PDP’S OPERATIONAL FOCUS
Inducing Policy Change
The upgrading of informal areas is not the mandate of one particular ministry, but involves a large number of sector ministries and public organisations. Rethinking and improving policies on informal area upgrading and development requires a cooperative approach and a focus on effective vertical and horizontal communication among all stakeholders. Thus, participatory methods of governance and policy making are critical to ensure that policy change involves all relevant and responsible stakeholders.
Beyond improved communication and cooperation, policy change in urban development requires decentralisation and subsidiarity â shifting policy implementation to the lowest possible level. In the context of informal area upgrading, this means that ministries are adviced not intervene in policy implementation themselves, but instead supply governorates with the resources and technical expertise to do so.
Other requisite reforms include capacity development within local, regional and national administrations as well as innovative institutional arrangements and relationships that facilitate participation and stakeholder involvement. PDP has successfully supported the creation of urban upgrading units in four Governorates in the Greater Cairo area: Cairo, Giza, Qalyubeya and Helwan. These units work on priority informal areas as pilot areas to test the implementation of participatory methods and tools of urban governance.
Elements of policy reform include:
- Government agencies know the socio-economic patterns, priority needs, potentials, and constraints of informal local communities.
- Government, civil society organisations, the private sector, and residents of informal communities can access accurate and transparent information.
- Local action plans and budgets are developed and monitored co-operatively by government agencies, civil society, the private sector, and local residents.
- Land and legal security is provided.
- Public financing to upgrade informal settlements.