Integrated Urban Governance. The way forward.

Moving forward in the direction of the direction of policy integration and Integrated Urban Governance

The manual called ‘Integrated Urban Governance – The way forward’ Commission 3 Manual, gives guidance to decision makers and practitioners on how to move forwards in the direction of policy integration and Integrated Urban Governance. Most of the suggested steps, tools and instruments were derived from day-to-day practice in Metropolis member and other cities all over the world. This praxis shows that integrated policy making has 4 core elements or fields of action:

• public participation;
• political and organisational arrangements beyond city boundaries;
• political and organisational arrangements within city boundaries; 
• capacity building.

Why Integrated Urban Governance?

At least since the new millennium began, all over the world one key word has been dominating political discourse: globalisation.  Associated liberalisation and virtually unlimited flows of finance, goods, labour (and people), raw materials and information has led to the situation in which major cities in particular are facing new forms of economic competition. Traditional, political and administrative action often no longer produces adequate solutions.

From Government to Governance

‘From Government to Governance’ is the characteristic note in this changed understanding of politics. New forms of governance have gained in importance by involving civil society (NGOs, business, the ‘people’) in making and implementing decisions. This approach requires changes in administrative action and settings, too. It goes beyond or at least modifies traditional sectorial and discipline oriented decision making and implementation. In short: these new approaches lead to more integrated urban governance.