Urban Environmental Governance

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Urban Environmental Governance

• A guided discussion
• brought to you by

Promoting Community Sustainability Linking
Research and Action
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Key Assumptions

• That in order to make certain aspects of society
  work requires some sort of collective
  decision-making
• That this trend is going to be more prevalent as
  our population increases
• That some form of governance structure is needed,
  albeit, this structure can and should be fluid
  and allow for change

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Other Caveats

• The literature reviewed for this session
  represents only a small portion of available
  literature
• Those works reviewed follow my interests and
  bias, which I hope is similar to yours
• I do not intend to provide answers but instead
  hope to incite discussion and thoughtful
  deliberation

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Your Ideas

• What is governance?

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Definitions of Governance (from literature)

• How governments other societal organizations
  interact, how they relate to citizens, how
  decisions are made in an increasingly complex
  world (Plumptre/Graham, 20002)
• Those actions on part of the community to
  reshape the life of a community, to create a
  social political enviro. conducive to the
  development of healthy, socially productive
  individuals (Molloy, 1997 50)

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Defn contd

• the capacity to act collectively to accomplish
  public policy goals... recognizing the
  interdependence of government with not only
  business but the voluntary sector other
  interest groups (Graham et.al., 199826)
• Communities are part of good governance because
  they address certain problems that cannot be
  handled either by individuals acting alone or by
  markets governments (Bowles Gintis, 20004)

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Other Points

• municipal and local govt better placed to
  coordinate work with other sectors in the
  governance of enviro. issues (Molloy, 1997 50)
• Communities can sometimes do what governments
  markets fail to do because their members, but not
  outsiders, have crucial information about other
  members behaviours, capacities, needs (Bowles
  Gintis, 20005)

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Notable Trends

• In Canada
• private 3rd sector have played increasing role
  in governance
• role of private sector is clear (to make profit),
  role of 3rd sector not so clear
• an emphasis on partnership building, especially
  btw govt corporations
• a formalization of the relationship btw govt
  the non-profit or 3rd sector

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Ideas about Direction

• Region of Hamilton-Wentworth, ON
• Commitment, clear purpose, empowerment, patience,
  flexibility, consensus, monitoring reporting
• Okotoks, Alberta
• a vision of a Sustainable Okotoks as defined by
  the community

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More ideas

• Participatory Budgeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil
• Participatory Water Resources Mgmt., in São
  Paolo, Brazil
• Participative Municipal Administration, in
  Curitaba, Brazil

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A Globalized World
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Country in Transition
Civil Society
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A Militaristic Model
Civil Society
Military
GOVT
Private Sector
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Break-out Discussion

• What is good governance?
• Developing our own models

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Forces, for against

• What are the forces acting for, the forces
  acting against our model of good governance?

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Discussion

• How do we get there from here?

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Feedback

• Feedback is welcome
• speak with me directly after the session
• telephone me later 416-596-7989
• email me colette_boileau_at_hotmail.com
• email Sustainable Toronto barbara_schaefer_at_utoron
  to.ca
• email TEA keith_at_torontoenvironment.org
• send comments to 30 Duncan St., Suite 201,
  Toronto, ON

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Next session

• Thanks for joining us for this guided discussion.
• Next session is Governance for Non-profits
• October 31, 1200 - 200.
• Same bldg., same room.
• Hope to see you there.