ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the issues of urban governance in the Southern European context. Illustrated by case studies of several main cities and metropoles on the North Mediterranean coast, it introduces and critically analyses the latest theories and approaches to urban governance. By considering both the long Mediterranean history along with the recent but enduring global economic and political developments, the chapter argues that Southern European cities will have to depend greatly upon its own socio-cultural networks, dynamics and cosmopolitan evolution, making the most of the region's characteristic urban strengths, as trading hubs, with rich hinterlands and large and varied population. The legal mechanism established operates very simply and it is to an extent inspired by the European Union URBAN programme. It is based on creating a financial fund by the Department of Territorial Planning and Public Works to which regional government resources are allocated.
