e-Discussion on Capacity Development for Urban Management

Dear colleagues,

This might be of interest to you. Please find below a joint message from Peter van de Pol, Policy Advisor, Knowledge, Innovation and Capacity Group, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Christine Kessides, Urban Practice Manager, World Bank Institute relating to the launch of an e-Discussion on Capacity Development for Urban Management. This e-Discussion will take place from 10 February to 2 March 2014 and will be hosted by the UNDP Capacity Development Network.  You can participate in the e-Discussion through the online UN platform Teamworks (www.unteamworks.org) where you can post comments and access relevant resources or by sending your responses to capacity-net@groups.undp.org. 

Kind regards

Thomas

 ________________________
Dear Colleagues,
 
We warmly welcome you to the e-Discussion on Capacity Development for Urban Management.  This e-Discussion will take place between 10 February to 2 March 2014, and is being organized by the Capacity-Development Network of the United Nations Development Programme together with the Urban Practice of the World Bank Group.
 
These are exciting times for urban managers in developing countries. More than ever before, cities are livewires of creativity, innovation, economic growth, social mobility, etc., providing a massive amount of opportunities for development. At the same time, explosive population growth, unplanned spatial expansion, ad-hoc infrastructure, out-of-control pollution, health dangers, social unrest, etc., put extreme pressure on existing public planning, policy development and implementation capacities.
 
What’s more, all these issues (and many more) are connected, interdependent and mutually reinforcing. What might seem like a brilliant idea to promote economic growth could have a devastating effect on the environment. And these are no longer regrettable but necessary trade-offs, especially in cities. In its wake there are cascades of unacceptable consequences: for example, a devastated environment quickly leads to a plunge in public health, creating an unsustainable pressure on available health services, an increase in unemployment and income-destruction, and inevitably, social unrest. Urban environments abound in these reaction chains, where action in one area has massive repercussions in apparently unrelated areas.
 
You know better than anybody else that cities are extremely complex environments. You probably have come to the realization that ‘old’ models of urban management are of limited use in these increasingly complex circumstances. So, what would constitute a ‘new’ model of urban management? Is it still possible to do everything yourself, or do you find yourself increasingly reaching out to a growing number of stakeholders like other city departments, citizen representatives, the local business communities, private sector service providers, civil society organisations, etc.? How do you collaborate with these groups? And: how do you reconcile the need for urban planning with the fact that everything changes so quickly (making your plans almost irrelevant by the time they are approved)? How do you plan for a future when you have no way of knowing what that future is going to bring?
 
These are just some of the pertinent questions urban managers are facing. We are sure you have many more to share. And do share them! What we propose to do during this discussion is to first (Phase 1) reflect on some of the major issues you face in the modern urban environment, now and in the foreseeable future, and create some common understanding on which Big Forces lie behind these issues. Then, secondly, (Phase 2) we would like to discuss with you which new capacities you think urban management (individuals and institutions!) need to deal with the challenges and make the most of the opportunities.
 
Part of this discussion will feed directly into a side event on the challenges and opportunities in capacity development of cities and local governments, which will be organised by the World Bank Institute, UN-Habitat’s Capacity Development Unit, and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, during the Seventh World Urban Forum (WUF7), being held in April this year in Medellin, Colombia. At UNDP, the discussion will feed directly into the development of the Sustainable Cities initiative, an initiative that brings together and then transcends the different sectoral approaches to urban development. 
 
During Phase 1, running from 10 - 20 February, we would like to discuss what you see as new and emerging issues that will have a radical impact on the way you work. Which (big) trends, developments and changes do you see happening in your cities that you know (or have a hunch) will fundamentally change how you plan, implement, deliver and evaluate public policies and basic services? Please, try to be as concrete as possible and stick to your own experience.
 
We look very much forward to your participation! Do feel free to share, not just your professional ideas and opinions and expertise, but also your hopes, dreams and aspirations on everything you think has a bearing on urban management and the capacities required.
 
Thank you!
 
Kind Regards,
 
Peter van de Pol
Policy Advisor
Knowledge, Innovation and Capacity Group
Bureau for Development Policy
United Nations Development Programme
Room FF-1658
304 East 45th Street New York, NY 10017
Petrus.vandepol@undp.org
Phone: +1 (212) 906-5329
    

Christine Kessides
Manager, Urban Practice
Knowledge Exchange and Learning Department
The World Bank | 1818 H Street NW | Washington, DC 20433 | Room J3-089 (Mailstop J3-300)
1.202.473.3945 | ckessides@worldbank.org | http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/