SPECIAL

The Challenge for World Fisheries and Aquaculture

Urban Management

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A stonemason in AleppoPhoto I Paul Hahn

04 | Everyday history

Contents

The market district of Addis AbabaPhoto I Thomas Veser

14 | Masterplan for the

mercato

Urban Management

04 Everyday historySYRIA: Municipal management helping inhabitants of the Old City of Aleppo revive tried and tested structures

09 Concepts without the wrecking ballCHINA: Yangzhou is striving to become an Eco-city, with the help of process advisors

13 Alliance against povertyInterview with Peter Palesch, Cities Alliance urban strategy expert

14 Masterplan for the MercatoETHIOPIA: Infrastructure to revitalise Addis Ababa’s trading centre

17 Low cost housingETHIOPIA: Housing concept becomes a self-runner

18 Braking the traffic flowROMANIA: Sibiu discovers public places

22 The world as cityProcess-oriented GTZ expertise for good urban governance

03Editorial

Heidemarie

Wieczorek-Zeul,

Federal Minister for

Economic Cooperation

and Development

Poverty is becoming increasingly urban in developing countries.Almost half of the world’s poor already live in cities. Of the two bil-lion people – most of them in developing countries – who will boostour present-day global population of 6 billion by the year 2030,90% will live in urban areas.

Hence the success or failure in reaching the UN MillenniumDevelopment Goals will also be decided in the cities, particularly intheir informal settlements and slums.

In future, therefore, Development Cooperation policy must givegreater priority to cities. Not just because they are focal points forpoverty, disease and everyday violence, primarily against womenand girls, but also because they offer an opportunity to break freefrom the poverty spiral. It is not just by chance that Bangalore inIndia, Curitiba in Brazil, Chengdu in China have become symbols ofhow cities rise to become strong economic centres and municipali-ties worth living in. The economic dynamics of these cities reachout far into their rural hinterlands and offer prospects of a better lifefor millions of people.

But urbanisation also has its downside. Air and water pollutionand intensive and inefficient use of energy are problems facingurban planning and infrastructure development as a consequenceof the often hectic pace of growth. Development policy supports asustainable urban development that opens new scope for the eco-nomy and employment and helps to improve living conditions thathave often become unbearable: by providing safe drinking water,also in slums, by installing hygienic sanitation facilities that helpstem diseases, by organising environmentally sound traffic andtransport systems and developing solid waste managementsystems based on recycling.

Renewable energies and energy efficiency have a focal role toplay here. This is particularly manifest in China where urban growthhas gone hand in hand with an enormous increase in energy con-sumption.

Renewables 2004 – the renewable energy conference held inBonn – generated an impulse for a turnaround in energy policy thatis having effects as far away as China. As a contribution to theInternational Programme of Action, China intends to raise its shareof renewable energy to 10 percent by the year 2010.

This is an indicator of how our development policy has identifiedwhat global challenges are facing us and what programmes wecan use to help solve them. We will advance along this path – sothat we remain a reliable counterpart for our developing-countrypartners in reducing poverty and shaping equitable globalisation.

Dear readers,

The world’s urban population is rising by 180,000 a day, and thestresses on urban politicians and administrations are so enormous that political and administrative management capabili-ties are not keeping up with the rapid pace of urban growth.However, Technical Cooperation makes it possible to lay im-portant foundations, by providing integrative solutions and by promoting good urban governance and capacity development.

I M P R I N T

Publisher: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, D-65726 Eschborn, Postfach 5180, Germany.Tel: +49(0) 6196 790. Fax: +49(0) 6196 796169.Volker Franzen, Johannes Seifen

Editing: Jens Heine/jens.heine@gtz.de (responsible) and Georg Schuler/KonzeptTextRedaktion, MainzCopy Editor: Ursula Debus/textaction, Aschaffenburg

Translation: Tazir International Language Services

Layout: c m u k, Wiesbaden

Printing: Wetzlardruck GmbH,Wetzlar

Lithography: Communications!, Albecker und Haupt GmbH, Frankfurt am Main

Paper: Recycled paper without optical brighteners.The views expressed by authors in the journal are not necessarily those of the publishers. Akzente appears four times a year plus special issues. Date of publicationof this special issue: December 2005.

ISSN 0945-4497

Street scene in Yangzhou.Photo I Christiane Kühl

13 | Concepts without the wrecking ball

akzente special

04

Everyday history

The Old City of Aleppo is an architectural

ensemble. However, the renovation work is

aimed not at art historians – but the city’s inha-

bitants. They had been leaving the Old City in a

steady stream. Now, an urban development

plan is bringing them back to a city of functio-

ning systems.

Paul Hahn | text and photos

he next millennium will belong to the citiesof our world. More than two-thirds of hu-manity will live in urban centres by the year

2030. This is why international conferences in thecoming months and years will be spotlighting thetasks entailed by the unabated growth of cities.

In May, political decision-makers from some 400capital cities and cities whose populations top a mil-lion will come together in Berlin to attend the worldcongress Metropolis ‘05. Next year Vancouver will behosting the World Urban Forum, a continuation of thedialogue first launched in 1996 in Istanbul at theUnited Nations Conference on Human Settlements(Habitat II). The organisers of EXPO 2010 in Shanghaitoo have placed the city as a topic firmly on the inter-national agenda, with their motto – Better City, BetterLife. GTZ has made urban development its spotlightof the year 2005, and is fostering an international dia-logue among experts with its expertise born of somethirty years of experience in this sector. In more than100 projects, development experts, mostly workingon behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Eco-nomic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), are cur-rently providing support in the quest for integratedsolutions to the problems facing urban conurbations.

Technical Cooperation is improving the frameworkfor creating cities that will be fit for the future. Thiswork is fully in line with the Millennium Declarationof the United Nations, because whether or not theMillennium Development Goals are achieved willdepend to no small extent on the progress made incities and urban areas. In publications and discussions,and at international conferences, GTZ enters into dis-cussions with specialists in a variety of fields, whocan help lend impetus to moves to design tomorrow’scities. About 400 German and international experts inthe field of urban development have been invited toGTZ’s Eschborn Dialogue in June. This issue ofAkzente focuses on urban management, to set thescene for this year’s spotlight “Designing Tomorrow’sCities: Focus – Fascination – Future”.

If you would like to find out more about urbandevelopment check outwww.gtz.de/spotlight.

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05akzente specialURBAN MANAGEMENT

exhibition on Preserving Aleppo’sOld City. But there’s no time forcoffee today, Jamal uses his cellphone to call building inspectorGeorge Kashok from the Direc-torate of the Old City to theschool, worried the wall mightcollapse. Jamal doesn’t want totake any more risks. Others wereless cautious before his time asconstruction manager. In Decem-ber 2003, one builder had hisworkers remove all the woodenfloors in the derelict northernwing at almost the same time,without giving a thought tostructural stability. The 13 metre

wall collapsed. Heavy limestoneblocks crushed four workers andseriously injured three more.

The workers tell George that aneighbouring textile merchantwants to put a toilet in the firststorey of the former caravanserai.The hole is for a wastewater piperunning down the shared wall.When the workers are unable toproduce a building permit, theinspector acts swiftly, confisca-ting the hammer drill and toolchest and sending the workershome. Meanwhile the textilemerchant is on the phone, tryingto persuade GTZ expert Jamal

Traditional craft skills: inthe Judeida district ofAleppo’s historic centre,a stonemason works onrestoring an Ottomanpalace.

amal al Jaber looks upalong the renovatedwall. A gaping black

hole has been made in the westwall by heavy equipment. Andthis is in a historic monument,the Shibani school, the futurecultural centre and one of hisfavourite spots.

Every day the GTZ expertcomes to the school, build byFranciscans in the early 19th cen-tury, to supervise the renovationwork. Sometimes there is timefor coffee with Adnan Ghrewati,who guides visitors to the reno-vated east wing through the

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Exodus from the Old City

As a child, Adnan Ghrewatifound the alleys of the Old Citynarrow, dark and eerie. He washappy to move to the new townon the hill at the edge of thecity. “At last I was able to playsoccer in the open air.” Manyprosperous Aleppo families lefttheir houses at that time, familyhomes going back centuries,with interior courtyards behindiron-gated doorways and highwalls that kept them cool insummer, decorated with artisticstone ornaments. Jasmine androses flowered around the foun-tains of the interior courtyards.But the Old City’s inhabitantswanted a modern environment,moving to multifamily cementblocks with electricity and run-ning water.

By 1993, some 100,000 people– around half the historic cen-tre’s population – had left. Thepoor stayed. Where a wealthyfamily had once lived in style,up to four families now crowdtogether. They do not have enough money to maintain thehouses. Merchants crowd the

abandoned palaces with bales offabric, spices or cheap shoesfrom the Far East. Their smalltrucks block the alleys, hootingloudly. Wastewater from brokenwater lines made the foundationssoggy. Buildings developedcracks and collapsed.

In 1952 a new urban develop-ment plan by the French plannerGutton was supposed to bringwhat was then seen as a moderntouch to the 5,000 year old city.Wide streets modelled on Paris,light and air in the old districts,and new multi-storey buildings.By 1978 the bulldozers hadmade three corridors up to 50metres wide, demolishing some20 per cent of the historic centrewith 700 houses. Skyscrapersshot up along the new roads,splitting up whole neighbour-hoods. An unforeseeable conse-quence of all this – the way wasopened to a loud, stinking andendless caravan of vehicles.Another 1,000 houses werethreatened.

Finally, the “Friends of Alep-po”, local citizens and art histori-ans from Germany and France,called for an end to the demoli-

that the toilet on the first floor isa historic feature – it’s alwaysbeen there, so it can be part ofthe renovation. The merchantdoesn’t know that Jamal knowsmore about the historic centreand its buildings than almostanybody else.

“We’ll rebuild the wall todayat your expense,” are Jamal’s lastwords.

“Many people don’t care aboutthe historic value of a building.“Old Ottoman palaces are beingused for storage, and anythingthat gets in the way is torndown,” laments Jamal, describ-ing an attitude which has con-tributed to the decay of thehistoric centre – a city in nor-thern Syria which was a centrefor trade between Europe andAsia for two millennia. Camelcaravans brought spices, porce-lain and silk from the Orient,taking back African ivory andEuropean gold and silverware.Aleppo was a flourishing tradecentre under the Ottoman empire,which lasted for some four cen-turies. An oriental dream whoselatest threat dates back around50 years.

07akzente specialURBAN MANAGEMENT

tion. They submitted an applica-tion to UNESCO to recognisethe ancient city as a cultural heri-tage site. The UNESCO reporttold a devastating story of theconstruction in the city. In 1979the “Friends of Aleppo” succeed-ed with UNESCO backing instopping the master plan, andwith it the ongoing destructionof the historic centre. In 1986the Old City of Aleppo, a rareexample of an oriental city withmedieval style, still full of lifedespite the neglect, was addedto the world heritage list. Workstarted on saving it.

A living monument

GTZ has been supporting therehabilitation of the Old Citysince 1993 on behalf of the Ger-man Federal Ministry for Eco-nomic Cooperation and Devel-opment (BMZ). Meinolf Spieker-mann, head of the GTZ team onthe Syrian-German project, isclear about the goal. “We haveto improve the housing andliving conditions of the peopleto ensure that even more peopledon’t leave the old district. This

Living in a monument:in the inner courtyardof the Shibani school(above), GTZ staffmember Jamal al Jaberdiscusses the nextsteps in the restorationwork. The plan is tobring back authenticeveryday life to thesuqs around the citadelin the Old City.

department, Meinolf Spieker-mann has drawn up a newurban development plan.

“Now the inhabitants knowwhere they can build hotels infuture or live without being dis-turbed by curious tourists, wholike to peer down on inner court-yards from roof terraces, butdisturb the local women,” urbanplanner Spiekermann explains.The construction plan also givesthe craft workers security. Be-cause they now know whichdistricts will offer a future fortheir workshops. The plan alsocovers façade design, buildingmaterials and height limits forconstruction. The project giveshigh priority to improving thewater supply and wastewatersystem – hot work in the nar-row alleys paved with heavybasalt blocks, mostly too narrowfor earth moving equipment.Compressed air drills are alsobanned – the vibration would betoo dangerous for the derelicthouses. So far, almost half of allthe water supply and wastewa-ter lines, running some 300 kilo-metres through the alleys, havebeen replaced.

is the only way the ancient citycan survive. What we don’t wantis an open air museum or orientalDisneyland with lots of renovatedbuildings – but no life.”

In practice, this means imme-diate assistance to the mostlypoor inhabitants of the 3,000 orso houses in danger of collap-sing. Free advice by architectsand interest-free small loans upto USD 3,000 are working smallmiracles. With a planned term of15 years and a budget of aroundEUR 10 million, the project hashelped renovate some 650 hous-es. The aim is to rehabilitate onein ten of the 10,000 houses by2008. “We have to see that theOld City’s image is improved, givepeople confidence in the cityagain,” is how Meinolf explainsanother goal of the project.

There are now 70 people work-ing in the new Directorate of theOld City, located in a spaciousformer home, Seif al Dawlah.Not long ago, the building wasstill a ruin. GTZ also has its officein the renovated palace with itsinterior courtyard, fountains andorange trees. Together with theplanners at the historic centre

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Integrated rehabilitation

Context The inhabitants of Syria’s ancient city ofAleppo have been witnessing the destruc-tion of historic buildings and social struc-tures since the mid-50s.

Goal Improved living conditions and economicviability sustainably upgraded in the fabric ofthe Old City of Aleppo.

Concept Advisory services to the municipality onintegrated rehabilitation and development.

Partners Municipality of Aleppo, representatives ofpublic needs, the population.

Costs The BMZ is supporting TechnicalCooperation to rehabilitate and develop theOld City of Aleppo with EUR 10 million overa period of 14.5 years.

and tall stacks of Aleppo olivesoap. In between, small mos-ques shine with green light, thecolour of the Prophet. Donkeysladen down with sacks strugglethrough the crowd, and mer-chants haggle loudly at everyturn.

Tourists should also feel com-fortable in the middle of localeveryday life. A study by theCity of Heidelberg, Aleppo’sconsultant on tourism, showsthat “Tourists want tradition andreality”. A spectacular architec-tural discovery means that Aleppomight be able to provide evenmore of this for future visitors.On the hill where the citadelstands above the Old City, archae-ologists from Berlin were dig-ging through 5,000 years of lay-ers of Ottoman, Byzantine,Roman, Greek and Hethite set-tlement and found a templefrom the Hethite period, about3,000 years old. Massive reliefs,images of gods chiselled inbasalt and perfectly preservedare a special attraction for artlovers.

However, too many touristscould damage the city – asMeinolf Spiekermann observes,there are plenty of examples ofthis in the world. New hotelsare currently being built inJedeida, the traditional Christianquarter, dating back to the 13thcentury. However, these will bekept small, in accordance withthe new zoning plan for newhotels in the historic centre. TheHotel Martini, a former palacewith several buildings withinner courtyards, will give visi-tors an impression of the orien-tal lifestyle, although many fea-tures will be a little more com-fortable than in former times. Avisit to the toilet no longermeans a trip across the darkcourtyard in the icy winter –the WC is just a door away.

Unlike the neighbour’s toiletnext to the Shibani school, thisconstruction has been approvedby the Directorate of the OldCity. As a tribute to modernliving.

Paul Hahn is a photographer and freelancejournalist based in Berlin

Soft tourism

The image of the ancient city isslowly improving. “Ninety percent of the inhabitants who havereceived a small house renova-tion loan are still living in theOld City. This is a major success,”Meinolf Spiekermann notes hap-pily. The merchants, who losttheir customers in the exodusfrom the historic centre, are alsohappy. Now, their businesses canflourish again in the 12-kilome-tre suq, and the endless alleys ofshops behind thick walls, archesand high cupolas which softenthe harsh light and heat of theday. In the semidarkness, black-veiled women and men in broadjalabas crowd past the fragrantspices, pungent mutton halves

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Infrastructure: new waterpiping being laid at the

Bab al Maqam gate.

09akzente specialURBAN MANAGEMENT

he alley is narrow and straight as a die.Grey walls run beside it. A heavy wood-en gate leads into Sheng Jinrong’s court-

yard. Single-storey houses with curved roofs sur-round the courtyard. Sheng is eating his lunch –meat with rice and tofu. The kitchen, with a gascooker and the basin where he washes the wok

in cold water, is in the open air. Wastewater runsthrough a hole in the floor and drains into theearth. For some of his neighbours, the wastewaterflows through a hole in the outside wall onto thestreet, where it drains into the nearest gully.There is an ancient sewer under the alleys, andtheoretically Sheng could connect his wash basin

Yangzhou has ambitions to become an EcoCity. GTZ process advisers are sup-

porting the city of more than a million inhabitants in its endeavours. It is one of

the first in China to comply with the EcoCity Programme. Since the late 90s this

concept has been setting standards for sustainable urban development and the

preservation of cultural values.

Christiane Kühl | text and photos

Concepts without the wrecking ball

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able urban development. For almost two years heand his staff have been advising the municipalgovernment of Yangzhou. On behalf of the Ger-man Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperationand Development (BMZ) they are looking at urbandevelopment and rehabilitation as a process, ratherthan seeking quick solutions.

The EcoCity concept

In many of China’s cities, whole blocks in thehistoric centres are falling victim to the wreckingball. Several are being rebuilt. Construction is sup-posed to conform with old building styles anddimensions, but instead shopping centres or hugehousing blocks are going up. The city of Yang-zhou, on the other hand, is trying to find a way tomodernise its buildings in a way which is eco-friendly and preserves the social structures whichhave evolved. The city was one of the first inChina to team up with scientists on a draft planfor the eco city concept developed by the nationalenvironmental agency SEPA at the end of the 90s.

Advisor Richard Schmidt is combing the narrowgalleys. His job is to find out where sewers alreadyexist. The German wastewater expert photographscovers, outlets and wells. Many house walls aredamp. “The uncontrolled wastewater gets into thewalls,” Schmidt explains. He goes on to point outthat without a modern wastewater system, it isimpossible to maintain the houses in the longterm.

Under Technical Cooperation a concept is cur-rently being developed for careful rehabilitation ofparts of the historic district. Several crumbling bar-racks will be replaced by open space. Small facto-ries which are standing empty will be convertedfor housing. The concept was presented to themunicipal government at the start of 2005. Thepoliticians have the job of creating the necessaryinfrastructure, including a sewage piping systemfor wastewater disposal. This is required by theplan, prepared with GTZ cooperation, to installtoilets in all the historic district houses in the longterm. Currently, the inhabitants have to use sharedtoilets. “If the city adopts the concept, it has toguarantee that the infrastructure built by the pilotproject will not be pulled down later,” explainsarchitect Wang Fang, responsible for urban plan-ning, and adds: “The city has to be behind it!”

The Sino-German project ultimately wants todevelop model solutions which can be transferredto other regions in due course. The city of Yang-zhou and its partner GTZ are already exploringpossible ways to finance this.

Sustainable urbanisation

Yangzhou is in the eastern Chinese province ofJiangsu, on the Yangtze delta, one of the richestand most densely populated regions of the coun-try. Jiangsu is known as “the land of rice and fish”,because of its numerous flowing canals, ponds and

to this. But he would have to pay for this himself.“We can’t afford that,” he says.

Everyday life in the historic centre of Yangzhou,a million inhabitant city near the Yangtze River.The wastewater system is rudimentary. And notonly here – all across the country, the infrastruc-ture of China’s ancient cities is overloaded andoften obsolete.

After the creation of the People’s Republic in1949, and particularly at the height of the CulturalRevolution at the end of the 60s, the owners ofhouses with courtyards were dispossessed. Numer-ous new inhabitants crowded into the buildings.They put up brick barracks in the courtyards toprovide more housing. Most of the houses, likeSheng’s, belong to the state. This is another reasonwhy the 62 year old is unwilling to invest. Whowants to put a lot of money into someone else’sproperty? Particularly if the future is uncertain.“People don’t renovate their houses if they’re wor-ried they might be torn down,” explains Hans-Jürgen Cassens, the head of the GTZ team in theSino-German project for eco-friendly and sustain-

Soft intervention: a newroad surface, with afunctional sewerage

system beneath it. Thisis an example of prac-

tical rehabilitation whichavoids radical interven-tion in established city

districts (above). Thederelict block (below)

will be next.

11akzente specialURBAN MANAGEMENT

fertile soil. However, the economic boom, newsuburbs and development zones are crowding thefields out. As a result, sustainable urbanisation isone of the most urgent tasks facing China. Withpolitical backing, urbanisation is proceeding rapid-ly throughout the country. Family farming plotsare increasingly giving way to larger agriculturalunits. Millions of displaced farm workers neednew jobs, alongside former employees of closeddown state enterprises. The continuing populationgrowth is also adding to the number of new jobseekers. To even start with handling the flood ofpeople looking for work, new jobs must be cre-ated in the manufacturing and service sectors. Forthis to be successful, urbanisation must continue.Currently, 520 million Chinese are already livingin cities. By 2020 this will grow to well over 750million. The cities are facing massive challenges.People need housing, energy and water. Growingprosperity is further boosting demand. In thedeveloped coastal regions, new apartment com-plexes are shooting up. WC, shower and air condi-tioning are standard features there. In many places,wastewater from households and businesses is notadequately treated. All seven major river valleys inthe country are already heavily polluted.Construction of sewage treatment facilities is slow,because of the lack of funds. The problem will getworse as the cities continue to grow. Withoutsustainable urban development, there is the threatof major environmental damage and breakdown inthe supply of raw materials. Even so, many stillregard environmental protection as a luxury forrich countries. “Chinese cities are pushing aheadwith urbanisation in competition for per capitaeconomic growth,” Cassens explains. China’s plan-ners are producing professional basic planning, forexample for roads. However, instead of allocatingsmaller areas, huge plots are being assigned toconstruction companies. As a result, whole cityblocks display a numbing architectural uniformity.China’s cities are starting to look more and morealike, particularly in the suburbs with their sprout-ing apartment complexes. “Innovative solutionsare the exception,” Cassens comments, noting that

An eye for the typical:the aim is to preserveneighbourly atmosphereand special architecturaldetails like the gable inthe lower photo inYangzhou as far as possible. Many openkitchens in the rearcourtyards (left) stillneed to be connectedto a wastewatersystem.

change will take a lot of persuasion. GTZ isaccordingly cooperating with Tongji University inShanghai to offer three-month practice-orientedcourses for Chinese town planners, starting 2005.

Decentralised wastewater disposal

Changzhou, a neighbouring city, also has morethan a million inhabitants. The suburb of Houyuwill soon have a sewage treatment plant fordecentralised wastewater disposal. This treatmentfacility uses plants. The sewage is led through adensely planted filter bed of sand. On its waythrough the sand bed, the sand particles breakdown the sewage and purify the water. The rootsof cane, rush and similar water and marsh plantscreate spaces which allow the sewage to penetratethe soil more easily.

Local politicians have just approved the fundsfor these treatment facilities. A great deal of per-suasion was needed, since the small facility costsmore per capita than a large one. However, a smallsuburb like Houyu with just a few thousand

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inhabitants would never have been connected toa central facility, according to GTZ consultantJosef Tränkler, who is providing local support tothe project. “But it’s important to find long-termsolutions for the city fringes as well.” Houyu canonly afford the project because the communityhas achieved a modest prosperity through treenurseries and raising potted plants. Up to now,the wastewater runs through the sewers or direct-ly into the numerous ponds in the area. In summer, the result is an explosion of algae whichturn the ponds and rivers into an unusable sink-ing soup. In addition, people often unthinkinglydump domestic solid refuse in the open.

Josef Tränkler is accordingly trying to develop aconcept for improved local refuse management.Refuse bins will replace the stinking and sporadi-cally emptied bunkers overflowing with solidwaste. He hopes that if there is no longer refuselying around everywhere, this will reduce thetemptation to simply throw everything awayanywhere. Tränkler explains, “We want to in-clude people so that they have a sense of respon-sibility.” This is the same reason why Hans-JürgenCassens is working with his local partners onplans for an environmental information centre inthe two cities.

The advantages of sustainable development arecommunicated best if people have a personalsense of the benefits they gain. A core task ofrehabilitating the historic district in Yangzhou isaccordingly to preserve the social structures. Inthe capital Beijing, hundreds of thousands ofinhabitants of the historic district were resettledin faceless suburbs after their houses weredemolished. Where the old houses are beingrestored, the new rents are often out of reach.Many people are also losing their livelihoodsbecause big supermarkets in the new settlementsare driving out the small businesses – noodleshops or stalls – that were traditional in the nar-row alleys. “Seventy per cent of the people inYangzhou historic district would prefer to stayliving there despite the lack of sanitation,” archi-tect Wang says, quoting a study.

“It’s convenient here, because we live right atthe centre,” Sheng confirms. He knows his neigh-bours. In summer, the inhabitants sit for hours inthe alleys on wooden stools, chatting or playingcards. The children have moved away becausethe city government wants to reduce the popula-tion density in the centre through resettlement.This will continue to fall naturally anyway, sincemany of those left are pensioners. A new genera-tion will find better conditions for modern livingin the old alleys.

Christiane Kühl is a correspondent for several publications and isbased in Beijing.

Balanced process

Context Heavy consumption of resources and fast but unsus-tainable approaches to environmental protection andurban development are features of China’s rapid urbanisation.

Goal The urban population benefits from a more socially,economically and ecologically balanced and efficienturbanisation process.

Concept GTZ advisers are assisting the drive for eco-friendlyand sustainable urban development in two cities with amillion inhabitants, based on the Chinese environmentministry’s EcoCity concept.

Partners Experts and management in city governments, theJiangsu provincial government and regional universities.

Costs The BMZ is supporting Technical Cooperation for eco-friendly and sustainable urban development in Chinawith EUR 5 million until 2007.

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13akzente specialURBAN MANAGEMENT

Akzente: What processes has CitiesAlliance initiated in the past five years?

Peter Palesch: Cities Alliance hasmade impressive progress in a numberof areas. For example, the exchangewithin Cities Alliance has led to mem-bers developing new tools for directcooperation with cities. Even so, thereare still too few states and developmentorganisations that give political andstrategic priority to promoting the eco-nomic and social potential of advancingurbanisation. Indeed, many still con-sider reducing migration to the cities asan important instrument for combatingurban poverty.

How is cooperation with donors going?

The members of Cities Alliance cooperateat several levels. The annual membershipmeeting is an outstanding forum for in-formal exchange and coordination. It isestimated that participants are responsiblefor over 90 per cent of all spending onurban development cooperation. Thecities which the Alliance is assisting alsocooperate closely amongst each other.Naturally, when very different organisa-tions get together cooperation cannotalways be entirely smooth. However,cooperation between development organ-isations in the various projects is growingsteadily. An internal evaluation of the pro-jects which the Alliance is supportingconfirmed that cooperation between multiple donor organisations is an impor-tant factor for success. As one CitiesAlliance member put it so well duringthe first evaluation of the Alliance’s activities; “If Cities Alliance didn’t exist,we’d have to invent it.”

What are the practical benefits of CitiesAlliance?

Cities Alliance assists politically commit-ted cities to develop a long term visionand strategy, agreed by all participants,which provides a basis to improve theliving conditions of the poor. An impor-tant element here is that the potential ofthe poor population is included and thatpossible investors are involved from thestart in planning – for example, interna-tional development banks or local in-vestors. Because the emphasis is onimplementation rather than on the plan-ning itself. Practice shows that relativelysmall funding by Cities Alliance can beused to achieve considerable leverage. Anexample: strategic planning by the city ofJohannesburg was an important factor inpersuading local investors to take up abond issue for several hundred milliondollars. This was despite the fact that thecity had some serious problems at thetime.

Why did the Alliance launch the “CitiesWithout Slums” programme?

According to UNHabitat, the estimatednumber of people living slums worldwidehas risen over the past 50 years from 35 Million to over 900 Million. In thenext 25 years there will probably be ano-ther billion slum dwellers. Given this dram-atic development, conventional efforts toclear slums are doomed. To clean up therapidly expanding slums, integrate themto urban living and prevent the emergenceof new slums, political commitment,interdisciplinary thinking outside minis-terial boxes and participation by theurban poor are all needed.

What is the programme trying to achieve?

The “Cities Without Slums” initiativewants to significantly improve the livingconditions of at least 100 million slumdwellers by 2020. The goals of the actionplan are reflected in the MillenniumDevelopment Goals. No other MillenniumDevelopment Goal deals so explicitlywith the rapidly growing slums in deve-loping countries’ cities. The programmeis mobilising public and private resourcesand pushing for political reforms to avoidnew slums. The initiative is also contribut-ing to the adoption by more and morecities and countries of a “Cities WithoutSlums” programme. A Cities Alliancestudy of nine countries shows that slumsare not the fault of the poor, but oflacking political commitment, politicalfailure at national and local level, and dys-functional land markets.

Jens Heine conducted the interview.

Over 145 cities have so far joined worldwide in the Cities

Alliance. Together with its development partners the

Washington-based association focuses on reducing urban

poverty. Akzente talked to GTZ staff member Peter

Palesch, responsible for urban development strategies for

the Alliance

Alliance against poverty

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Peter Palesch, strategic planner with Cities Alliance.

14

Masterplan for

The Mercato is the hub of Addis Ababa’s informal sector. Yet no admin-

istration has ever managed to provide this vast marketplace with an infra-

structure. A new masterplan puts the capital’s self-governance expertise

to the test.

Thomas Veser | text and photos

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Traffic jams: some200,000 people liveand work in the Merca-to, Addis Ababa’s big-gest trading centre.Even more commuterscrowd the streets dailyon the way to and fromthe trading area.

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the Mercatohe young saleswoman, wearing the tradi-tional costume of the Ethiopian highlands,stands in her tiny shop with her arms cros-

sed. Mountains of fragrant spices are heaped infront of her. The pottery which she also sells isstacked in terrifyingly high pyramids. The ownersof the sales stands in Addis Ababa’s Mercato aremasters at stacking. Space is scarce in the bustlingmarket in the Addis Ketema district. Some 14,000merchants offer mainly food, clothing, basketry andcraft products here daily.

The Mercato is undoubtedly the hub of AddisAbaba’s informal sector. For practical reasons, thearea also doubles as a residential district. Some200,000 people live and work in this economic cen-tre, where account books are unknown and nobodybothers about city regulations. Around half of allnational cash sales are made in this extensive tradingarea. The day follows unwritten rules. In addition tothe inhabitants, who come from all over the country,there are up to 300,000 commuters a day from thesurrounding area. The market has a particularly mag-ic appeal for the migrants from rural areas. The mi-grants hope that anybody who can make it to theMercato will have the prospect of a better life.

The newcomers quickly learn better. Too manypeople are sharing the scarce space in the Mercato,where stress leaves no time for leisure. There is aconstant traffic jam in the many nameless streets.

The houses, without running water or sewage sys-tems, desperately need renovation. The city refusedisposal services seldom come by. There are noschools, the supply of hospital beds is completelyinadequate, streets are unlit, and police assistance inan emergency is unlikely. The overwhelmed cityadministration has long been unable to meet thebasic needs of the inhabitants. Although officialshave decided on action to improve the situation, theunsystematic approach with spontaneous repairwork or unannounced changes in the traffic flowmostly give inhabitants the impression that their sit-uation is getting worse. The Mercato, the most economically active part of the Ethiopian capital, hasbecome a hotspot.

Cities in the process of reform

The Ethiopian-German programme for urban man-agement and policy development, which GTZ is as-sisting, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry forEconomic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), to-gether with the city administration and other partners,is trying to find a way out of this dilemma. The pro-gramme is part of the nationwide Ethiopian adminis-trative reform in Addis Ababa and various medium-sized towns in the main regions of the country.

The Ethiopian federal constitution, adopted in1996, requires that not only the nine federal regions

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but also local authorities be given local self-admini-stration on a scale previously unknown by this coun-try with over 70 million inhabitants. GTZ advisers arehelping formulate the city charter and draw up localauthority constitutions in the four largest states in the

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Ethiopian federal republic. The city charter givesAddis Ababa the status of a self-administered federalcity for the first time. The status of the capital withits c. 3.5 million inhabitants is comparable to that ofa federal state. The Ethiopian federal parliament hassince adopted the charter. The local authority consti-tutions have been adopted by the individual stateparliaments.

Undoubtedly the most important element in thecharter and the local authority constitutions is thatAddis Ababa and over 70 other cities now have localself-administration. The new status includes the rightto develop their own organisation and taxation,together with an obligation to provide all majorpublic services. The local authorities were given newinstitutions and offices: a city council, city govern-ment, mayor, district mayors and district councillors.The provisional municipal governments and munici-pal councils must face general elections in 2005.

Addis Ababa municipality is currently being com-pletely reformed. GTZ is assisting this process aswell. “Political decisions and urban services will betransferred to the new city districts, which havetheir own political and administrative structures andare getting extensive authority,” explains GTZ consul-tant Gerhard Mai. This decentralisation is intended tomake urban services more efficient and bring themcloser to the inhabitants. Gerhard Mai: “One stopshops enable inhabitants to deal with all the admin-istrative business in their own city district, withouthaving to travel to the city centre.”

Typical problems

Addis Ababa, uncontested political, economic andcultural centre of the country, is clearly the core ofthe reform. With c. 3.5 million inhabitants from 78ethnic groups, the capital reflects the whole nation.Urban and rural forms of housing are located closerto each other in Addis Ababa than in other Africancities. The skyscrapers of the modern city and thetraditional craft settlements with their unpaved streetswhich turn to mud in the rainy season are just a stone’s throw apart. The upscale districts average fiveinhabitants to a hectare, while in the spontaneoussettlements and neglected inner city poor settle-ments have over 800.

The spontaneous settlements on the city fringe andthe inner city poor settlements show the familiarsigns of all the major cities in Africa, Asia and LatinAmerica – no legal security in land utilisation, lack ofinfrastructure, poor living conditions, but social net-works and closeness to work and income. Up to 70per cent of Addis Ababa’s inhabitants live in thesedistricts, and up to 80 per cent of these in turn livebelow the poverty level. Already dramatic enough,the situation is being further exacerbated by annualpopulation growth of 6-8 per cent.

Addis Ababa has been able to solve the resultingproblems. None of the numerous plans for citymanagement developed since the 50s have beenimplemented. The last masterplan from 1986 quicklybecame outdated because it was too static. In its re-

Concerted action

Context Inadequate infrastructure andpublic services, security problems,lack of traffic management andpoor sanitary systems are the prob-lems facing the Mercato, the big-gest centre for trade and crafts inAddis Ababa and Ethiopia.

Goal Improved infrastructure and ser-vices improve the efficiency of theMercato and ensure jobs in theinformal trading and service sector.

Concept A concerted action is implement-ing a jointly formulated develop-ment strategy.

Partners City government, city districtadministration, associations,chambers, NGOs and privatecompanies.

Costs Public sector actors and develop-ment partnerships with the privatesector are sharing the investmentcosts for implementing a long-term concept for urban develop-ment.

Round table: the processof rehabilitating the marketcontinues in dialogue with

merchants, officials, inhabi-tants and NGOs.

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vised form, the new masterplan and urban develop-ment strategy provide a basis for sustainable urbandevelopment. The definition of strategic develop-ment projects marks a break with the earlier plan-ning instruments and regulations with their purelyrestrictive and regulatory focus. GTZ advisers givepriority to ensuring that large parts of the populationand the private sector are participating.

The Mercato – a test case

In the Mercato the staff of the Ethiopian-German pro-ject for sustainable urban development are currentlytesting how a forward-looking city managementbased on participation of the city population, privatesector and state institutions can function. GTZ advis-ers act as intermediaries, bringing actors to a roundtable which they would previously have avoided atall costs: government agency staff, tradespeople,inhabitants, NGOs and international institutions.Together, they are seeking to overcome the mistrustbetween them and guide the development of thecity district. To clear the way for the necessary infra-structure and investment, titles and land use rightsare one of the major issues to clarify.

The “Mercato Millennium Development Task Force”,created with GTZ assistance, is bring together all thepolitical, cultural and economic forces of the Merca-to. Its goal is to preserve and develop the Mercato.The Task Force members hold discussions on thebasis of a local development plan which the associa-tions of merchants and inhabitants have formulatedjointly and which reflects the detail of the urban devel-opment strategy. The Bauhausstiftung in Dessau provided expert input to the plan. The dialogue be-tween the actors has produced its first results. TheMercato will have 250 security staff in future, and cleaning staff will improve cleanliness. Every stall-holder will pay a monthly contribution for these ser-vices. Other priorities are refuse disposal and construc-tion and maintenance of sanitary facilities and foot-paths. Wherever possible, development partnershipswith the private sector will in future take over appro-priate responsibilities. “The new developments in theMercato make it possible for all those involved toaccumulate experience and break down mistrust,”Gerhard Mai notes, adding: “People here will graduallyrecognise that the work of the new government isincreasing legal and planning security, that they areparticipating in the change, and that transparency isincreasing.”

There is still much to be done for open and trans-parent cooperation. The city administration mustdeliver on its promises to speed up the expansion ofthe infrastructure. New mechanisms for urban reha-bilitation must be formulated, discussed and applied.In some cases it will be necessary to rezone areas,relocate people, compensate them and introducenew forms of living and working. The process requirespatience and willingness on all sides to abandon out-dated hierarchical behaviour patterns and adoptforms based on dialogue, pluralism and democracy.

The author writes for the Seegrund press agency in Kreuzlingen,Switzerland.

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he municipal administration of Addis Ababa has commissionedGTZ to build at least 10,000 homes a year. Over 8,000 apart-ments are currently under construction or already completed at

19 building sites in the Ethiopian capital. Last year the Ethiopian premierMeles Zenawi formally opened the first pilot project in the presence ofGTZ Managing Director Wolfgang Schmitt. The Ethiopian government isnow considering whether the GTZ low-cost housing technology is suit-able for constructing all public buildings throughout the country.

The opening for the major order came from a regional technical co-operation component using simple technology to promote housing con-struction (low cost housing) in Tigray Province. Arkebe Oqubay, mayorof Addis Ababa, was convinced by the concept. Ruth Erlbeck, head ofthe GTZ team in the project: “We were able to offer construction pricesup to 50 per cent below usual rates.”

The major order from the city of Addis Ababa is supplementing thesimple technology housing construction project, which is assisted byGTZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for EconomicCooperation and Development (BMZ). The low cost housing project isadvising the municipal administration on planning and implementingprogrammes for low cost housing. The project is also assisting basic train-ing and upgrading for local personnel and promoting small and mediumsized construction companies. GTZ International Services, which is res-ponsible for business with clients other than the German FederalGovernment, is handling the technical and financial side of the construc-tion projects in Addis Ababa. The main goal is to solve the extreme shor-tage of housing, improve construction quality and at the same time create jobs.

“Low cost housing technology is all about cheap, good quality andsustainable construction,” is how Ralph Trosse, technical consultant onthe project, explains it, adding, “Anybody who wants to move in mustbuy the home and make a down payment of 30 per cent of the con-struction costs.” The rest is financed through housing loans with a termof 15 years. The municipal administration provides prefinancing. RuthErlbeck: “We are trying in this way to promote self-responsibility andownership among the occupants. Both have a positive impact on repairs,maintenance and caring for the installations.”

Low Cost Housing:

Major order forhousing construction

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Malte Kessler, text | Valeriu Pana, photos

Braking the traffic flow

Sibiu (called Hermannstadt in German) in Romania has added a key element

to the mosaic of its urban development strategy. Local officials and inhabi-

tants know that living in the historic centre involves more than just renovating

houses. Public space is on the agenda, along with road traffic.

ibiu is full of surprises,with its Romanianname but a medieval

architecture which looks moreGerman. Over 800 years ago,settlers came from Mosel andthe Lower Rhine valleys andbuilt a flourishing centre oftrade, crafts and art. The nextsurprise – only a few of the ori-ginal Saxon families still livehere, but the city with its170,000 inhabitants still has aGerman mayor. Last summerthey elected Klaus Johannis for asecond term, along with repre-sentatives of the German minori-ty on the city and district council.

Why? Perhaps because of thegood reputation which theGermans still have in Romania, a

country which intends to jointhe European Union in 2007? Orbecause the pragmatic citizenshope for investment fromGermany under a mayor ofGerman origin? It is true thatforeign investors have chosenSibiu and the surrounding areaas a location. The region is devel-oping fast, the city is flourishingand preparing for EU member-ship, which will also mean acultural sensation – Sibiu is tojoin Luxembourg in two years asa European cultural capital. Withits Old City, Sibiu is also apply-ing to UNESCO for recognitionas a world cultural heritage site.The decision is due in 2006. Bythen the latest Romanian-Germanproject will be completed –taming the traffic in Sibiu’shistoric centre.

GTZ has been assisting thecity in renovating the historiccentre since the end of the 90s.This is being done on behalf ofthe Federal German Ministry forEconomic Cooperation andDevelopment (BMZ). Since thestart of the project, the GTZOffice has been advising inhabi-tants wanting to preserve theirhomes against further decay andgradually rehabilitate them. Thepublic squares, their approachesand staircases, and the city wallsand gates of the historic corewere all in a desolate state atthat time, and needed recon-struction. Local officials andarchitects quickly realised thatliving in the Old City meansmore than renovating houses. Asa result, the Romanian-Germanproject combines zoning andtraffic planning. The rehabilita-tion and reconstruction of thepublic areas is going hand inhand with traffic reorganisation.

Integrated planning

Too many passenger vehiclesand trucks were crossing thecentre, shortening their journeyby using the narrow alleys. Thepicturesque squares in the citycentre were jammed with park-ed vehicles, limiting other uses.Some through traffic still flowsthrough Sibiu, at least until thebypass to the west of the city is

finished. This is a situationwhich is quite inappropriate inthis unusual city.

The concept for taming trafficin the Old City has now beensettled. Cars will be bannedfrom the three large historicsquares, the Piata Mare, PiataMica and Piata Huet. Vehicleswill no longer be allowed tocross the historic centre, andparking spaces on the squareswill be removed or significantlyreduced.

Parking on the inner city streets will be governed by newregulations. The mayor and citycouncil approved the concept.“Now, it’s being implemented,”says project coordinator SteffenMildner, who has headed Sibiu’sGTZ Office for the past five

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Public area: the Bridgeof Lies on Sibiu’s PiataMica is one of the manywrought-iron works ofart which give the OldCity its flair. The potholes on this streetnear the Piata Mare(right) will soon beresurfaced.

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City, preparing them mentallyfor a vehicle-free city centre.Last summer, parking wasimpossible on the Piata Huet,because all the drinking waterand wastewater lines werebeing replaced. The work isbeing continued on the PiataMica. Work is due to be com-pleted in the cultural capital year2007. “The pressure is tremen-dous, but it mustn’t affect the

quality of the work,” saysSteffen Mildner. This is why theGTZ team members on theRomanian-German project arecontrolling and assuring the qual-ity. In tacit understanding withthe city council they look theother way if there are heaps ofsoil and construction refuse leftbehind after work is finished.The main thing is that they stopdrivers using the route past thehistoric 15th century town halltower as a short cut.

It was initially difficult to getlocal officials and inhabitants toappreciate the importance ofintegrated rehabilitation of theOld City. First, it was necessaryto overcome the idea that histor-ic centre rehabilitation was justa matter of renovating buildings.There was also the problem ofpersuading people that not onlythose pipelines needed repairingwhere no more water wascoming out or going in. The en-tire system is under review.Another point is that integratedrehabilitation of the historic cen-tre covers the entire public area,infrastructure, traffic, revitalisa-tion and strengthening retailbusinesses. “A living historic

years. Much of the money forthis is being provided by theKfW development bank. A KfWgrant of EUR 1.5 million is beingequally split between renovatinghouses and social facilities andrehabilitating the public space.The GTZ Office is administeringthe financing.

In comparison with othercities, the traffic situation inSibiu is not yet critical, SteffenMildner argues. Because a lot ofpoor and old people live in theOld City, the number of cars isstill limited. “But this can change quickly, we need tothink ahead and stay ahead ofthe trend,” Mildner says. Howdo we stop the cars getting theupper hand? The sooner thisquestion is asked, the better. Itis already clear that traffic isdamaging the image of the city.

The current programme pri-marily seeks to stop the trafficwhich crosses the Old City. Ithas mostly succeeded in thisalready. The new one-way trafficsystem is having an impact.Other streets are being designat-ed play areas and speed is lim-ited to 30 km/h. Zones for short-term and residential parking aresigns of the new era. The numer-ous building sites in the citycentre are another effectiveobstacle to transit traffic.

One side effect of the buildingsites is that they make it difficultfor visitors to park in the Old

Big plans: SteffenMildner has headed the

GTZ Office in Sibiu(German: Hermann-

stadt) for the past fiveyears. In two years, the

Old City will be free ofcars.

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stake. Local staff, who are nowthoroughly familiar with theissues would continue the con-sulting and promotional pro-gramme for rehabilitating theOld City centre, includingimproving traffic flow. The enti-ty should be ready to start by2006.

Until then, the cars bannedfrom the public squares willprobably park in the area sur-rounding the historic centre. Acensus will show how manyvisitors are currently parking inthe Old City and need parkingspaces outside it. “We have al-ready identified the areas neededfor this with the city” says traf-fic planner Karin Rossmark onthe GTZ team. There is plenty offree space on the railway stationsite. The flower market will prob-ably be moved to the centre.

The GTZ experts believe thatSibiu is doing very well attaming its traffic in internationalcomparisons. The concept wasone of the issues in meetingswith the representatives of UNESCO and the government ofLuxembourg. Everyone agreesthat if Sibiu becomes a Europeancultural capital in 2007, the city

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Up and down: manystairways lead from thebottom of the city to thetop. It was initially hardto interest passers-by ina new city image. For along time, their idea ofOld City rehabilitationhad been limited torenovating buildings.

UR BAN MANAGEMENT akzente special 21

centre is more than just prettyrenovated houses,” as SteffenMildner points out. The initialhesitation of inhabitants and dri-vers in the face of extensivemeasures has now given way tounderstanding that forward-look-ing considerations have a placein redesigning the historic squares which shape the city’simage.

Looking for support forrehabilitation

“We are in intensive discussionswith the city administration andthe mayor on the issue ofsustainability, including how tocontinue the work when projectpromotion ceases,” SteffenMildner explains. An importantquestion, not least because thereare only 200 city staff for the170,000 inhabitants of Sibiu – avery lean administration.Without the GTZ Office, themany tasks would be simplyunmanageable. “There is consen-sus that some entity will con-tinue the work,” Mildner notes.This will probably be a founda-tion under Romanian law inwhich the city has a majority

New ideas for public areas

Context The Old City of Sibiu in Romania is a cul-tural heritage of international statuswhose buildings, infrastructure and publicfacilities are decaying.

Goal The city is working on a process focusingon historic preservation, cost savings andparticipative rehabilitation which is notlimited to housing but also promotes theconstruction crafts, reshapes the publicareas and tames the traffic.

Concept GTZ is setting up an advisory office forthe Old City, promoting model projectsand assisting the administration indeveloping management and controlinstruments.

Partners The population of the Old City, city admin-istration, NGOs and cultural ministry.

Costs BMZ is supporting Technical and FinancialCooperation on rehabilitating Sibiu’s OldCity with c. EUR 5.5 million.

must show a good face and beable to receive visitors. Properlyorganised parking spaces and avehicle-free Old City are part ofthis.

Malte Kessler is a freelance journalist inBucharest. Valeriu Pana is a photographer,also living in Bucharest.

origin of politics. Large or small, municipalities inmany countries are coming to be a new powerfactor, wielding influence on national policy. Thisinfluence is exerted, for example, through city alli-ances or influential mayors, who often enoughrise to the rank of minister or even prime minister.There is an increasing awareness of the role ofurban centres in development and it is also shap-ing the agendas of international organizations, asattested by the recent foundation of the interna-tional association United Cities and Local Governments, and the theme of the 2010 WorldExposition in Shanghai, ‘Better City, Better Life’.

Modern ways to cooperate

Looking at this panorama and its many facets, weask what Technical Cooperation can contribute tocoping with the immense problems. For about 30years, GTZ has been promoting urban develop-ment, currently in more than 100 projects with anurban theme. Our development experts supportintegrational strategies, good urban governanceand capacity development and contribute toimproving the framework for these. Urban devel-opment is often concerned with technical aspects,setting up urban infrastructure, public services andland registers as well as pro-poor business promo-tion. GTZ here acts as a knowledge broker. Ourpersonnel can draw on extensive experience frommany projects and specialist bodies. They puttogether a package of expertise for the case inhand. Sectoral advisory services help municipalauthorities to assess the economic, social and eco-logical impacts of urban development. It oftenturns out that integrated approaches are needed to

N Secretary-General Kofi Annan coinedthe term Urban Millennium, and for goodreason. The urban population is rising by

180,000 a day and the stresses on urban politiciansand administrations are enormous, but politicaland administrative management capabilities are notkeeping up with the rapid pace of urban growth.Conflicts are on the rise and traditional institutionsand values are being eroded. Due to chronic gover-nance deficits, many cities particularly in the devel-oping countries, already face insoluble problems.Nevertheless, the city still fascinates people. Ruralexodus will continue simply due to the enormousappeal of urban life and not just because of the bet-ter economic opportunities in cities. The balanceof opportunities and dangers of life in tomorrow’scities will depend heavily on two factors: one, thenumber of people who can take advantage of theopportunities and two the successful negotiationof and adherence to viable rules for the difficultcoexistence of very diverse social, cultural and eth-nic groups. The success or failure of these effortswill have an effect beyond local precincts. Citiesare forging closer national and international linksall the time, people are changing their places ofwork, exchanging experience and are informingthemselves through the media. What happens inone city has an effect on others, even more so infuture. City-dwellers get to know directly whatdemocracy means, and they demand it too. Addedto this is the growing political role of cities indecentralization and democratization. Both proces-ses delegate considerable decision-making powersand funds for public expenditure from the nationallevel to towns and municipalities. So the urbancommunity, the polis, is not just the etymological

In 25 years’ time, two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in

towns. Growing urban populations place heavier demands on city man-

agers. They will have to make economic reforms, provide basic services,

integrate a multicultural population and curb the consumption of natural

resources. GTZ policy advice contributes to good urban governance.

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The global city

Günter Meinert, Angelika Hutter

Günter Meinert Angelika Hutter

UR BAN MANAGEMENT akzente special 23

outcomes transparent. Development projects pro-duce prototypes that bring the principles and pro-cedures of good governance into public discussionand set them on the political agenda. Faced withthe broad array of urban problems and the shortage of municipal funds, the contributionDevelopment Cooperation can make may appearsmall, but a modern cooperation approach doesnot aim at working through one set of problemsafter another as a way to solve the whole complexissue of urban development. GTZ raises the abili-ties of the stakeholders to solve their problemsthemselves. Imparting knowledge is only oneaspect. Experiencing projects live and practisingmethods of reaching a goal changes attitudes,views and ways of working. This applies to peo-ple as much as to organizations that benefit fromGTZ’s methods of organizational development.New forms of urgently needed cooperation amongst groups and organizations also frequentlyemerge in the course of a project. When problemsneed to be tackled in new ways, it often becomesapparent how inadequate and restricted the statu-tory framework is. To be able to establish sustain-able project strategies, GTZ therefore contributesto reforming government sector policy, devisingdevelopment instruments or amending laws andguidelines. Urban development projects cooperatewith urban associations and ministries. Based ontried and tested approaches, sound decision-making aids are prepared in a joint procedure.Extensive consultation processes facilitate politicalconsensus and acceptance for reforms.

The challenge for Technical Cooperation inurban management is to apply just the right mixof sectoral, organizational and implementationadvice to meet the specific needs and strengthenthe management capabilities of everyone involvedin urban development. GTZ provides in-processservices for this. Echoing the theme of the nextWorld Exposition, its slogan could be: BetterManagement for Better Cities.

address several problem complexes at the sametime. Examples of this are projects in urban rede-velopment that provide assistance in employmentand housing, infrastructure and the protection ofhistorical monuments in a multisectoral strategy.Cities already consume enormous amounts ofnatural resources today, as recent urban manage-ment instruments such as eco-budgeting or theecological footprint show. The waste heaps aremounting, the sewage streams are swelling, andexhaust and waste gas concentration is rising. Thehealth of many millions of city dwellers suffers asa result and satellite pictures have already revealedthe global consequences – the pollution of largeexpanses of ocean. In Southeast Asia, a browncloud is looming over a large expanse of the conti-nent. As in the past in Europe, the smoking chim-ney stacks are clear evidence of economic pro-gress. In many countries, the cities account for thebulk of the national product. As innovation cen-tres and magnets for national and internationalinvestments they generate the largest part of eco-nomic growth. In Asia, the cities are responsiblefor 80 per cent of economic growth. The impres-sive skylines of the globalization winners cannot,however, belie the fact that these efforts to makegood the development backlog are unfortunatelytreading the unsustainable path taken by the in-dustrialized countries. Alongside the winners are alarge number of losers – countries, cities and peo-ple unable to hold their own in the competition.Even in locations with high economic growth,large parts of the population benefit little. A grow-ing number of poor people are forced into theinformal sector where jobs are, however, decliningand the working conditions are deteriorating. Thisrace to the bottom is also affecting the cityscape.Districts are becoming dilapidated, slums and sprawling informal settlements line the outskirts.In sub-Saharan Africa, 72 per cent of all towndwel-lers live in slums, almost 900 million peopleworldwide. Measured against this, the MillenniumGoal of significantly improving the conditions oflife for 100 million slum-dwellers by 2020 seemsalmost modest. Reaching this goal alone will callfor enormous additional efforts by cities, nationalgovernments and the international community.

Participating in the future

To work, viable solutions require the cooperationof the many stakeholders. Citizens must participatein the major decisions affecting the developmentof their city. This is the only way to articulate con-cerns and settle conflicts. Participation leads peo-ple to cooperate. Poor sections of the populationin particular need support to give them a say.Suitable management methods are needed to en-able private enterprises to render public services.Municipal authorities have to give proper accountof their decisions and make their expenditure and

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Günter Meinert is Priority Area Manager forSustainable Urban DevelopmentAngelika Hutter is a Planning Officer for UrbanDevelopment

SPECIALakzenteworking with GTZ

Dag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1–5Postfach 518065726 EschbornTel: +49 (0) 6196 79-0Fax: +49 (0) 6196 79-1115Internet: http://www.gtz.de