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Book Series Editor:
Carlos Nunes Silva, Geographer, Lisbon, Portugal
E-mail: cnsulisboa@gmail.com
(U.Lisbon email: cs@edu.ulisboa.pt ; cs@campus.ul.pt )
This series contains research studies with policy relevance in the field of subnational territorial governance, at the micro, local and regional levels, as well as on its connections with national and supranational tiers. The series is multidisciplinary and brings together innovative research from different areas within the Social Sciences and Humanities. The series is open for theoretical, methodological and empirical ground breaking contributions. Books included in this series explore the new modes of territorial governance, new perspectives and new research methodologies. The aim is to present advances in Governance Studies to scholars and researchers in universities and research organizations, and to policy makers worldwide. The series includes monographs, edited volumes and textbooks. Book proposals and final manuscripts are peer reviewed.
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BOOKS PUBLISHED (2020 - ...)
Marija Džunić, John Östh & Simona Muratori (Eds.) (2025). Advancing Urban and Local Governance in Western and Transition Europe. Equity, Sustainability, and Smart Practices. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This open access book provides innovative strategies for equitable and sustainable urban governance, with a strong emphasis on the key role of local governments as central actors in shaping urban futures. It provides readers with a comprehensive look into modern city management practices, grounded in the diverse institutional, historical and socio-economic contexts of Western and Transition European countries. Addressing key issues such as smart city initiatives, sustainable mobility, economic development, and regional inequality, this book equips urban planners, policymakers, and scholars with essential insights to address contemporary urban challenges. It highlights how local governments can promote fairness and inclusivity in urban governance, especially by supporting the needs of marginalized communities. Through carefully selected case studies and theoretical frameworks, the book explores what equitable urban governance looks like in practice across a range of European settings. The book highlights best practices from leading smart cities across Europe, offering practical advice for integrating technology into urban planning. It showcases innovative mobility solutions that reduce congestion, lower emissions, and improve overall urban livability. Economic development and entrepreneurship are examined from the perspective of local governments’ ability to stimulate growth and resilience. With particular attention to regional disparities, the book highlights how tailored policies and targeted investments at the local level can foster vibrant, equitable communities. In addition, the book provides discussions on regional inequality and poverty reduction, highlighting how local authorities address socio-economic divides through policy interventions and resource allocation strategies that promote social inclusion and territorial cohesion. The problem set out to solve is multifaceted: How can cities become more equitable, sustainable, and smart in their governance practices—especially within the varied institutional realities of Western and Transition European contexts? By keeping local governments at the heart of its analytical framework, the book ensures a cohesive exploration of diverse themes while maintaining a consistent focus on urban and local governance. Through detailed analysis and real-world examples, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the critical factors that contribute to successful urban governance and sustainable development. This book is ideal for urban planners, policymakers, city administrators, academics, and students in the fields of urban studies, public administration, and sustainable development.
FRONT MATTER >
Karl Kössler & Eva Maria Belser (Eds.) (2025). Local Government Structure and Intergovernmental Relations. An Urban-Rural Perspective. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The is an Open access book. It provides a comparative and multidisciplinary analysis of how structural issues of local governments and their relations with other government levels are dealt with globally. The volume stands out with three essential features. First, the comparative research reflected in the volume has a global geographical scope because it is the outcome of a Horizon 2020 project involving 18 partners from six continents. Therefore, it includes highly topical and so far under-researched case studies beyond just the European continent. Secondly, we look at the above-mentioned topics from a timely urban-rural perspective, as the ultimate aim is to explore the impact of the phenomenon of urbanisation on local governments and the response of urban and rural municipalities. Thirdly, the book focuses within broader research on the structure of local government and intergovernmental relations on several specific topics that have been revealed by our project as particularly relevant. These are decentralization within metropolitan areas, ways of tackling structural challenges in rural areas through mergers and inter-municipal cooperation, the representation of urban and rural interests by local government associations, as well as the role that local authorities play in intergovernmental conferences.
FRONT MATTER >
Karl Kössler & Erika Schläppi (Eds.) (2025). Citizen Participation in Local Governance. An Urban-Rural Perspective. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This is an Open access book. It provides a comparative and multidisciplinary analysis of public participation in local governance. The volume stands out with three essential features. First, the comparative research reflected in the volume has a global geographical scope because it is the outcome of a Horizon 2020 project involving 18 partners from six continents. Therefore, it includes highly topical and so far under-researched case studies beyond just the European continent. Secondly, we look at the above-mentioned topics from a timely urban-rural perspective, as the ultimate aim is to explore the impact of the phenomenon of urbanisation on local governments and the response of urban and rural municipalities. Thirdly, the book focuses within broader research concerning public participation in local governance on several specific topics that have been revealed by our project as particularly relevant. These include people’s participation in local development and planning, their involvement regarding large-scale projects, participatory budgeting, as well as the promises and pitfalls of digital participation.
FRONT MATTER >
Francisco Velasco Caballero; Martin Burgi & Karl Kössler (Eds.) (2025). Municipal Tasks and Financing. An Urban-Rural Perspective. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This an Open access book. It provides a comparative and multidisciplinary analysis of how local governments perform their tasks and how these are financed. The volume stands out with three essential features. First, the comparative research reflected in the volume has a global geographical scope because it is the outcome of a Horizon 2020 project involving 18 partners from six continents. Therefore, it includes highly topical and so far under-researched case studies beyond just the European continent. Secondly, we look at the above-mentioned topics from a timely urban-rural perspective, as the ultimate aim is to explore the impact of the phenomenon of urbanisation on local governments and the response of urban and rural municipalities. Thirdly, the book focuses within broader research on municipal tasks and finances on several specific topics that have been revealed by our project as particularly relevant. These are public transport policies of urban and rural local governments, different ways of public service provision like PPP and public enterprises, financial equalization between urban and rural municipalities, as well as special fees as alternative sources of local revenue.
FRONT MATTER >
Abraham R Matamanda; Tazviona R Gambe; Johannes I Bhanye; Tafadzwa C Maramura & Oratilwe Khoza (2025). Urban Water Governance in Postcolonial Zimbabwe. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This book focuses on urban water supply and governance in the Global South using urban Zimbabwe as a case study to provide insights and perspectives into the realities of the water governance. Applying a resilience and sustainability perspective, we argue that fragmentation of responsibilities between various institutions, the difficulty of coordination at various levels, and the politics centered on water supply constrain effective water governance in Zimbabwe. This has resulted in a downward spiral in urban water services in Zimbabwe's urban centers. Additionally, the innovative nature of this study is to draw from an often-neglected dimension in urban water governance, which is the political ecology which brings into perspective the varying int1erests associated with environmental contests and conflicts that influence water allocation and sharing among urban areas by the public sector. Therefore, this book dwells on understanding the politics, economic and ecology of water governance through an interdisciplinary lens. This analysis is critical for this study because Zimbabwe's current state of obsolete water infrastructure has also had a negative impact on the supply of high-quality portable water services to the public in urban areas. This book will be a critical read for academic and professionals in the fields of urban geographers, planners, sociologists and water experts. It will also be useful for undergraduate and postgraduate students from Geography, Urban and regional Planning, Political Science, Development Studies and Economics.
Federica Burini, Andrew Holden & Sara Belotti (2025). Tourism Governance in the Anthropocene. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The book aims to address and reflect on the role of governance of the tourism sector in the era of the Anthropocene, also in light of the challenges of climate change and of the Covid-19 pandemic providing an innovative contribution on the discusses lessons for the Future of Tourism in the Anthropocene. The definition of the Anthropocene has caused an increase in ethical concerns about our relationship with nature and fears dictated by the environmental crisis (Holden, 2019). In this scenario, the tourism sector has also begun to question these issues and the experience of Covid-19 pandemic has powerfully brought environmental issues back to the center of attention, also affecting on the perception of landscapes (Burini, 2020). The year 2020 brought about a distinct change in tourism demand with a rediscovery of small villages and locations outside the classic tourist itineraries by tourists, in search of healthy, safe and less frequented places for a new style of vacation, but also by workers staying in their second homes and discovering the smart working experience. In this context, territories and local institutions must activate new forms of multi-level governance of the tourism sector to make the most of the new opportunities and satisfy the new principles that are emerging, such as the need to develop a more responsible, sustainable, slow tourism and at the same time to discover the role of digitalization and technologies to better manage tourist fluxes and demand. The enhancement of landscapes and the participation of local communities for the promotion of local knowledge is crucial in this new governance process (Burini, 2019; Belotti, 2020) to promote a new way of living that can also contribute to fight the environmental crisis and the depopulation of marginal areas. The book will address, among others, the following research questions: how does a destabilizing relationship between human activities and the natural environment relate to tourism? How to decrease significant environmental challenges for international tourism, that are threatening our landscapes? How can local and urban governance encourage of pro-environmental behavior by tourists? These issues are strongly related to the need to start a general reflection on new forms of governance of the tourism sector in the Anthropocene.
Daniel Du Plessis (2025). Territorial Governance and Spatial Transformation in Post-apartheid South Africa. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The book provides a reflective account of the evolution of the territorial governance structures and processes in South Africa over a period of 30 years after the transition to a post-apartheid society in 1994. It also considers the role and influence of these changing governance institutions and processes and their associated outputs (in the form of policies and plans) on several priority dimensions of urban spatial transformation. The synthesis of the experiences and lessons learnt provides the bases for contemplating important future focus areas for territorial governance such as spatial transformation towards smart cities, an African perspective for future South African cities, and transitioning towards a streamlined integrated territorial governance system. The lessons and experiences are not only of local significance in South Africa, but also globally in countries and regions faced with territorial governance and spatial transformation challenges.
Yu Noda (2025). Local Governance in Japan. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
Local Governance in Japan is the first comprehensive exploration of local governance, examining the sustainability of local governments operating with limited policy resources. This interdisciplinary study integrates insights from public administration, political science, economics, sociology, and business management. Japan has faced significant challenges in ensuring sustainability, from rapid economic growth in the mid-20th century to the bubble's burst in the 1990s, and the population decline since 2008, along with large-scale natural disasters. Amid systemic changes—including a 46% reduction in local governments—local administrations have been developing effective cooperative relationships between local governments and exploring the significance of cooperation with citizens, NPOs, and the private sector. Characterized by extensive public facilities and infrastructure, Japan’s local governments provide a model for addressing future governance challenges. This book is essential for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners seeking innovative strategies to maintain public services and navigate the complexities of governance in a resource-constrained world.
Łukasz Damurski (2025). The Foundations of Multi-channel Neighborhood Governance. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The book presents various aspects of the current urban development in the context of the recent rapid growth of the ICT sector. It focuses on the local scale, in line with the notion that the neighborhood is the fundamental component of any urban area. Beginning with a critical overview of the urban governance paradigms, through a careful analysis of the multifaceted relationships between the Internet and the urban functions, followed by a description of selected approaches to local urban spatial policy, it concludes with a concept of multi-channel neighborhood governance (MCNG). The key observation is that the accelerating virtualization of urban life has profound consequences for the spatial, social, and economic structures of cities. At the local level, it is changing the functional profile of neighborhoods, replacing some traditional on-site local services with online ones, reducing (or even eliminating) the need for face-to-face social interaction, rejoining work and home roles, and modifying the spatial behaviors of residents. All of this calls for a prompt response from the neighborhood governance, which should include the nonspatial (online) components of contemporary urban lifestyles. The book searches for an alternative to conventional planning, capable of addressing the virtualization of different urban functions at the neighborhood level and providing satisfactory solutions for shaping an optimal balance between online and offline environments. The study defines a comprehensive method for the management of essential services in urban neighborhoods, with special attention to the integration of online and offline channels. The MCNG concept includes a list of recommendations for urban policy practitioners on how to deal with digital conversion, how to manage land use, how to stimulate entrepreneurship, and how to improve quality of life.
Hellmut Wollmann (2024). Local Government and Governance in Germany: Challenges, Responses and Perspectives. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The book aims at outlining key political, functional, administrative and financial features of Germany’s local government system and at placing them in a (European) comparative perspective. In pursuing an “institutionalist” approach it focuses on discussing whether, how and why the position and activities of local government in the intergovernmental (“multi-level”) setting have changed vis-à-vis multiple challenges and crises. Among the latter tasks such as coping with the energy crisis, the influx of asylum seekers and refugees, the digitization of local administration and the Covid19 pandemic loom large. Ranking among the functionally and politically strongest among European countries Germany’s local government plays an important role in the German federal system and beyond in the European Union. Over the years it has proved a remarkable problem solving and innovative capacity. Hence, the German case may attract the attention of a European and international audience interested in local government and governance and practices.
Ambe J. Njoh (2024). Urban Governance in Southeast Asia. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The book draws from regulation theory to explain urban planning policies and outcomes in Southeast Asia as a function of governance structures and processes. A considerable portion of the book is spent re-tracing the historical roots of planning dispositives, including the totality of institutional entities, which together constitute an apparatus of government in South-East Asian polities. Therefore, of essence in the book are the institutional structures and administrative principles, that were introduced by colonial authorities and inherited by their post-colonial successors in South-East Asia. The book seeks to demonstrate the role of the policies and commensurate implementation institutional frameworks in accounting for important dynamics in the contemporary urban domain in the region. In analyzing the institutional framework for urban planning and governance, the book is doing due diligence to a hitherto neglected subject, namely governmentality, in the discourse on the political economy of urban management in Southeast Asia. Thus, the book is intended to acknowledge the importance of institutions in determining the success of urban development policies. The notion of institutions or governmentality as will be used in the book includes, de facto governance structures, government and parastatal agencies and the formal rules and regulations they are charged with implementing. The book is based on the premise that knowledge of institutions and their functions is critical in explaining phenomena in economic geography. This is particularly true in Southeast Asian countries because of the dominant and overarching role of the state or government agencies in the economy.
Khadija Darmame & Eric Ross (Eds.) (2024). Local Governance and Development in Africa and the Middle East. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This edited volume surveys how current local governance policies and development strategies across Africa and the Middle east are advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Morocco's recent experience with local development strategies serves as starting point for the discussion. Over the past decade, Morocco has undertaken a variety of initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and social inequalities and providing essential services to marginalized communities. These initiatives provide great opportunities to reshape the spatial organization of regions, and to address chronic local issues of infrastructure and investment. Local governance is the most direct way of providing basic services to populations, helping to alleviate socio-spatial inequalities. Also, it is and will continue to be the best way to engage people and local governments in economic, social and human development agendas. However, placing local governance at the heart of development strategies requires going well beyond participatory approaches to policy making. This volume assembles case studies from across the region, allowing for understandings that transcend the usual spatial dichotomies between "North" and "Sub-Saharan" Africa, between Africa and the Middle East, and between the "Anglophone" and "Francophone" spheres.
Abraham R. Matamanda; James Chakwizira; Kudzai Chatiza; Verna Nel (Eds). (2024). Secondary Cities and Local Governance in Southern Africa. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This book is the first to consider the roles, challenges and governance responses of secondary cities in southern Africa to changing circumstances. Among the challenges are governance under conditions of resource scarcity, managing informality, the effects and responses to climate change and the changing roles of the cities within the national space economy. It fills the gap in the literature on secondary cities with original case studies drawn from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The authors are all African scholars, working and living in the region with intimate knowledge of the settings they describe. The book is critical as it includes such regional case studies of different secondary cities in Southern Africa but also because of it’s multidisciplinarity: it contains substantive and pertinent issues such as climate change, disaster management, local economic development, and basic services delivery. It considers diverse environments, yet with similar challenges that could provide useful policy and governance proposals for other cities.
Mulatu Wubneh (2023). Planning for Cities in Crisis. Lessons from Gondar, Ethiopia. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This book analyzes ancient cities that are facing crisis, and their coping mechanism to maintain resiliency and sustainability to remain economically viable and historically relevant. The book takes a fresh look at the underlying causes of the crises and recommends good governance and strategic planning options that the city could use to develop a robust economy using surveys and other materials, including geez (old Ethiopian language) church sources. This book illustrates the usage of the concepts of resilience and sustainability to critically assess the historical and cultural transformation of cities and the role of local government in maintaining a sustainable community.
Ángel Iglesias Alonso (ed.) (2022). Local Governance in Spain. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The book addresses in detail local governance in Spain. In recent decades, local governments in Europe have increasingly found themselves under pressure from a multitude of new challenges, such as demographic change, climate change, fiscal austerity policies, digitization, the demand for more citizen participation in local affairs, and the migration crisis in some of them, to name just a few. Consequently, a wave of political and administrative reforms to address these challenges, pressures and problems, has changed local governance in many countries. In part, these changes were the result of reform policies introduced by national and state governments, often triggered by austerity policies, which has become an overwhelming reality for Spanish local governments that have been forced to introduce innovations in local governance. This book aims to give an account of these innovations in local governance in Spain.
Carlos Nunes Silva (ed.) (2022). Local Governance in Cape Verde, 1970 - 2020. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The book provides a pioneering overview of the evolution of the local government and urban policy in Cape Verde after independence, offering a multi-scale perspective of local governance in Cape Verde from 1970 - 2020. It examines the process of urban development in the country, and in the capital city in particular, and explores the consequences and challenges for spatial planning, housing, urban heritage, and the environment, namely issues related to climate change in the post-independence period.
Francesca De Filippi & Grazia Giulia Cocina (2022). Urban Regeneration and Community Empowerment Through ICTs. A Focus on Digital Participatory Platforms (DPPs). Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This book deals with the issue of Digital Participatory Platforms (DPPs) for urban governance. It explains the role and potential that ICTs play in the decision-making processes of the Public Administration and citizens' participation. The book also illustrates the main technologies that encourage innovation and social inclusion, with particular focus on use of DPPs in urban regeneration programs and projects. It presents international best practices from local to European level and it describes the process of creation, development and testing of a DPP project with reference to the Italian case.
Jiri Panek (ed.) (2022). Geoparticipatory Spatial Tools. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The book explores the key factors affecting the successful implementation of public participation spatial systems in participatory planning as part of the urban governance system. It brings insight from nation-wide research in the Czech Republic and the implications to other countries in the region and beyond. The main aim of the proposed book is to analyse the state-of-the-art of using geoparticipatory tools for citizens’ participation in community decision-making process and to suggest the effective implementation of the geoparticipatory tools available in urban governance.
Carlos Nunes Silva (ed.) (2022). Local Government and the COVID-19 Pandemic. A Global Perspective. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The book provides a global perspective of local government response towards the COVID-19 pandemic through the analysis of a sample of countries in all continents. It examines the responses of local government, as well as the responses local government developed in articulation with other tiers of government and with civil society organizations, and explores the social, economic and policy impacts of the pandemic. The book offers an innovative contribution on the role of local government during the pandemic and discusses lessons for the future. The COVID-19 pandemic had a global impact on public health, in the well-being of citizens, in the economy, on civic life, in the provision of public services, and in the governance of cities and other human settlements, although in an uneven form across countries, cities and local communities.
Keith Hoggart (2021). A Contrived Countryside. The Governance of Rural Housing in England 1900–74. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This book shows how governance regimes before the 1970s suppressed rural prospects of housing improvement and created conditions for middle-class capture. Using original archival sources to reveal the intricacies of local and national policy processes, weak rural housing performances are shown to owe more to national governance regimes than local under-performance. Looking `behind the scenes' at policy processes highlights neglected principles in national governance, and shows how investigating rural housing is fundamental to understanding the national scene. With original insights and a new analytical perspective, this volume offers evidence and conclusions that challenge mainstream assumptions in public policy, housing, rural studies and planning.
Michael Lait (ed.) (2021). Governance of Near-Urban Conservation Areas. Lessons from the Conflicts Surrounding Gatineau Park near Ottawa, Canada. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This book comprehensively describes the history of Gatineau Park, from the first proposals for a “national park” in the early 1900s to the governance issues in the present period, and it highlights the issues concerning the planning and governance of this unique near-urban ecological area. The 34,500-hectare Gatineau Park is an ecologically diverse wilderness area near the cities of Ottawa (Canada’s national capital) and Gatineau. Gatineau Park is planned and managed as the “Capital’s Conservation Park” by the federal government, specifically the National Capital Commission (NCC).
Robert Home (ed.) (2021). Land Issues for Urban Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
Sub-Saharan Africa faces many development challenges, such as its size and diversity, rapid urban population growth, history of colonial exploitation, fragile states and conflicts over land and natural resources. This collection, contributed from different academic disciplines and professions, seeks to support the UN Habitat New Urban Agenda passed at Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador, in 2016. It will attract readers from urban specialisms in law, geography and other social sciences, and from professionals and policy-makers concerned with land use planning, surveying and governance.
Carlos Nunes Silva & Anna Trono (ed.) (2020). Local Governance in the New Urban Agenda. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
The book explores and discusses some of the changes, challenges and opportunities confronting local governance in the context of the new urban paradigm associated with the HABITAT III New Urban Agenda, a 20-year strategy for sustainable urbanization, adopted in October 2016 in Quito, Ecuador. The chapters included in the book address public policy issues from different theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, written by authors from different academic disciplines within the broad area of social sciences (Geography, Political Science, Public Administration, Spatial Planning, Law, Regional Science, among other fields), and offer an inter-disciplinary vision of these issues. The chapters are written by members of the International Geographical Union (IGU) Commission on Geography of Governance.
Riya Banerjee & Gopa Samanta (2020). Negotiating Terrain in Local Governance Freedom, Functioning and Barriers of Women Councillors in India. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This book explores and analyses women’s participation in local urban governance in West Bengal, India. It is developed from empirical research with in-depth understanding of ground situations of freedom, functioning and obstacles of women councilors in India. The central idea of this book revolves around two central research questions: 1. How are women’s positions and spaces changing due to their political participation in the urban local governance? and 2. What are the major hurdles they face in their day to day lives barring their emancipation?
Carlos Nunes Silva (ed.) (2020). Contemporary Trends in Local Governance. Reform, Cooperation and Citizen Participation. Cham: Springer (Book Series: Local and Urban Governance).
This book addresses and explores recent trends in the field of local and urban governance. It focuses on three domains: institutional reforms in local government; inter-municipal cooperation; and citizen participation in local governance. In the last decades, in different regions of the world, there is ample evidence that sub-national government, in particular the field of local governance, is in a permanent state of change and reflux, although with differences that reflect national particularities. Since these institutional changes have an impact in the local policy process, in the delivery of public services, in the local democracy, and in the quality of life, it is mandatory to monitor these continued institutional changes, to learn and develop with these changes, if possible before these experiences are transferred and replicated in other countries.
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