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1. Strategic Planning Commission
2. CityFuture News – Delivery of Proposals
3. Partnership UCLG – Cities Alliance

The theme of the second CDS newsletter “delivering the promise” is twofold. First, we are entering the final phase of CityFuture during which the initial promise to deliver the CDS Proposal of cities will be fulfilled. Second, more and more members of CityFuture advance towards a more long-term commitment. The set up of the UCLG Urban Planning Commission will contribute to enhancing the dialogue and sustainability beyond the program cycle of CityFuture, a truly promising development!

Strategic Planning Commission

After the Urban Planning Commission was established at the UCLG World Congress in Jeju, the members laid out and identified the work plan and key issues. The Commission will: (i) build spaces for discussion, exchange, and dissemination of good practices; (ii) Improve the visibility and worldwide appreciation of local management experiences that have achieved remarkable transformation thanks to urban strategic planning; (iii) Facilitate the transfer of technical know-how gained in successful experiences; (iv) Make contributions to UCLG’s political instances such as the Executive Bureau or the World Council; and (v) Consolidate links with the other UCLG commissions and/or groups working on issues that cross-section with this Commission.
For more information, see: http://www.cities-localgovernments.org/…

The Commission is welcoming new members, Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Bilbao (Spain) and we would like to take the opportunity and introduce our most recent member, Guangzhou (PR China).
Guangzhou is the capital of the Guangdong Province and the largest industrial and commercial city in southern China and home to more than 11 million inhabitants. With its history going back more than 2.200 years, Guangzhou was the starting point of the Ancient Marine Silk Road, and one of the earliest foreign trade ports. Guangzhou is the third largest city in terms of overall economic power, and one of China’s most important windows to foreign trade and cooperation. The strategic goal of Guangzhou is to realize harmony between man and nature. Having made outstanding achievements in the past, Guangzhou regards strategic urban planning as vital to ensure that development does not subtract from the quality of life. Guangzhou today focuses on environmental planning and cultural heritage. While modernizing old towns, the city balanced these with great efforts in conservation. Guangzhou has become an international metropolis ideal for both investments and living, with a unique charming urban environment, green mountains, clear waters, modern residential areas, and prosperous commercial districts. The city cooperates actively with institutions in China and beyond, and intends to host a key event related to CDS.

CityFuture News – Delivery of Proposals

Participants of the two CityFuture regions, Africa and Latin America, are currently preparing their City Development Strategy proposals.
Ciudad Sur (Chile) is preparing a CDS with a sharp focus on reducing structural poverty and social inclusion. The process is being mentored by the city of Rosario. The Chilean Ministry of Housing, a Cities Alliance Member, has been closely involved in the process. Discussions with the Cities Alliance and UCLG are underway, and are to be e through active mentoring. The next step is to confirm institutions and to draft an operational plan.
Villa El Salvador’s (Peru) CDS focuses on local economic development and Slum Upgrading. VES draws from a long history of participatory planning, and now tries to integrate its urban development into the metropolitan system of Lima, by linking both CDSs and enhancing the policy dialogue. Villa El Salvador seeks active participation of the World Bank in the preparation activities to formulate the proposal and later to become a supporting partner to the proposal.
San Juan de Pasto (Colombia): The CDS proposal has been intensively discussed within the participatory process and received external support by the GTZ. Pasto is focusing on the integration of informal settlement into the urban system, environmental protection of risk areas and economic development of displaced population. The process is centered around strong participation. The national government strongly supports the process.
Durango (Mexico): The proposal of Durango aims at providing alternative housing solutions to urban poor. The city intends to set up a strategy for housing, with a focus on securing the financial feasibility of massive housing solutions, including the development of financial instruments for Mexican cities. The proposal has received advisory support from CIDEU, the Latin American Planning Network, which they chair.
Lilongwe (Malawi) is preparing a CDS proposal centring on slum upgrading and future slum prevention. The Proposal has been used to inform wider national Slum Upgrading policies in Malawi. The proposal is already being discussed within the Cities Alliance and has attracted interest from the Members. The city needs a preparatory grant to set up an institutional framework with all stakeholders to create an enabling environment. The preparation process is supported by Johannesburg and the Malawian Association of Local Governments (MALGA), via the CityFuture program.
Nampula is Mozambique’s third largest urban centre and the ‘capital’ of northern Mozambique. Poverty reduction is the overall objective of the CDS . The city works closely with surrounding areas and seeks metropolitan integration through strategic planning and the efficient use of spatial instruments. Nampula aims to build technical and institutional capacity within the Municipality and increase public participation for ensuring more adequate planning and management of human settlements in Nampula City and surrounding rural areas.

Partnership UCLG – Cities Alliance

UCLG and Cities Alliance will strengthened their partnership and working relation beyond CDS and local finance activities, and UCLG seeks to broaden its already strong membership within the Alliance. A number of publications (present and future) are envisaged and a more intensive policy dialogue will take place in the future. The lessons and practices of CityFuture will be used in the future to support local governments and cities in their strategic planning processes. UCLG will be able to help their members to capitalize on the positive aspects of urbanization, which no doubt will be the single main impact on development in the 21st century.

You will find more information on our website soon, prepare for more to come!