“Cities Alliance has brought out guidelines for improving the performance of the cities to sustainably enhance urban performance, measured in terms of: (i) economic growth linked to improved livelihood opportunities; (ii) poverty prevention and alleviation; and (iii) improved environmental and public health, inclusive of poor and informal urban communities.
Developing cities need discipline to effectively use their limited financial and human resources to achieve targets. The capital available to any given city is also highly elastic and only flows to cities that show potential and have well-thought-out urban futures. An effective CDS (City Development Strategy) process can both attract capital and discipline its use. An effective CDS is designed to shock the system, albeit under controlled conditions.
Local governments alone cannot turn a city around. They control a minor portion of the capital available for city building and often have an even smaller proportion of the available talent in urban innovation. Although important as catalysts and as representatives of the public interest, local governments should work in partnership with private initiatives and civil society to change a city’s developmental direction—CDS processes based on private, public, and civil society partnerships.’’
Urban Governance 