Urban Governance

1. School of the Built Environment Urban Governance Sue Brownill Department of Planning

2. Introduction • Governance is central to debates covering in network • Two key questions in the proposal • How is urban governance responding to challenges of globalisation and climate change? • Are different, more flexible forms of governing capable of meeting such challenges emerging? • But multi-faceted: about climate change and pro-poor/socially inclusive strategies in an era of competitiveness • Poses challenges to urban governments and to how we understand and characterise urban governance. • In particular move beyond competencies to explore multiple modes of governance School of the Built Environment

3. Exploring Governance • Context • Framing governance • The UK experience, with an emphasis on the Thames Gateway • Some implications for the network School of the Built Environment

4. Context • Governance and sustainability, governance for sustainability • Multi-level governance – global to local • Activity on the ground and growing evidence base of drivers of and barriers to ‘effective’ governance for sustainability • Debates about role and nature of governance School of the Built Environment

5. Narratives of governance, localism and sustainability Some issues in practice –but generally a credible story Ways of Seeing School of the Built Environment

6. Some alternative narratives • Neoliberal governance • Commitment to markets • Forms of governance which promote competitiveness, not inclusivity • Shift of power to private economic interests • Contain tendencies to ‘governance failure’ School of the Built Environment

7. Different Modes or Models of Governance • Some trying to develop a more nuanced approach around competing discourses and modes of governance • Raco -hybridity • Within these broader debates Bulkeley et al identify a number of different modes of governance in relation to climate change have been identified in previous work • Self-governing • Provision • Regulation • Enabling • Partnership/networked School of the Built Environment

8. Some Examples

9. An Illustration of Contrasting Modes of Governance; Newman Decentralisation Local Flexibility Networks – flows of power Diversity of interests Stakeholders Consensus Capacity Building Empowerment Counter-publics Citizen power SELF-GOVERNANCE MODEL OPEN SYSTEMS MODEL Towards competitiveness and multi-level government Towards Continuity RATIONAL GOAL MODEL HIERARCHY MODEL Formal processes Statutory requirements Representative democracy Formal power/authority Performance Indicators What works – guidance Managerial Framing of issues Managerial power Consumer preferences and service improvement Centralisation

10. The UK Experience • Interesting times • Example of Thames Gateway and Sustainable Communities • Example of New Conventional Wisdom – governance as key to reconcling competitiveness and sustainability/equity • However are they complementary or mutually exclusive? Are forms of governance more likely to promote competitiveness than sustainability? What modes of governance can be seen? Are they fit for purpose? What are the drivers and barriers that emerge? School of the Built Environment

11. School of the Built Environment

12. Thames Gateway before: Eastern Quarry, Ebbsfleet 1997 School of the Built Environment

13. Thames Gateway after: Ebbsfleet Valley 2010 School of the Built Environment

14. Thames Gateway School of the Built Environment

15. Aims and Objectives Our aim is to use growth to regenerate and develop the Thames Gateway in a sustainable way. We want to create an attractive environment where people will choose to live, work and spend their leisure time (Delivering the Thames Gateway) School of the Built Environment

16. The Governance of the Gateway Key. Sub-regional Partnerships Thames Gateway London Partnership Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership Thames Gateway Kent Partnership Local Deveivery vehicles London Thames Gateway UDCWoolwich Regeneration Agency Kent Thameside elivery Board Renaissance Southend Basildon Renaissance Partnership Swale Forward Invest Bexley

17. Jessop Governance Failure • Self-Organisation • Intersection with other governance structures – issue of resources • Economic context School of the Built Environment

18. Governance Failure? • Governability v flexibility – crisis of leadership • Competition v co-operation • Accountability v efficiency • Competitivenss v sustainability • Who is a sustainable citizen • Open-ness v closure School of the Built Environment

19. Related Issues • Joining Up: sustainable communities need co-ordinated delivery • Funding for infrastructure • Conflict over who pays between central and local govt eg London Riverside and between public and private • Devolution of responsibility of delivery without power of resources • Ability to meet targets ; constraints of the wider economic context. What trends are showing versus what is in strategies • Constraints of strategy - refusal to intervene in location decisions • Impact of potential downturn in economy School of the Built Environment

20. Wider Economic Context • Ability to meet targets ; constraints of the wider economic context. What trends are showing versus what is in strategies • Constraints of strategy - refusal to intervene in location decisions • Impact of potential downturn in economy School of the Built Environment

21. Overcoming Failure? • Despite this there have been some examples of ‘success’ in Gateway and elsewhere, suggests that spaces are opened up within governance arrangements • Guided bus in North Kent • Attempts to link social inclusion to new developments • Greenwich Millennium village School of the Built Environment

22. School of the Built Environment

23. Some Issues to Explore • Confirms pictures of drivers and barriers eg • Leadership • Resources, knowledge and funding • ‘fit’ with spatial area • Enabling policy framework • Capacity for ‘self governing’ • Involving communities • Framing of issue as of local importance • Horizontal and vertical integration • structures • But also suggests that ability to act through and co-ordinate different modes of governing will be critical to success alongside the modes of governance available to municipalities School of the Built Environment

24. Some Issues to Explore • Conceptual frameworks; modes/models of governance • Resilience and modes of governance • Joining the gaps between competitiveness and sustainability and participation • Governing the future • Mitigation and adaptation? • Further case studies and examples School of the Built Environment

25. Over to you? • Examples • Thoughts • Issues • Areas for further work School of the Built Environment