Suchergebnisse

The documentation of the experience in Urban Environmental Management of the city of Manizales, Colombia has been prepared between the years 1999 and 2.000 within the framework of the implementation of the SINPA project (Support for the Implementation of National Plans of Action) – HABITAT II. The development of the Biomanizales which was adopted as the environmental policy of the city since 1995, of the Bioplan as a Local Plan of Action for the city and the Follow-up, Monitoring and Control System of the Development Plan are initiatives that look forward to a sustainable and concerted future for the city. This experience, which was presented in the Habitat II Conference in Istanbul in 1996, has developed innovative ideas and has undertaken actions and activities that have been of interest for the SINPA and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS). It has been also the case for other governments and organizations such as the Italian Government, ICLEI and CEPAL which have signed agreements in support of some of the components of this environmental policy. This document concerning the Manizales environmental policy aims to contribute constructive comments and analysis based on the external verification of the facts and the extent up to which they have influenced better and sustainable practices. With the documentation and dissemination of this experience the SINPA aims also to contribute to enrich the information base and to make urban environmental experiences and lessons learned more accessible. We hope that the documentation of this experience could be useful to other countries and cities, especially in those cities that are part of the SINPA Program in Bolivia, Bangladesh and Zambia.

In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to the concept of social capital in attempting to explain the success or failure of policy delivery within the modern state. Much of the resulting research has, however, been conducted within a developing countries context. This article seeks to examine the concept of social capital within the context of contemporary GB. It explores the existence & effect of social capital through case studies in three local environmental policy contexts. In doing so, the article suggests that the potential to develop social capital may be affected by both the underlying nature of collective action problems & by the historic pattern of policy delivery by the local state. 2 Figures, 26 References. Adapted from the source document.

abstract
In recent years considerable attention has been paid to the concept of social capital in attempting to explain the success or failure of policy delivery within the modern state. Much of the resulting research has, however, been conducted within a developing countries context. This article seeks to examine the concept of social capital within the context of contemporary Britain. It explores the existence and effect of social capital through case studies in three local environmental policy contexts. In doing so, the article suggests that the potential to develop social capital may be affected by both the underlying nature of collective action problems and by the historic pattern of policy delivery by the local state.

Although local governments are well poised to address complex environmental policy problems, balancing local and supra-local politics is a key obstacle to overcome. The authors argue that when making policy choices, local policymakers balance local and supra-local influences by exploiting uncertainty in policy goals and associated target populations. Using probit models and survey data of city and county agencies, the authors examine how local and supra-local politics influence local policy choices. Four scenarios are identified: (a) pollution prevention and regional cooperation initiatives affected by local politics, (b) outreach initiatives affected by supra-local politics, (c) transportation alternative initiatives affected by both local and supra-local politics, and (d) energy alternatives and smart growth initiatives affected by interactions between local and supra-local politics. The conclusions suggest ambiguity frames environmental policies, which is to local policymakers' advantage when balancing contentious multilevel politics.

The objective of this study is to examine the role of surface water quality for the decisions by Swedish municipalities to adopt environmental targets and action plans, as well as allocating these decisions to a responsible authority. To this end, we assess how environmental, socioeconomic, and political factors, as well as the availability of environmental expertise, affect these municipal decisions. Questionnaire data from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, in combination with environmental monitoring data and official statistics, are used for the econometric analysis. Results show that: (i) municipalities with bad water quality, greater coastal length, and higher income are more inclined to adopt local policies; (ii) collaboration with interest groups increases the likelihood of adopting local policies; and (iii) municipalities with high Center Party representation tend to set responsibility for environmental policy with the municipal council board. ; Go4Baltic

The objective of this study is to examine the role of surface water quality for the decisions by Swedish municipalities to adopt environmental targets and action plans, as well as allocating these decisions to a responsible authority. To this end, we assess how environmental, socioeconomic, and political factors, as well as the availability of environmental expertise, affect these municipal decisions. Questionnaire data from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, in combination with environmental monitoring data and official statistics, are used for the econometric analysis. Results show that: (i) municipalities with bad water quality, greater coastal length, and higher income are more inclined to adopt local policies; (ii) collaboration with interest groups increases the likelihood of adopting local policies; and (iii) municipalities with high Center Party representation tend to set responsibility for environmental policy with the municipal council board.

Fiscal centralism affects central—local relations in more ways than simply constraining local autonomy. In the case of the Netherlands, central—local policy communities, in which nongovernmental organizations may play a significant role, divide local policymaking into sectors. Responsiveness to local requirements is highly skewed. Decentralization to improve local policymaking is frustrated by the urge for equality in this one-constituency state. The pillarization in the formative decades of the welfare state contributed to the development of this characteristic of the Dutch polity. These central—local relations are not conducive to innovation, which is required for local implementation of environmental policy. Sectoral boundaries preclude the essential integration of this policy. Municipal development plans, essentially designed to improve local resources, defy centrally devised norms and even prevent proper application of environmental impact assessments in central government's decisions on motorways.

This paper evaluates the role of epistemic communities in shaping local environmental policy, through the case of management of environmental change through planning and greenspace in Fukuoka City, Japan. Amidst increasing global interest in the role of evidence-based policy and urban science in responding to environmental issues in cities, Fukuoka is distinctive. Locally-situated scholars in Fukuoka have, for several decades, sought to shape local responses to environmental change by influencing policy for the built environment and greenspace. Through analysis of scholarly outputs produced by scholars working at universities and research institutes within Fukuoka and policy documentation produced by the city government, we characterise the development of Fukuoka's urban environmental change epistemic community. We suggest that built environment and greenspace policy to respond to environmental change in Fukuoka has been shaped by an epistemic community in three ways. These are: (a) a common belief in techno-scientific evidence derived from empirical observation; (b) a shared interest in urban planning and greenspace as a vehicle for realising change; and (c) a common normative concern with citizen wellbeing, rooted in negative historical experiences with pollution. We argue that policy formation driven by scholarly expertise in cities may have a greater chance of taking root if there is a favourable historical context of locally-led environmental science research, personal investment of the epistemic community members in the city, and regular dialogue between the epistemic community and wider society in the city. We conclude that a strong and reflexive epistemic community, working in collaboration with environmental and civil society actors, is important in understanding an appropriate response to current urban environmental challenges.