ABSTRACT
Today, undoubtedly, cities are at the heart of many challenges we are facing. from environmental problems, to poverty and the poor quality of basic public services, particularly for those at the fringe of our urban spaces. Cities are very complex systems and, if we are to speak about inclusive cities, there is a need to balance the environmental concerns with clean and decent living conditions for all (see McFarlane, this volume). This necessitates, on the one hand, a greater focus on the part of the city administration to provide basic public services like safe drinking water, as well as sanitation and health facilities to the people. It also requires structural innovations, on the other hand, that allow people to participate in the city governance process. Government operations all over the world are recognizing increasingly that citizens (as “clients” of public services) also need to be given a voice in the process through participatory partnerships (Brinkerhoff and Goldsmith, 1992; North, 1991). The thrust is on institutional restructuring, both by shaping rules and regulations that determine how citizens interact with the government and how a variety of non-state 1 organizations form networks of participatory interface with the government that determine the patterns of their relationships in policy making and service delivery processes.
