ABSTRACT
Government initiatives usually represent short-term projects rather than managed incremental change. These findings question the efficacy of policy to manage change at a local level; using international case-study examples, this chapter critically evaluates the potential for local governance to better match the process to this challenge. The relevance of small town governance needs to be viewed from the perspective of the local realities of delivering long-term processes of change. The chapter addresses to what extent can/should change be managed locally and what are the roles of external organisations in turn through reference to the international literature on both the concepts and experience of small town governance. It argues that planning and managing change is a long-term process and local governance needs to be sustained so that the process matches the challenge. A key aspect within planning small town change is maintaining the support of the local communities.
