Strategic Options For Managing The Urban Environment

Experience in both industrial and developing countries demonstrates that an effective approach for confronting urban environmental issues is to formulate a city-specific environmental management strategy and action plan. This paper describes a strategic approach to urban environmental planning and management that is based on participation, building commitment, and choosing effective policy interventions. Five key areas are emphasized: (i) mobilizing public support and participation, (ii) choosing policy instruments that will change behavior, relieve conflicts, and encourage cooperative arrangements, (iii) building local institutional capacity, (iv) strengthening urban service delivery, and (v) increasing local knowledge about the urban environment.