Urban Governance Topic Guide

What is urban governance and why does it matter? This topic guide introduces the literature on urban governance and its relationship to growth and poverty reduction. It considers the key debates and issues, and sets out some implications for practice on specific urban governance challenges.

The 21st century has been referred to as the first urban century. More than 50% of the world’s population live in urban areas.  Rapid urbanisation has been identified as both an opportunity and a global challenge. Urban centres drive economic growth and offer economies of scale in productivity and public investment; they are social melting pots, centres of innovation and drivers of social change. However, cities can also be marked by inequality, poverty, conflict, violence and environmental degradation.