses residual risk and treatment benefit/cost analyses.

Ce rapport contient le plan de réduction des risques d’inondation de Larba Birno, village administratif de la commune rurale de Gothèye, région de Tillabéri, Niger. Larba Birno (4 713 habitants en 2012, 0,7 km2 de surface bâtie en 2018) est situé le long de la rivière Sirba, l’un des principaux affluents du fleuve Niger moyen. Le village est menacé par les inondations fluviales et pluviales. Le plan est structuré selon l’ISO 31010. L’analyse intègre les connaissances locales et scientifiques. Le processus de planification est entièrement participatif. Le risque d’inondation est identifié et analysé. Les zones inondables sont identifiées en fonction de trois scénarios de probabilité d’inondation des rivières grâce à une modélisation hydraulique 1D. Les biens inondables sont identifiés par photo-interprétation visuelle d’images à très haute résolution capturées par un véhicule aérien sans pilote en septembre 2018. Neuf mesures de réduction des risques sont sélectionnées et classées par ordre de priorité. L’analyse bénéfice/coût est utilisée pour évaluer l’opportunité de traiter ou d’accepter le risque. Le dispositif de suivi-évaluation est décrit. Le plan se compose de la réglementation des zones inondables, des cartes d’aléas, des enjeux, du zonage règlementaire, et de fiches décrivant chaque action prioritaire.
------ ENGLISH. This report contains the Flood Risk Reduction Plan for Larba Birno, an administrative village of the rural municipality of Gothèye, Tillabéri region, Niger. Larba Birno (4713 inhabitants in 2012, 0.7 km2 of built up area in 2018) is located along the Sirba River, one of the main tributaries of the middle Niger River. The village is threatened by fluvial and pluvial floods. The plan is structured according to the international standard ISO 31010. The analysis integrates local and scientific knowledge. The planning process is fully participatory. Flood risk is identified and analyzed. Flood-prone zones are identified according to three river flood probability scenarios through a 1D hydraulic modeling. Floodable assets are identified through visual photointerpretation of very high resolution imagery captured by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in September 2018. Nine risk reduction measures are selected and prioritized. Benefit/cost analysis is used to assess the convenience of treating or accepting the risk. The monitoring and evaluation system is described. The plan consists of the flood zone regulation, hazard, assets, and zoning maps, and sheets describing each priority action.

Ours is an age of the experts – and of those who can afford to pay them. Expert-driven problem solving often imposes solutions upon people that are not their solutions, as they had no voice in their making. What can we offer against this monopoly of knowledge and power from which ordinary people in all societies tend to be excluded? A shared interest in this question is the common core of action research as I understand it and of the strand of critical systems thinking to which this Primer is dedicated, critical systems heuristics (CSH). As one of the most popular introductions to CSH, this monograph is now finally available in a digital version, with unchanged text, layout, and pagination except for some minor editorial and layout corrections.

This article begins to address why cities continue to use public participation-based planning processes to shape their public spaces, notwithstanding three decades of criticisms of such approaches. Based on ethnographic, activist participant research into Seattle Washington's planning for public skateboard parks, I argue that the mobilization of two ostensibly incompatible paradigms for planning—one vesting discretionary authority in experts, the other using the planner to develop consensus through inclusive public input processes—are popular precisely because they can be used together to frustrate truly democratic urban planning. This case study demonstrates how elites used the public input garnered by planners as a form of "shadow referendum," determining in advance whether there were any powerful actors that might oppose proposed policies. And by shifting between or combining the two planning models these elites could justify adhering to the demands of powerful neighborhoods, while discarding input from less powerful neighborhoods as politically irrelevant.

Local Economic Development Agencies (LEDAs) were established as municipal entities with the institutional support of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to address the failures of local government-led development, and to put an impetus to Local Economic Development (LED). However, after a change in the legislative framework and the end of IDC donor funding to LEDAs, municipalities were left with the burden of institutionally supporting LEDAs. This article is based on a qualitative study in which semi-structure interviews were undertaken with key gatekeepers. The article assesses the institutional capacity of local municipalities to support LEDAs through case studies of three KwaZulu-Natal LEDAs. The results reveal that local municipalities do not have the institutional support required by LEDAs, because the municipalities themselves are mired in institutional inefficiencies. Operationally, local municipalities lack the capacity to support LEDAs because of a dearth of competent LED officials, and LED is not regarded as a priority by municipalities. Financially, municipalities also do not have the capacity to support LEDAs, as they barely can support themselves because of a failure to collect revenue. There should be a provincial unit to deliberately and proactively support LEDAs institutionally.

This paper examines the interrelationship between e-government, transparency, and reputation in Spanish local government. It postulates the existence of a three-way relationship, namely, that the degree of transparency in a local authority influences the reputation of that authority and that both transparency and reputation are influenced by the level of e-government service provided. The research is based on a study of 78 Spanish municipalities. The results are presented as a mode

Housing estates built during the post-World War II decades in many countries have followed diverging trajectories. These include maintenance and repair, demolition, 'doing nothing,' and demolition with mixed-usage replacements. Drawing on empirical and historical material from Bucharest, Romania, a city in which 80% of the housing stock consists of socialist era housing estates, we argue that such housing continues to be viable and is even enjoying a minor renaissance, mainly through the financial efforts of residents and, occasionally, through the allocation of a certain amount of public funds. The empirical analysis illustrates that it is neither the mass character of such housing, nor its high-rise nature that creates the problems and negative image often associated with housing estates elsewhere in the world. Rather, we outline seven challenges faced by such estates: ageing of their structure and resident population, networked connectivity, energy efficiency, den-sification, urban planning that favours real estate agents, neglect of housing policies and housing rights, and condominium governance. The housing estates and their problems are so much a part of everyday normality in Bucharest that the local administration tends to take them for granted and has not placed them on the public agenda despite the inevitability of their structural decay at some time in the future. More than anything else, the state and the owners need to gather data in order to preempt future emergencies or continuing physical decay of this valuable housing stock.