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Informality within the urban planning practice in developing countries is no longer synonymous to the prevalence of urban poverty but rather also associated with various forms of power and wealth accumulation. This paper uncovers how informality and resulting parallel governance systems discourage community participation in local development. It describes the role of informality in three areas of local planning in Dhaka megacity, viz. urban service delivery, strategic planning and urban development. Reporting from a variety of sources, we contend that privileged citizens are likely to disregard the formal planning system and where it serves their interest, they resort to the parallel system to circumvent regulatory controls. The situation is further aggravated because the existence of parallel systems discourages the urban poor to participate in formal planning processes. Some lose their trust in the government and avoid participation altogether, while others seek informal access to it through middlemen for favourable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The means of achieving urban consolidation is extensively discussed in urban planning literature. However, it is not completely clear how consolidation goals could be facilitated by promoting homes on smaller lots. The paper addresses the dichotomy in Perth's housing market created by strong policy support for apartments and multi-occupancy dwellings whereas there is an overwhelming demand for larger block single-family residences. We interviewed local government planners and developers to explore their views on appropriate design codes, consumer preferences and the potential for trade-offs. Findings from this study could encourage relevant stakeholders to approach urban consolidation in a more realistic way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobility of international policy and ideas play a critical role in shaping planning practices within urban contexts. Both policy mobility and policy transfer literature are mostly focused on voluntary policy choice and relatively inattentive to coercive policy transfer or mobility. Moreover, little attention has been paid on post-colonial countries where imposition has been occurred through the conduits of colonial legacy and foreign aid packages. This paper applies Ward’s typology of diffusion to investigate how western planning ideas have come to spread within Bangladeshi context. The paper aims to trace how imported knowledge was operationalized in the local context by presenting a storyline of major planning episodes. The retrospective analysis exposes the influence of political factors and external knowledge on urban fabric and planning policies in Bangladesh. A shift from more authoritarian to prescriptive imposition of planning ideas has been observed which is mostly characterized by colonial legacy and aid-dependency. While recent transformations in development strategies aim to foster democratic and transparent planning to facilitate development of a home-grown approach to planning, careful attention is required to effectively implement such agenda. The paper concludes by identifying the constraints and challenges of promoting local planning efforts within the current development milieu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assigning labels to cities that evoke desirable features has become increasingly popular in recent years with city administrators promoting various notions of the desired city. This article examines the various labels used to classify cities and identifies the key characteristics that each label tends to highlight. It is contended that as proponents of variously labelled cities pursue certain aspects of sustainability, their focus may be too narrow to cover the broad spectrum of sustainability. A literature review of various notions of desirable cities promoted under various labels suggests that cities of the future would need to be dynamic and intelligent in every aspect of social, economic and environmental sustainability. Therefore, it is important that all aspects of sustainability are considered in envisioning the desired future in which to conceptualize the cities of the future. It can be assumed from the past trends of urbanization that future cities will continue to uphold and build upon common goals and values of existing cities such as promoting pleasant urban form, community engagement, economic opportunities, and technological advancement and cultural diversity. This paper reports on a systematic critical review of literature of twelve popular notions/labels of desirable cities as apparent from a scan of citation indices of peer reviewed articles. It identifies the level of consideration of various aspects of sustainability in the central focus of proponents of each notion. It then maps out the concern for sustainability along ten dimensions of sustainability. The findings of the study demonstrate that not all notions/labels of desired cities consider sufficient breadth of the sustainability spectrum. Similarly, in cumulative terms, the various notions of desirable cities amount to different levels of consideration for various aspects of sustainability. The paper concludes by pointing out the need to ensure that the overall focus of scholars dealing with the built environment at any given time provides a balanced regard to all aspects of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Despite similar rhetoric and stated policies, there are major differences in urban planning and its implementation and management between cities of developed countries and those of the developing world. These differences are most evident in the degree of involvement of citizens in planning and urban governance processes. The degree of democratic traditions prevalent in these countries could partially explain these differences, stemming from historical factors and the evolutionary paths of urbanization followed by the countries and the resulting socio-economic and cultural condition. The multifaceted challenges and unpredictable political environment contribute to a complex nature of governance and participation. This article examines the nature of public participation in South Asian cities highlighting the tensions between representative democracy and participation in Bangladesh. The authors view the ‘orthodoxy’ of South Asian planning style steaming from a persistence of the blueprint master plan approach to planning as a major obstacle to true participation. The overall urban governance system in place is largely influenced (and often undermined) by a highly politicized bureaucracy with operates within complex patron–client networks created by bureaucrats and politicians for mutual benefits. With overwhelming numbers of urban poor and a general dearth of resources, these cities are highly dependent on foreign aid and so the planning agenda is, to a significant extent, donor-driven. The complexity of planning and urban governance is further intensified by remnants and legacies of the region’s colonial heritage that contribute to create a milieu of poor urban governance and entrenched corruption wherein opaque and non-participatory planning practices and processes are normally prevalent. The article sets out to identify the forces that are stifling participatory urban planning in Bangladesh, focussing on socio-economic disparity within cities and the ineffectiveness of the administrative setup. It also analyses the political system in terms of the influence of political parties as well as the role played by international aid/ donor agencies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Public transport can be justified as a public good. Its delivery, however, often proves problematic as it relies on significant government subsidies, especially in the context of low-density urban sprawls. Even in cities with extensive and efficient mass transit systems, coverage of local feeder bus services is often limited. ‘Community bus’ initiatives in Japan represent a major decentralisation of public transport service provision, whereby decision-making authority shifts to the local government at the city/ward level. A community bus initiative typically involves innovative and effective partnerships between local government, the local community and private operators. Focusing on the decentralisation of authority to enable city/ward governments to initiate innovation in local public transport plans and services through partnerships with the community, this paper describes community bus initiatives being tried out in Japan. Through a review of recent legislative changes and the literature coupled with a study of various community bus schemes in and around Tokyo, the study seeks to describe the roles assumed by main actors, the means adopted to mobilise community resources and the type and level of services provided by local authorities. The paper attempts to draw out models of governance, community engagement and the operationalisation of public–private and community partnerships in the inception and implementation of local transport solutions as part of local area improvement planning. The paper draws conclusions on the strengths and weaknesses of the evolving model and makes recommendation on improving its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As cities compete to attract investments in a global economy, diversity and multiculturalism are often played upon in the city's image building. Diversity is seen as one of the crucial indicators of a city's quality of life. Tokyo is regarded as one of the three alpha global cities. Despite its undisputed global city status, however, its population still remains over ninety-six per cent ethnically Japanese, making it one of the least ethnically diverse global cities in the world. Indeed many Japanese consider their country's racial homogeneity as its best trait. On the other hand, pockets of minorities do reside within the Tokyo region. The two main minority groups, the Chinese and the Koreans, have both established "ethnic towns". For local governments these ethnic clusters present an opportunity to tout their city's global credentials and diversity. Within the minority groups that form the clusters, however, there seem to be two factions: those who seek to promote the tourist appeal of the cluster for increased trade; and those who value the cluster as a place of cultural sanctuary in a sometimes culturally insensitive 'foreign' city. Their motivation and interests in shaping these clusters are not necessarily aligned. From theoretical viewpoints ranging from Henri Lefebvre's production of social space to Antonio Gramsci's concept of counter-hegemony to Manuel Castells' views on proliferation of social spaces on internet, this paper sets out to explore how, and to what effect, the urban planning system and processes are used or avoided by the local government and ethnic minorities in the production of urban space. The paper focuses on observations from the Kanto (Greater Tokyo) Region to describe how diversity is handled in a major Asian global city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]