Isa Baud University of Amsterdam

1. Urban Chances - City growth and the sustainability challengeComparing fast-growing cities in emerging economies Isa Baud University of Amsterdam

2. Issues in city growth and sustainble development • Economic growth through large projects preferred strategy; links to local economies? • How are social inequality, environmental issues addressed? • Democratic urban governance and citizenship • How can participatory knowledge management contribute to more sustainable urban development?

3. Main focus of project • how governments and citizens in cities with different patterns of urban economic growth use participatory spatial knowledge management to move urban governance towards more sustainable development (SD) • Sustainable development, balancing economic growth, social inclusiveness, and environmental sustainability

4. Scientific goals and approaches • Comparing variety of political and economic conditions in fast-growing cities • Comparing inclusive social strategies and environmental approaches and practices conducive to SD • Develop model on participatory spatial knowledge management in urban governance contributing to SD • Comparing fiscal autonomy as support mechanism • ten cities across four countries (India, South Africa, Peru and Brazil) • Methodology: city case studies, including inter-active knowledge building with local communities, practitioners

5. Specific topics within programme • impact of large economic projects vis-à-vis local economies in fast growing cities; • analysing politics and policy addressing urban inequality (CSO networks, campaigns on sub-standard settlements); • environmental risk assessment and inclusive scenario-building: combining “brown” and “green” agenda; • participatory spatial knowledge models in democratic urban governance networks for SD; and • combining fiscal decentralization and participatory budgeting in supporting SD policies, monitoring and implementation

6. Partners

7. Research partnership • North-South research partnership • peer network and joint elaboration of programme contents • Co-management of activities and WPs • Fairly shared funding across participating institutions • Working with civil society organisations, local communities for exchange and dissemination • Working with UN agencies, otherresearch networksright from the start (e.g. future megacities research)

8. Objective for programme impact • Second objective maximizing the impact of the program by interaction, exchanges and disseminating research results with various actors • Local governments and their networks • Civil society organisations • Research and higher education institutions

9. Major activities • research on specific topics, including country workshops with local stakeholders and policymakers • publications through Working Papers, Country reports and thematic reports, and final collective publication • yearly conferences linking researchers and policymakers in the countries concerned • policy briefs and opinion papers for policymakers and wider lay audience • start and end conference in South Africa and Brussels promoting attention for objectives and results to policymakers, civil society and research communities

10. THANK YOU