Politics And Planning In Cities In Deveveloping Countries

The small town, an environment adapted to the paradoxes of West Africa. A study on the distribution of small towns, and a comparison of the spatial an social system of seven settlements: Badou and Anie (Togo) ; Jasikan and Kadjebi (Ghana) ; Torodi, Tamaske and Keita (Niger)

In the first place, the role of small towns within the urban network is analyzed, as well as the nature of the links between them and their "hinterland". Therefore, in the first part, deals with the following issues : the study of the spatial pattern of small agglomerations in west africa and the modalities by wich they multiply ; the role of small towns in the evolution of the urban networks of ghana, togo an niger ; and, finally, the regional and local functions of the seven settlements chosen for study. In the second place, a functional model of the social-spacial system of the west african small towns is developed. An analysis of the spacial, demographical, political and economical processes taking place in the seven small towns makes it possible to elaborate this model and go beyond local particularities.

In establishing an anarchic framework for understanding public space as a vision for radical democracy, this article proceeds as a theoretical inquiry into how an agonistic public space might become the basis of emancipation. Public space is presented as an opportunity to move beyond the technocratic elitism that often characterizes both civil societies and the neoliberal approach to development, and is further recognized as the battlefield on which the conflicting interests of the world's rich and poor are set. Contributing to the growing recognition that geographies of resistance are relational, where the “global” and the “local” are understood as co-constitutive, a radical democratic ideal grounded in material public space is presented as paramount to repealing archic power in general, and neoliberalism’s exclusionary logic in particular.

The purpose of this study is to examine how the influential state and non-state stakeholders interact, conflict and collectively shape the urban transformation of downtown Cairo. The stakeholder analysis revealed interesting positions and power levels of the influential stakeholders impacting urban transformation in downtown. It also illustrated alliances and dependencies between entities within the same stakeholder group and between state and non-state stakeholders. Collaborations between influential stakeholders in the private sector interested in establishing lobby groups to further their interests in downtown. Despite the commonalities between the interests of the state and private investors, the state prefers to maintain development monopoly and control over the area in its beautification-focused development efforts. Influential stakeholders who do not have particular interest in the development of downtown, such as legislative authorities and large financial institutions, whose power and influence can be tapped into and directed towards a more sustainable transformation of the area. The thesis findings revealed that the ingredients of gentrification are present in downtown however it is currently inhibited by legislative and other parameters. This brings up the question as to how the state is planning on regulating potential urban transformation in downtown Cairo in the current stakeholder power dynamics to minimize negative socioeconomic impacts. A clear comprehensive vision for the development of downtown can only be successfully implemented through the buy-in of all stakeholder groups.

It has often been that an operation of development planning process approaches to an unfortunate dilemma, especially in public affairs. The uprising ideological contrast brings on a vacancy that each development agent cannot accomplish its own will. The author portrays the planning stake in public affairs that each stakeholder has proceeded to the aforementioned crosscutting dialogue based on two case studies. The paper aims twofold. The first is to reveal the discursive struggle of ideological yardstick posited by each agent that undergoes both explicit and implicit controversies. The second is to mirror each effort to grasp and to redefine the development discourse as well as to reconcile toward an effective operation/outcome. It is discovered that without a reconciliatory agent, the anticipated dialogue cannot be attained. Nevertheless, the entailed resolution will temporarily sound. Only the superior coercion will eventually last, although at best, some prior controversial propositions have been either more or less mitigated or, at worst, they have been unvoiced ever.

"Le nombre de plus en plus élevé de villes moyennes en Afrique nécessite de développer une analyse du phénomène urbain qui ne soit subordonnée ni à l’étude des métropoles ni à celle des communautés, lesquelles ont fait les beaux jours des études anthropologiques. Après être revenu sur l’histoire de la discipline, cet article esquisse les jalons d’une approche globale de la ville permettant d’étudier de manière comparative les centres secondaires.

An important feature of urbanization process in Africa is the proliferation of small and medium urban centers which constitute the major part of the urban population today. However in the literature these towns remain often in the shadow of studies devoted to the analysis of metropolis or small communities in the city. After a retrospective of urban anthropology’s history, this paper outlines a global approach able to grasp secondary cities in a comparative perspective."

Through the last few years, Egypt witnessed turbulent political changes in the form of two successive revolutions in 2011 and 2013. This was preceded by several decades of a strong central ruling culture. Although, wide aspirations and hope for a new decentralized governance system have prevailed following the recent revolutions, much of the traditional central system still prevails. Such environment is strongly evident within the city planning disciplines. When it comes to planning new cities in different regions, decisions are still taken in Cairo. Such decisions are not correct all the time, owing to the argument that most Heads of the different planning bodies, do not really have a final say in the planning decisions even if these are based on solid contextual studies. Many of them are concerned from the consequences of defying the upper heads of the physical planning authorities. This paper attempts to analyze the dynamics of the urban planning decision taking when it comes to new city planning, within a highly central and bureaucratic institutional environment. The analysis is done within the case study of the New Desert city of Toshka in the South West of Egypt, intended to be the main service center for a new rural community that had been initiated based on a national project in the 1990s to transfer the Nile water to the desert through an artificial canal. The cycle of this project passed through different periods of stagnation and activity within three successive regimes in Egypt.

This working paper focuses on the plans to construct a skyscraper in St Petersburg, Russia, known originally as Gazprom-City and recently renamed into Okhta Center, and on the controversy that developed around these plans. The paper uses the skyscraper debates as a lens to discuss a particular “aesthetic politics” of St Petersburg, the meaning of “world cities” and “global architecture” in Russian and international contexts, post-Soviet forms of political and corporate governance, the mobilization of civic opposition to such projects and the ability of such urban protests to translate into a more unified and politically oriented opposition than has been possible in other contexts in Russia.

The annihilating earthquake on 26 th January, 2001 caused heavy losses and damages to lives as well as the infrastructure in as many as 21 districts of Gujarat. 13,805 lives human lives were lost (as per Revenue department, Government of Gujarat) and nearly 1.67 lakhs got injured. Around 11 lakh houses, 50,000 classrooms, and more than 5000 public buildings got destroyed and public infrastructure such as dams, bridges, water tanks, etc were also badly affected." -GEERP REPORT, GSDMA

do Amazonas. Uma versão preliminar deste texto foi apresentada no Seminário Redivisão territorial do Amazonas promovido pela FUNDAJ/IESAM (2001). O presente texto foi revisto e ampliado, e incorpora resultados parciais do projeto "Políticas indígenas e indigenistas no Brasil Colonial" financiado pelo CNPq. Resumo Este artigo recupera a trajetória histórica de uma povoação colonial da Capitania de São José do Rio Negro-Poiares-, com a finalidade de estabelecer indicadores que permitam uma compreensão mais ampliada quanto ao processo de "aparecimento" e "desaparecimento" de povoações que existiram nos sertões do rio Negro. A idéia fundamental é a de que as povoações, criadas à sombra das estruturas administrativas da Capitania, eram núcleos marcados pela artificialidade e pela transitoriedade porque eram imposições que se contrapunham às estruturas locais pré-existentes e também por serem profundamente dependentes dos estímulos oriundos da estrutura estatal.

The purpose of the study highlights the local education authorities (LEAs) support as society capacity on their national policy of ICT integration implementation in public schools in case of Kepulauan Riau province, Indonesia. Therefore, qualitative method and semi-structured interview from a number of local education stake holders; education commission legislator, education head authority, and Baltekomdik (Education-Technology and Communication) were conducted by researcher to achieve his data.  The study results suggest that three aspects; local government policy, management  programs, and partnership should be re-evaluated and innovated by education local stake holders in order that they can minimized the barriers the encountered . This three aspects also can be the model for restructuring and building local education authorities (LEAs) capacity support on the national policy of ICT integration implementation in public schools.

My first published book traces the evolution and consequences of Bangalore's growth. Bangalore city saw unprecedented growth in the 1980s & 90s, deriving from its positioning as a hub for IT & associated industries. Even as the world watched its amazing growth in wonder, Bangalore's own response was typically dichotomous. There was a throwback to a mythicized past, a longing for the pensioner’s paradise & garden city of old; there was also
an aspiration for a neoteric modern future. This book studies Bangalore’s growth through a kaleidoscopic lens. It asks the question:How has growth affected & manifested in Bangalore’s Economy,Society,Politics,Planning & Spatial characteristics? It points that a corporate led development imperative has resulted in,& is sustained by,a concomitant growth of a working class & assorted migrant poor groups. The consequence is a fragmented polarized society. Corporate neoliberalism stands in contrast to
small local economies; socially there is a nouveau elite who prefer to invisibilize the poor; politics & policy become handmaidens to groups that influence them through very different processes. The book brings together theory & practice, drawing upon both scholarship & the author's professional experience in the region."

Cita: Ivana Socoloff, Ana Colombo Blanco, Ivan Kitay, Hernan Maltz, Ignacio Rullansky, Guadalupe Seia, Laura Stiberman y Magdalena Urdampilleta (2012). Gobernar Buenos Aires. Un estudio sobre las racionalidades politicas en torno al desarrollo local a partir del caso del Distrito Tecnologico de Parque Patricios (2008-2012). VII Jornadas de Sociologia de la UNLP. Departamento de Sociologia de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educacion, La Plata.

The Second World War and its associated political events of a national and global scale brought new circumstances, which was considerably influenced the development processes of Tehran. During World War II, Iran hoped that Washington would keep Britain and the Soviet Union from seizing control of the country’s oil fields. In 1951 and 1952 Truman worked with Iranian Prime Minister, though unsuccessfully, to regain some of those lost oil rights for Iran. By the late 1950s and President Kennedy’s presidency, he used aid as leverage for social reform. During the early years of 1960’s, the Kennedy Administration was urging its allies in the third world to carry out necessary reforms in order to prevent popular discontent and enhance dominant ideology of ‘modernism’.
In 1968, a major piece of legislation, the Urban Development and Renewal Act, enabled the municipality to implement Tehran’s Comprehensive Plan (TCP 1968), which integrated all the elements of a 1960s’ American city such as the separation of functions, highways, suburbs, shopping centers and housing area. The export of these American cities principles can only be understood from the background of the Cold War period, in which the east and west were both competing for cultural colonization of Middle Eastern strategically important cities like Tehran. During this period, the new developments supported by the oil boom of 1970s, were built in different forms to constitute an expanding metropolis. In 1974, the second “International Congress of Architecture” with the theme of “Toward a Quality of Life” held at Persepolis and brought together all leading world architects and planners to review Iran’s progress in its professional response to the challenges posed by increasing oil revenues. This research aims to represent the export of planning as a political means of cultural colonization of Third World during the cold war period.

The purpose of this study is to examine how the influential state and non-state stakeholders interact, conflict and collectively shape the urban transformation of downtown Cairo. The stakeholder analysis revealed interesting positions and power levels of the influential stakeholders impacting urban transformation in downtown. It also illustrated alliances and dependencies between entities within the same stakeholder group and between state and non-state stakeholders. Collaborations between influential stakeholders in the private sector interested in establishing lobby groups to further their interests in downtown. Despite the commonalities between the interests of the state and private investors, the state prefers to maintain development monopoly and control over the area in its beautification-focused development efforts. Influential stakeholders who do not have particular interest in the development of downtown, such as legislative authorities and large financial institutions, whose power and influence can be tapped into and directed towards a more sustainable transformation of the area. The thesis findings revealed that the ingredients of gentrification are present in downtown however it is currently inhibited by legislative and other parameters. This brings up the question as to how the state is planning on regulating potential urban transformation in downtown Cairo in the current stakeholder power dynamics to minimize negative socioeconomic impacts. A clear comprehensive vision for the development of downtown can only be successfully implemented through the buy-in of all stakeholder groups.

do Amazonas. Uma versão preliminar deste texto foi apresentada no Seminário Redivisão territorial do Amazonas promovido pela FUNDAJ/IESAM (2001). O presente texto foi revisto e ampliado, e incorpora resultados parciais do projeto "Políticas indígenas e indigenistas no Brasil Colonial" financiado pelo CNPq. Resumo Este artigo recupera a trajetória histórica de uma povoação colonial da Capitania de São José do Rio Negro-Poiares-, com a finalidade de estabelecer indicadores que permitam uma compreensão mais ampliada quanto ao processo de "aparecimento" e "desaparecimento" de povoações que existiram nos sertões do rio Negro. A idéia fundamental é a de que as povoações, criadas à sombra das estruturas administrativas da Capitania, eram núcleos marcados pela artificialidade e pela transitoriedade porque eram imposições que se contrapunham às estruturas locais pré-existentes e também por serem profundamente dependentes dos estímulos oriundos da estrutura estatal.

With regard to the climate change an increase of storm water events combined with longer droughts is prognosticated subsequently resulting in growing discharges of sewage into receiving water bodies with harmful consequences for surfaces water. And second, longer dry weather periods and an increase of the annual average air temperature will produce a shift of water balance and a decrease of available water resources, with particular hazard for drinking water supply. Particularly for areas with heavily stressed aquifers and for regions with a big proportion in drinking and tap water out of surface water (reservoirs and bank filtrate) the demand exists to work out and realize sustainable solutions for the adaptation of the regional water management system to the above-named climate trends.