In order for cities to be able to fulfil their role as actors and spaces for sustainable development, they require solid financing. The growing need for investment in respect of infrastructure poses a great challenge for cities across the globe to find new ways for them to be able to increase their often scarce resources.
The vibrant, multi-level partnerships that have been formed in Accra through the Cities Alliance Land, Services and Citizenship programme show why inclusive partnerships are our best chance of achieving sustainable development.
To create the best possible outcomes for city projects and planning, local governments need appropriate capacities at all levels. These capacities exist in different forms and in an urban context are arguably especially important on a local level.
The projects that are financed in an urban environment depend on a variety of factors. With the portfolio approach cities can determine which projects benefit them most in terms of profits and social benefits and can choose them accordingly.
The New Urban Agenda will be determined in October 2016, and it has frequently been discussed what it should look like. IIED Senior Fellow David Satterthwaite argues that to really have an impact, the NUA must shift away from producing recommendations and instead actively support urban governments in their attempt to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
There is no shortage of ideas for sustainable development projects in Asia. However, often the financial resources provided for environmental and climate protection projects as well as waste water, energy or infrastructure projects is scarce. The Cities Development Initiative for ASIA (CDIA) supports Asian cities in finding investors and building their infrastructure. In an interview with Urbanet CDIA-Coordinator for GIZ Claudia Hermes explains how the CDIA works and what the idea behind it is.
Rapid urbanisation accelerated by rural-urban and North-South migration due to economic imbalances causes serious challenges for local authorities in Ghana. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Support for Decentralisation Reforms (SfDR) programme supports the implementation of the Ghanaian decentralisation reforms at regional, district and local level.
In the international context, public private partnerships are gaining more and more relevance. To avoid leaving the urban poor behind in these processes, many Asian cities have established community driven partnerships to promote inclusiveness.
