CITY STRATEGIES & GOVERNANCE
Supporting municipal strategic thinking and reviewing urban strategies
The action supported the revision and implementation of Urban Development Strategies and Plans of two local governments and increased the capacity of technical staff with respect to this issue.
Tags: City strategies and governance, Mediterranean cities, Lebanon, Jordan
Challenges addressed
- Need for further support for strategic urban planning and the implementation of city development strategies.
- Requirement of technical support to review and update urban strategies.
- Need for specialized training of municipal staff on strategic urban planning.
Main objectives
Consolidate strategic planning as instrument to identify transformative projects and to generate a culture of citizen participation in urban management in the Mediterranean.
- To support the review and implementation of Urban Sustainable Development Strategies and Plans.
- To enhance the responsiveness of the MedCities territorial antenna to member cities’ needs and strengthen relations within the network.
Facts
Project type Technical Assistance
Promoter
MedCities
The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona
Partners
Urban Community of Al Fayhaa.
Beneficiaries
Urban Community of Al Fayhaa.
Greater Jerash Municipality.
Start date 2016
Project description
In the framework of the project for the Consolidation of MedCities Knowledge
Transfer Centres, technical assistance was provided to the Urban Community
of Al Fayhaa and the Greater Jerash Municipality to review their existing urban development strategies. More concretely, MedCities provided:
- Support in updating the Al Fayhaa Sustainable Development Strategy (AFSDS) through a participatory study. The study compared the situation in the Urban Community before and after the creation and implementation of the Urban Development Strategy and its related strategic projects. The study took into account recent developments in the area: the influx of Syrian refugees; riots between religious communities in two neighbourhoods; and the adhesion of Qalamoon city to the Urban Community of al Fayhaa. Also included in the study was a review of the AFSDS with respect to its priorities, the projects identified and plans drawn up, the level of execution of those projects. The study also delivered recommendations on how to proceed with updating the content of the Strategic Plan. As a result of this work, the city of Qalamoon, in cooperation with the University, prepared its city development strategy in line with the objectives of the AFSDS.
- Support in the implementation of the Strategic Plan of Jerash through a five-day workshop, addressed to political representatives and technical staff. The workshop had two purposes. First, to provide training and build municipal capacity in strategic development planning, based on a methodology developed by MedCities. Second, to review Jerash development strategy in order to update its mission and vision and to evaluate implementation of that strategy’s projects. This training was complemented with training on Urban Observatories, delivered to members of the Local Development Unit and other actors in the city.
Impact and results
- Two urban development strategies were reviewed in order to prepare their revision and updating.
- One new development strategy was produced – by the city of Qalamoon – as a result of the increased knowledge of strategic planning of municipal representatives and other local actors.
- 35 municipal representatives were trained on urban strategic planning and the implementation of Urban Observatories in Jordan.
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