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Public-Private Partnership Modalities
Municipal Digital Transition
Municipal Asset Management and Investment
Municipal and Territorial Governance
An online library where you can explore relevant data on urban development in the Arab cities.
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Municipalities must embrace collaborative models of partnerships with the private sector to ease the burden of service delivery and enhance delivery methods. It is crucial for municipalities to understand the diverse partnership models and effectively apply them to identify the active role the private sector can play in supporting urban development efforts at local level. Furthermore, the development of policies and regulations governing the relationship between municipal bodies and the private sector is of paramount importance. This ensures the highest level of transparency in operations and promotes competition in service provision to ensure high quality of work.
The municipal digital transition demands a range of practices centered around utilizing information technology to improve municipal management and service delivery. This encompasses tasks like collecting, organizing, storing, and analyzing data, incorporating diverse technologies such as artificial intelligence. Beyond the technical aspects, adopting digital transformation practices requires a shift in the institutional practices of municipalities. AUDI pays special attention to aligning with the era of information and technology that has significantly enhanced various municipal services with less time and effort.
As the demand for infrastructure and urban services continues to rise, municipalities are confronted with increasing challenges, particularly regarding financial resource shortages. Despite this, many municipalities have assets that can be utilized to enhance their financial situation. These assets include real estate and municipal facilities like parking lots, parks, and strategically positioned sites along main roads. AUDI places emphasis on best practices for evaluating and investing in municipal assets, aligning them with the city's strategic plan.
Municipalities stand out as institutions in great need of ongoing development for the governance of their institutional procedures. In recent years, there has been a restructuring of many local institutional systems and municipalities with the goal of boosting performance efficiency and enhancing municipal services. AUDI aims to analyze urban governance practices, evaluate the methods and tools adopted by Arab municipalities in management, and capacity development. This focus encompasses topics such as the transition towards decentralization, the development of participatory approaches in municipal decision-making through councils and relevant committees, as well as collaboration between municipalities in delivering services to the population.
Climate change poses an eminent threat to cities in the Arab region. The diversity and magnitude of issues stemming from the effects of climate change make it complex and challenging to address. Assisting municipalities in undertaking mitigation and adaptation efforts to deal with climate change is a main concern for AUDI. Climate change poses an eminent threat to cities in the Arab region. The diversity and magnitude of issues stemming from the effects of climate change make it complex and challenging to address. Assisting municipalities in undertaking mitigation and adaptation efforts to deal with climate change is a main concern for AUDI. Cities are growing increasingly vulnerable to environmental risks and recurrent anthropogenic and non- anthropogenic disasters. Disaster and risk management strategies and prevention plans are vital to raise the response capacity of institutions and, consequently, their resilience. Many municipalities in the Arab region require support to develop these plans and strategies.
Sustainable management of water supplies, production of food and energy, and efficient mechanisms for waste disposal are crucial for cities. Cities are actively engaged in designing and overseeing infrastructure and urban services to ensure efficient and comprehensive resource management. With the integration of sustainability practices and a focus on energy efficiency, many Arab cities are working towards adopting practical approaches towards efficient energy usage and promote the utilization of renewable resources. In essence, city administrations and municipalities wield significant prerogatives to implement sustainable building practices and reduce the impact on energy and food consumption—a key focus area for AUDI in the domain of urban policies.
Municipalities are increasingly recognizing the role they can play in enhancing the economic performance of cities. Many are leading efforts to redefine their economic base and take advantage of regional and global dynamics in order to better position themselves for financial prosperity. Being able to understand a city’s context and to set and follow up on local economic development strategies is essential for the successful involvement of municipalities in this area.
Whereas efforts are maximized to boost economic growth, the resultant systems often lead to exclusionary policies that broaden economic disparities in cities. The idea of social justice ensures that there is fair access to livelihoods that are generated as a result of economic growth in cities. Not only that, it also advocates for equitable distribution of other benefits of this growth such as education and health services. In many cities, the concentration of municipal efforts in providing services unevenly gives rise to neighborhoods with lower service levels. In this context, AUDI focuses on addressing issues of social justice through equitable mechanisms for distribution services and facilities./p>
One of the key instruments available to cities for achieving economic stability is the ability to attract both human and financial capital. While in some cases they may be achieved through drastic interventions through an overhaul of economic and infrastructural system, quite often it is achieved by cities focusing on their local strengths and advantages over other cities in the region. As a result, competitive cities offer their residents a higher quality of life, in turn attracting more capital and investment, enabling them to invest more into avenues that strengthen their national and international position.
Public spaces play a central role in enhancing the livability of cities. However, as is widely recognized today, for public spaces to contribute to the livability of cities, they need to be designed at a local scale. There is a worldwide movement to rethink and redesign urban spaces in order to take into account the needs and practices of a diverse set of users. AUDI aims to support municipalities in building practices that encourage the creation of vibrant public spaces.
Several contemporary urban planning and design approaches insist on the importance of a diversified housing market, accessible to a variety of income and social classes, as a means of creating comprehensive neighborhoods. Successful neighborhoods also provide easy access to basic services and amenities and prioritize non-motorized modes of transportation for shorter distances. Municipalities need support to better understand these approaches and develop the often-needed partnerships with nonprofit organizations and the private sector to implement them.
Public engagement in urban development is widely recognized at the global level as a strategic goal for many cities and municipalities. However, the question persists about the mechanisms for involving the community and stakeholders in urban development and fostering trust among development partners. AUDI aims to help municipalities better understand different engagement approaches and tools, while sharing successful experiences internationally and from the Arab region.
The dominant urban planning and development models in Arab cities favor car centric infrastructure, overlooking other more sustainable modes such as public transport and cycling. This planning approach, when adopted, results in negative consequences like traffic congestion and pollution. Modern practices in transportation planning aim to integrate land use planning with the urban transportation network by studying the distribution of activities and directing public transport to serve areas with high population density. Municipalities are embracing modern methods to study routes and enhance the efficiency of public transportation operations.
