Urban Management Program Series Paper 14. A recent evaluation of urban research in developing countries noted that scant data are available on the urban environment, as little research has been done on the topic. This first volume in a two-volume set describes the development of a three-step evaluation process whereby data are collected and analyzed to support the involvement of stakeholders, suggests future directions and improvements, and summarizes results from use of the approach in selected cities. The second of a two- volume set (see below) contains tools that practitioners and researchers can apply directly in the field. See also Volume 2 (ISBN 0-8213-2791-7) Stock No. 12791.

This report presents tools for rapid urban environmental assessment. The first volume presents the techniques, summarizes results from applying the approach in a select number of cities, and suggests future directions and improvements. The second volume consists of the questionnaire, generic profile and consultation guidelines that make up the methodology, and summaries of the information that they generated. (Adapté du résumé de l'auteur).

This book is about the growth and future development of cities. Its collection of nine essays brings together a variegation of views and visions of how we might build sustaining cities into the 21st century, with one staying concern: a better tomorrow. The essays do not profess to provide answers but rather, alternative starting points for further explorations and reflections on the meaning of sustainable development for our cities.

This paper describes and illustrates a range of participatory strategies to assist urban managers in expanding the role and effectiveness of user participation in the provision and operation and maintenance of infrastructure. To demonstrate how participation has been effectively employed in various circumstances, numerous case studies are cited. Finally, measures and steps are outlined that could be instrumental in realizing participatory strategies. (Adapté du résumé de l'auteur).

This paper reviews efforts to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of urban services delivery in developing countries. It argues that failures in urban service delivery are not merely the result of a lack of technical knowledge on the part of local government staff, but also reflect constraints and perverse incentives confronting local personnel and their political leadership, and these, in turn, are often the inadverten result of problems in the relationship between central and local government. The report views the spread of decentralization as a potentially fortuitous phenomenon. The decentralization now occurring is not a carefully designed sequence of reforms aimed at improving the efficiency of public service delivery ; it appears to be a reluctant and disorderly series of concessions by central governments attempting to maintain political stability. (Adapté du résumé de l'auteur).