African cities and collaborative futures: Urban platforms and metropolitan logistics brings together scholars from across the globe to discuss the nature of African cities – the interactions of residents with infrastructure, energy, housing, safety and sustainability, seen through local narratives and theories. This groundbreaking collection, drawing on a variety of fields and extensive first-hand research, offers a fresh perspective on some of the most pressing issues confronting urban Africa in the twenty-first century. Each of the chapters, using case studies from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania, explores how the rapid growth of African cities is reconfiguring the relationship between urban social life and its built forms. While the most visible transformations in cities today can be seen as infrastructural, these manifestations are cultural as well as material, reflecting the different ways in which the city is rationalised, economised and governed. 

How can we ‘see like a city’ in twenty-first-century Africa, understanding the urban present to shape its future? This is the central question posed throughout this volume, with a practical focus on how academics, local decision-makers and international practitioners can work together to achieve better outcomes. 

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This 10th thematic volume of International Development Policy presents a collection of articles exploring some of the complex development challenges associated with Africa’s recent but extremely rapid pace of urbanisation that challenges still predominant but misleading images of Africa as a rural continent. Analysing urban settings through the diverse experiences and perspectives of inhabitants and stakeholders in cities across the continent, the authors consider the evolution of international development policy responses amidst the unique historical, social, economic and political contexts of Africa’s urban development. 

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Preventing corruption helps to raise city revenues, improve service delivery, stimulate public confidence and participation, and win elections. This book provides practical solutions and a set of incentives charting a path away from misgovernance toward effective local governance. The authors present case studies of both success and failure to underscore that addressing corruption is only an entry point to deeper public sector reforms. 

The challenge facing local government is to develop innovative ways of building effective, accountable, and transparent systems. The book brings these innovations together, providing both a conceptual and a practical framework as well as an international perspective based on concrete country examples such as Hong Kong and La Paz. To attain concrete and lasting results, a bold departure from traditional ways of doing business is often essential. Strong political will, citizen voice, appropriate technical support, and a realistic long-term implementation strategy are central to success. 

A major theme of this book is that fighting corruption in the right ways can become a lever to achieve much broader ends, not only financial survival but also remaking the relationship between the citizen and local government.

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In the last several years, much has been written about growing economic challenges, increasing income inequality, and political polarization in the United States. Addressing these new realities in America’s metropolitan regions, this book argues that a few lessons are emerging: first, inequity is bad for economic growth; second, bringing together the concerns of equity and growth requires concerted local action; and third, the fundamental building block for doing this is the creation of diverse and dynamic epistemic (or knowledge) communities, which help to overcome political polarization and to address the challenges of economic restructuring and social divides.

Table of Contents:

• Can’t We All Just Get Along?

• Driving That Train: Can Closing the Gap Facilitate Sustained Growth?

• Where to Go, What to Ask: Selecting and Designing the Case Studies

• Parks and Recreation: Planning the Epistemic Community

• Business Knows Best: Elite-Driven Regional Stewardship

• Struggle and the City: Conflict-Informed Collaboration

• The Next Frontier: Collaboration in the New Economy

• Stepping Back: Theorizing Diverse and Dynamic Epistemic Communities

• Looking Forward: A Beloved (Epistemic) Community?

Reviews:

“As America bolts toward a more multiracial future in the face of skyrocketing inequality, local leaders are desperately seeking strategies to foster more inclusive growth. Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor’s research uncovers a critical ingredient of success: diverse regional leaders coming together to build a foundation of shared knowledge and advance positive change.” — ANGELA GLOVER BLACKWELL, Founder and CEO, PolicyLink

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About the Authors:

CHRIS BENNER is the Dorothy E. Everett Chair in Global Information and Social Entrepreneurship, Director of the Everett Program for Digital Tools for Social Innovation, and Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His most recent book, coauthored with Manuel Pastor, is Just Growth: Inclusion and Prosperity in America’s Metropolitan Region. His other books include This Could Be the Start of Something Big: How Social Movements for Regional Equity Are Transforming Metropolitan America and Work in the New Economy: Flexible Labor Markets in the New Economy.

MANUEL PASTOR is Professor of Sociology and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, where he also serves as Director of USC’s Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) and Codirector of USC’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII). He is the coauthor of Uncommon Common Ground: Race and America’s Future and This Could Be the Start of Something Big: How Social Movements for Regional Equity Are Transforming Metropolitan America.

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The purpose of this scholarly book is to expand the body of knowledge available on urban theology. It introduces readers to the concept of planetary urbanisation, with the view of deepening an understanding of urbanisation and its all-pervasive impact on the planet, people and places from a theological perspective. A critical theological reading of ‘the urban’ is also provided, deliberating on bridging the divide between voices from the Global South and the Global North. In doing so, this book simultaneously seeks out robust and dynamic faith constructs, expressed in various forms and embodiments of justice. The methodology chosen transcended narrow disciplinary boundaries, situating reflections between and across disciplines, in the interface between scholarly reflection and an activist faith, as well as between local rootedness and global connectedness. This was facilitated by the collected gathering of authors, spanning all continents, various Christian faith traditions and multiple disciplines, as well as a range of methodological approaches.

The book endeavours to contribute to knowledge production in a number of ways. Firstly, it suggests the inadequacy of most dominant faith expressions in the face of all-pervasive forces of urbanisation, and it also provides clues as to the possibility of fostering potent alternative imaginaries. Secondly, it explores a decolonial faith that is expressed in various forms of justice. It is an attempt to offer concrete embodiments of what such a faith could look like in the context of planetary urbanisation. Thirdly, the book does not focus on one specific urban challenge or mode of ministry but rather introduces the concept of planetary urbanisation and then offers critical lenses with which to interrogate its consequences and challenges. It considers concrete and liberating faith constructs in areas ranging from gender, race, economic inequality, a solidarity economics and housing to urban violence, indigeneity and urbanisation, the interface between economic and environmental sustainability, and grass-roots theological education.

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Leading Cities is a global review of the state of city leadership and urban governance today. Drawing on research into 202 cities in 100 countries, the book provides a broad, international evidence base grounded in the experiences of all types of cities. It offers a scholarly but also practical assessment of how cities are led, what challenges their leaders face, and the ways in which this leadership is increasingly connected to global affairs.

Arguing that effective leadership is not just something created by an individual, Elizabeth Rapoport, Michele Acuto and Leonora Grcheva focus on three elements of city leadership: leaders, the structures and institutions that underpin them, and the tools used to drive change. Each of these elements are examined in turn, as are the major urban policy issues that leaders confront today on the ground. The book also takes a deep dive into one particular example of tool or instrument of city leadership – the strategic urban plan.

Leading Cities provides a much-needed overview and introduction to the theory and practice of city leadership, and a starting point for future research on, and evaluation of, city leadership and its practice around the world.

Table of Contents:

1 – Introduction – a time for city leadership

2 – Exploring city leadership: catalysts of action

3 – The shape of leadership: actors and structures

4 – Setting priorities: leadership between global and local

5 – Setting directions: leadership and strategic urban plans

6 – Conclusions – a search for better city leadership

About the authors:

Elizabeth Rapoport is an urban planner and researcher with over 15 years of experience working on planning, policy and governance issues internationally. Currently she is the Research Director for the Urban Land Institute, Europe.

Michele Acuto is Professor of Global Urban Politics and Director of the Connected Cities Lab in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. 

Leonora Grcheva is a community engagement and participation expert with UK company Soundings, leading public consultation on large scale planning projects. She has previously worked for the UN-Habitat Urban Planning Design Lab in Nairobi.

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Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly being adopted to address climate change, health, and urban sustainability, yet ensuring they are effective and inclusive remains a challenge. Addressing these challenges through chapters by leading experts in both global south and north contexts, this book advances the science of NBS in cities and discusses the frontiers for next-generation urban NBS.

NBS are fundamentally inter- and transdisciplinary approaches that require systems thinking and multilevel governance. With a focus on the multiple challenges that cities face, from heat and air pollution to storm water and threats to human health, this book puts forward a diversity of ideas for embracing complexity in mainstreaming NBS and inspiring new approaches to create the ecological urban futures we need.

Speaking to the need for cities around the world to employ ecological, nature-based design, this book will be essential reading for early career professionals, practitioners, scholars, and students across multiple disciplines engaging with nature-based solutions including urban ecology, design, architecture, landscape architecture, geography, urban planning, policy, and management.

Table of Contents:

Front Matter

Copyright

Contents

Contributors

• Foreword I - Dagmar Haase

• Foreword II - Karen C. Seto

Acknowledgments

• Ch.1: Nature-based solutions for sustainable, resilient, and equitable cities

Part I: Nature-based solutions for what and for whom?

• Ch.2: Nature-based solutions and climate change resilience

• Ch.3: Towards just nature-based solutions for cities

Part II: The nature of nature-based solutions

• Ch.4: Urban ecological resilience: ensuring urban ecosystems can provide nature-based solutions

• Ch.5: Nature-based solutions and biodiversity: synergies, trade-offs, and ways forward

Part III: The multiple benefits of nature-based solutions

• Ch.6: Just, nature-based solutions as critical urban infrastructure for cooling and cleaning airsheds

• Ch.7: Nature-based solutions as critical urban infrastructure for water resilience

• Ch.8: Human physical health outcomes influenced by contact with nature

• Ch.9: Nature-based solutions and mental health

Part IV: Nature-based solutions governance, planning, and value

• Ch.10: Planning and maintaining nature-based solutions: lessons for foresight and sustainable care from Berlin, Jakarta, Melbourne, and Santiago de Chile

• Ch.11: Governance of and with nature-based solutions in cities

• Ch.12: Mapping, measuring, and valuing the benefits of nature-based solutions in cities

Part V: Engaging art and design for and with nature-based solutions

• Ch.13: Urban designs as social-natural resolutions

• Ch.14: Ecological art in cities: exploring the potential for art to promote and advance nature-based solutions

• Ch.15: 1 + 1 = 3: stories of imagination and the art of nature-based solutions

• Ch.16: Towards mainstreaming nature-based solutions for achieving biodiverse, resilient, and inclusive cities

Back Matter

Open access

Index

Reviews:

‘In this urban century, the period of the fastest urban growth in human history, humans still need nature to survive and thrive. In this crucial book, some of the best urban scientists in the world give us a guide for how nature can be a solution to the pressing needs of our time, including climate resilience and equity. For anyone planning, implementing, or monitoring nature-based solutions in cities, this is an essential book.’ -- Robert McDonald, Lead Scientist for Nature-based Solutions at The Nature Conservancy

‘A lot has been written about nature-based solutions for cities, but this book by some of the leading experts in this field is a must read. It provides a systematic and highly accessible overview of what nature-based solutions are and (can) do for cities, while also offering great examples of making these solutions work, from governance approaches to mobilising art.’ -- Cecil Konijnendijk, University of British Columbia, Canada

‘For too long, cities were thought of as the opposite of nature. Now scientists and planners understand that nature is in fact present in cities. This excellent new book shows how cities can enhance the work of nature within their boundaries to improve people's lives and the biodiversity of our urban world.’ -- Steward T.A. Pickett, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

‘Cities are facing unprecedented challenges with an urgent need to adapt to a rapidly changing climate and to address accelerating levels of social and economic inequality. This thought provoking and stimulating book gives us exciting pathways forward for regions and residents to transform toward cities that are liveable, just and equitable, but in an inclusive way and inspired by nature. It's an inspiration for us all.’ -- Thomas Elmqvist, Stockholm University, Sweden

‘Cities around the world are employing ecological, nature-based designs to provide a variety of urban services for urban residents. How can we ensure that they are effective, equitable, and will last? This book is essential reading for graduate students and practitioners alike on the state of the art in how to harness the power of nature for transformational change.’ -- Gretchen Daily, Stanford University, US

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Case studies of metropolitan cities in nine African countries – from Egypt in the north to three in West and Central Africa, two in East Africa and three in Southern Africa – make up the empirical foundation of this publication. The interrelated themes addressed in these chapters – the national influence on urban development, the popular dynamics that shape urban development and the global currents on urban development – make up its framework.

All authors and editors are African, as is the publisher. The only exception is Göran Therborn whose recent book, Cities of Power, served as motivation for this volume. Accordingly, the issue common to all case studies is the often conflictual powers that are exercised by national, global and popular forces in the development of these African cities.

Rather than locating the case studies in an exclusively African historical context, the focus is on the trajectories of the postcolonial city (with the important exception of Addis Ababa with a non-colonial history that has granted it a special place in African consciousness). These trajectories enable comparisons with those of postcolonial cities on other continents. This, in turn, highlights the fact that Africa – today, the least urbanised continent on an increasingly urbanised globe – is in the thick of processes of large-scale urban transformation, illustrated in diverse ways by the case studies that make up the foundation of this publication. 

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Much of the urban research focuses on the large metropolitan areas in South Africa. This book assesses spatial planning in the second-tier cities of the country. Secondary cities are vital as they perform essential regional, and in some cases, global economic roles and help to distribute the population of a country more evenly across its surface. 

Apartheid planning left South African cities fragmented segregated and with low densities. Post-apartheid policies aim to reverse these realities by emphasising integration, higher densities and upgrading. Achieving these aims has been challenging and often the historical patterns continue. The evidence shows that two opposing patterns prevail, namely increased densities and continued urban sprawl. 

This book presents ten case studies of spatial planning and spatial transformation in secondary cities of South Africa. The book frames these case studies against complexity theory and suggests that the post-apartheid response to apartheid planning represents a linear deviation from history. The ten case studies then reveal how difficult it is for local decision-makers to find appropriate responses and how current responses often result in contradictory results. Often these cities are highly vulnerable and they find it difficult to plan in the context of uncertainty. 

The book also highlights how these cities find it difficult to stand on their own against the influence of interest groups (property developers, mining companies, traditional authorities, other spheres of government). The main reasons include weak municipal finance statements, the dependence on national and provincial government for capital expenditure, limited investment in infrastructure maintenance, the lack of planning capacity, the inability to implement plans and the unintended and sometimes contrary outcomes of post-apartheid planning policies.

Summary of Table of Contents:

1. Secondary Cities and Spatial Transformation in South Africa

Jan Cloete, Danie du Plessis, Lochner Marais, Verna Nel

2. Planning in Complex Spaces

An Orderly and Predictable World?

Verna Nel

3. Drakenstein

The Shining Pearl in the Shadow of the Cape Town Metro

Ronnie Donaldson, Anele Horn

4. Lephalale

The Energy Hub of the Limpopo Province

Jan Cloete, Kgosi Mocwagae

5. Mahikeng

A Remote Provincial Capital with a Turbulent History

James Drummond, Verna Nel

6. Matjhabeng

Planning in the Face of the Free State Goldfields Decline

Stuart Paul Denoon-Stevens

7. Mbombela

A Growing Provincial Capital and Tourism Destination

Malene Campbell

8. Msunduzi

Spatially Integrating Kwazulu-Natal’s Diverse Capital

Thulisile Mphambukeli

9. Polokwane

A Secondary City with a 2020 Vision

Lochner Marais, Gemey Abrahams

10. Rustenburg

Boom and Bust in a Mining Town

John Ntema

11. Sol Plaatje

Planning on an old Mining Site

Thomas Stewart

12. Stellenbosch

Change comes to a Historical University Town

Danie du Plessis

13. Complexity Theory and Spatial Change in Ten Secondary Cities

Jan Cloete, Lochner Marais, Verna Nel

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This open access book presents multiple disciplinary perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for sustainable development in the South African mountain city of Phuthaditjhaba. 

These challenges are embedded in the complex environmental, socio-cultural and political contexts of the region. Established as the capital of the QwaQwa ‘homeland’ under Grand Apartheid, this city is now home to between 400,000 – 700,000 people but in many areas lacks formal infrastructure and services. 

Each chapter of this volume addresses a different aspect of the city’s development and all take the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a common framework to guide their reflections on potential sustainable futures for Phuthaditjhaba. While the circumstances in Phuthaditjhaba will be familiar to many researchers of informal and growing cities in developing regions, the mountain setting of the city brings its own set of challenges and opportunities linked to the rugged and steep terrain, remoteness and natural resources. 

This book serves to showcase the diverse research taking place in this emerging mountain city and provide reflections on how a sustainable future can be ensured for its environment and inhabitants.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

• Phuthaditjhaba: The Rise and Fall of a Homeland Capital

• Planning for the Expansion of Phuthaditjhaba CBD Through UN Sustainable Development Goals

• Using Local Spatial Biodiversity Plans to Meet the Sustainable Development Goals

• Beneficial Role of Pollination and Soil Fertility for Soybean Production in Mountainous Farming Conditions

• Surviving the Limits Imposed by a Changing Climate: The Case of Urban Drought and Water Supply Sustainability in Phuthaditjhaba

• Afromontane Community’s Dependence on the Water and Climate Change Nexus of the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountain Range: The Case of Phuthaditjhaba

• Planning for Effective and Sustainable Water Access and Provision in QwaQwa Through the UN Sustainable Development Goals

• Virtual Disclosures and Self-emancipations: The Female Body and Self-identity on Online Platforms in Phuthaditjhaba

• SDGs as Indicators of Holistic Small Town Tourism Development. A Case for Phuthaditjhaba South Africa

• Exploring the of Establishment of an Urban Forest in Phuthaditjhaba to Create a More Sustainable Future Urban Environment

• Imagining the Future Phuthaditjhaba—Vision 2121

Conclusion

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Editors and Affiliations:

• Afromontane Research Unit, University of the Free State, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa

Andrea Membretti

• Afromontane Research Unit and Department of Geography, University of Free State, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa 

Sue Jean Taylor

• Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS), United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), Bonn, Germany

Jess L. Delves

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This open access book revisits the theoretical foundations of urban planning and the application of these concepts and methods in the context of Southern countries, by examining several case studies from different regions of the world. The case studies focus on specific aspects of urban planning in practice and what the consequences are for human settlements.

For instance, the case of Koudougou, a medium-sized city in one of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina Faso, with a population of 115.000 inhabitants, allows us to understand concretely which and how these deficiencies are translated in an African urban context. In contrast, the case of Nueve de Julio, intermediate city of 50.000 dwellers in the pampa Argentina, addresses the new forms of spatial fragmentation and social exclusion linked with agro export and crisis of the international markets. Case studies are also included for cities in Asia and Latin America.

Differences and similarities between cases allow us to foresee alternative models of urban planning better adapted to tackle poverty and find efficient ways for more inclusive cities in developing and emerging countries, interacting several dimensions linked with high rates of urbanization: territorial fragmentation; environmental contamination; social disparities and exclusion, informal economy and habitat, urban governance and democracy.

The book was written for students, practitioners and decision makers interested in making the link between theories, methods, diagnostics, projects, decisions and practices in urban planning and urban management. 

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