For those who take an entrance exam of ECSU

BY Tamene S.(Civil Engineer)

3/31/2023 G.C
 Structure
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Urban Management: Meaning and Scope
2.3 Urban Management: As a Process
2.4 Management of Urban Services
2.5 Requirements of Good Urban Management
2.6 Let Us Sum Up
2.7 References and Suggested Readings
2.8 Check Your Progress: Possible Answers
 2.1 INTRODUCTION
Urban is one of the important and most growing sector particularly in
developing countries.
One of the predictions envisages that there will soon be four billion
city dwellers on the planet, each of them producing consuming and
travelling.
These growing millions have to be fed, provided with housing, safe
drinking water, sanitation and energy, and means of transportation.
Management of these services is critical to raise the quality of living
in city life.
Many urban problems are the result of poor management, poor
planning and absence of coherent urban policies rather than
urbanization itself.
Urban Management although a fragile yet a most important
component of urban planning and development.
2.2 URBAN MANAGEMENT: MEANINGAND SCOPE
2.2.1 Meaning of Urban Management
The concept urban management is a recent, but, widely used
concept as the urbanization is growing very fast.
1. According S K Sharma the Urban Management can be
described “as the set of activities which together shape and
guide the social, physical and economic development of
urban areas. The main concern of urban management, then,
would be intervention in these areas to promote economic
development and wellbeing and to ensure necessary
provision of essential services.”
2. According the Amos “Urban Management is the
responsibility of municipal government and urban
management is concerned with all aspects of urban
development, both public and private. It is no way confined
to the services operated by the municipal authority. Good
urban management depends on the power to coordinate the
activities of a variety of agencies at national and local
levels.” While Davidson writes “Urban Management is about
mobilizing resources in a way that can achieve urban
development objectives”.
3. According to Rakodi “urban management aims to ensure that
the components of the system are managed so that they make
possible the daily functioning of a city which will both
facilitate and encourage economic activity of all kind and
enable residents to meet their basic needs for shelter, access
to utilities and services and income generating
opportunities.”
4. According to Cheema “urban management is a hostic
concept. It aimed at strengthening the capacity of government
and non-government organizations (NGOs) to identify policy
and programme alternatives and to implement them with
optimal results.”
5. According to Ronald McGill “urban management is seemed
to have a twin objective: first to plan for, provide and
maintain a city’s infrastructure and services; and second to
make sure that the city’s government is in a fit state,
organizationally and financially, to ensure that provision and
maintenance.”
6. William attempted to define urban management as a topic of
study. He argued that “urban managenalism is not a theory
nor even an agreed perspective. It is instead a framework of
study”.
2.2.2 Scope of Urban Management
The scope of urban management is more complex and wide.
The complexity of scope of urban management very well
articulated by Williams “there have been considerable debate
as to whether urban managerialism should simply be concerned
with the role of government officials as mediators or whether it
should encompass a whole range of actors in both public
service and private enterprise who appear to act as controllers
of resources sought by urban populations.”
Ricardson gave three tests of urban management success.
1. Firstly, the ability of metropolitan managers to implement a
declared spatial strategy to be regarded as a reasonable test of
managerial efficiency.
2. Secondly, the effectiveness of metropolitan management in
cites of the developing countries is the ability to deliver basic
urban services and trunk infrastructure to rapidly growing
urban population.
3. Thirdly, the other key managerial problem with urban service
delivery is the simple one of operation and maintenance.
a few important scope of urban management can be drawn:
i) Planning, implementation, monitoring of urban infrastructure and
services. Effective and efficient delivery of urban services to raise the
quality to living of people residing in urban areas.
ii) Effective and efficient management of projects and programmes for
achievement of urban development goals.
iii) Promotion of intersectoral coordination in the urban sector.
Coordination with the health, public health, education, women and
child welfare, etc. for the holistic urban development.
iv) Promote community participation and involve NGOs and civil
society organizations in the effective provision and management of
urban services.
v) Enhance the capability of Urban Local Bodies and Urban Institution
in carrying out the duties and responsibilities entrusted to them under
the 74th constitution amendment (India).
vi) Strengthen urban administration and governance to deal with
various problems associated to urban development.
vii) Effectively implement urban policies for enhancing contribution of
both formal and informal sectors towards urban development.
McGill has rightly summarized the scope of urban management
with the view that urban management in developing countries
should seek to achieve the simple but fundamental twin
objective of:
a) Planning for, providing and maintaining a city’s infrastructure
and services; and
b) Making sure that the city’s local government is in a fit state,
organizationally and financially, to ensure that provision and
maintenance.
The Urban governments be it central, state or urban local
bodies generally carry out the responsibility for managing six
inter-related urban sector i.e. urban land, natural environment,
infrastructure, urban services and development.
 URBAN ENV’T(NRM)

URBAN ECONOMIC
URBAN LAND
DEVELOPMENT

SCOPE OF
URBAN
MANAGEM
ENT

URBAN SOCIAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
SERVICE
 URBAN
URBAN LAND
ENVIRONMENT
It is one of the important duties and
a) Accurate and timely mapping,
responsibilities of local government to
gathering and maintenance of land
do proper management of natural
related data
environment of cities.
The cities natural resources must be
b) Fair and quick land registration
managed in a such a way that it is free
procedures to facilitate effective
from pollution and environmental
administration of property rights;
degradation.
If the cities, especially large towns
environment are not managed properly,
c) Clear cut and fair mechanisms for
it would result in serious irreplaceable
assembly, transfer and disposal of land
depletion of essential resources and
including a transparent market valuation
affect safely to public health and the
mechanisms;
capacity of natural systems to sustain
development.
d) Effective policy and participatory
planning of land users and
INFRASTRUCTURE
Infrastructure development is critical to
urban development.
The local government, therefore, need to
do proper planning, provisioning,
operation and maintenance of urban
infrastructure such as road, water
supply
and treatment system, solid wade
management system, provision of
electricity, urban transport, housing,
communication systems ranging from
telephone services to
telecommunication.
A proper coordination among various
divisions such as planning, constructing,
operation and maintenance is essential
for management of urban infrastructure.
URBAN SOCIAL Urban Economic
SERVICE Development
Primary sector – economic activities, for
Local governments are often called
example, agriculture activities
upon to manage a diverse range of
performed in peri-urban areas in Indian
social services in their areas.
context Nagar Panchayats;
These services include urban health care
facilities through dispensaries and
clinics; education at least pre-primary
and primary education; security from
crime, public safety from fire and
Secondary Sector – activities relating to
natural disaster and during emergencies;
manufacturing and construction; and
welfare programs of physically
challenged and old age; poverty
alleviation programe and provision of
recreation i.e. open spaces, parks and
part of cultural facilities.
Provision of urban social services is Tertiary Sector – functions relating to
equally important to that of urban services activities such as banking,
infrastructure insurance, information technology
The provision of urban services also
called for establishment of schools,
hospitals, old age home, care house for
physically challenged, recreation clubs
and parks
2.3 URBAN MANAGEMENT: ASA PROCESS
The local governments and their managers face a complex task
in managing various components falling under the scope of
urban development i.e. environment, urban land services,
infrastructure and economic development.
There are nine basic steps to be followed in multi sectoral
urban management.
The multi-sectoral urban management are follows:
I. Identification of Problems
II. Formulation of objectives
III. Development of policies
IV. Development of institutional arrangements
V. Development of programmes/projects
VI. Development of plan/strategy
VII. Implementation of programes/projects
VIII. Operation and maintenance
IX. Evaluation
 Identific
ation of
Problem
s Formula
Evaluati tion of
on objectiv
es

Operati
Develop
on and
ment of
mainten
policies
ance

Implem Develop
entation ment of
of instituti
program onal
es/proje arrange
cts Develop ments
Develop
ment of
ment of
program
plan/stra
mes/pro
tegy
jects
2.4 MANAGEMENT OF URBAN SERVICES
One of the key functions of urban management is the
effective delivery of urban goods and services for the
improvement of quality of life of people living in urban
areas.
2.4.1 Performance Parameters Indicators and Benchmarks
The four important basic urban services for which
performance parameters have been identified are:
1. Water Supply
2. Sewerage
3. SolidWaste Management; and
4. StormWater Drainage
2.4.2 Role of Stakeholders
 The stakeholders involved in the process of SLBs
(service level benchmarking) are follows:
i. Central Governement
ii. State Government
iii. Urban Government
iv. ParastatalAgencies
v. Bi-lateral / Multi-lateral AidAgencies
vi. Citizen and Civil Society
 Central Governement ii) State Government iii) Urban
Government iv) ParastatalAgencies v) Bi-lateral / Multi-
lateral AidAgencies vi) Citizen and Civil Society
2.5 REQUIREMENTS OF GOOD URBAN
MANAGEMENT
Various requirements of good urban management are as
follows:
1. Balancing act of Government and Market:
2. Promoting Community Participation in Urban
Management:
3. Empowered Urban Local Bodies:
4. Strengthening Development Governance:
5. Promotion of better Inter Sectoral Coordination
The main causes of Urbanization are:
1. Industrialization
2. Commercialization
3. Rural-Urban change
4. Change in the way of living
5. Employment opportunities
6. Social benefits,tc.
 Urbanization is a process where the population shifts from
rural to urban areas due to various factors.
The issues of Urbanization are:-
1) Shortage of Housing
2) Vertical expansion and
3) Growth of Slums are characteristic features of modern cities
of developing countries.
The decreasing employment opportunities in the rural, as well
as smaller urban areas of the developing countries ,consistently
push the population to the urban areas.
 Term. Urbanization is the increase in the proportion of people
living in towns and cities.
Urbanization occurs because people move from rural areas
(countryside) to urban areas(towns and cities). This usually
occurs when a country is still developing.
The solutions to Urban problems are:-
a) Building sustainable and Environmentally friendly cities
b) Provision of essential services
c) Creation of more jobs
d) Population control
According to the current delineation,released in 2012 and based
on the 2010 decennial census,rural areas comprise open
country and settlements with fewer than 2500 residents; Urban
areas comprise larger places and densely settled areas around
them.
Urban areas do not necessary follow municipal boundries.
The positive effects of Urbanization are :-
 The higher standards of living associated with better foods,
education ,housing and healthy care.
 In contrast ,Negative effects of Urbanization include Poor
nutrition , pollution related healthy conditions, communicable
diseases and poor sanitation.
 Biggest problem that urban areas face are poor and water
quality, insufficient water availabilty,waste-disposal problems,
and high energy consumption .
Different types of pollution are :-
 Air pollution
 Water pollution
 Soil pollution
 Radioactive pollution
 Noise pollution
Urban population may come from natural source but the most
detrimental are those emissions related to human activities.
The anthropogenic sources of pollution such as factories,
industries, transportation and soon are typically exacerbated in
cities due to the local concentration of human activities.
The top 3 causes of pollution are:-
1) Vehicle emission fuel oils and natural gas to heat homes
2) By products of manufacturing and power generation
3) Particularly coals-fueled power plants, and fumes from
chemical production.
 the major causes of Urban pollution:-
 Home heating
 Transport
 Industry and manufacturing
 Wastewater and stormwater
Urban Management is concerned with the policies ,plans,
programs and practices that seek to ensure that population
growth is matched by access to basic infrastrucure ,shelter and
employment.
The evolution of the concept of urban sustainability is
described and a framework is proposed based on four pillars:
1. Economic Development
2. Social Development
3. Environmental Management
4. Effective Urban governance.
7 Types of Urban Planning
1. Strategic Urban planning
2. Land use planning
3. Master planning
4. Urban Revitalization
5. Economic Development
6. Environmental Development
7. Infrastructure planning
The 5 kinds of basic urban design elements which people
create their mental images of city are :-
1) Paths
2) Edges
3) Districts
4) Nodes
5) Land marks.
The 3 C’s of Urban planning
1. Continuing
2. Comprehensive and
3. cooperative
The 5 D’s of Urban Planning are:-
1. Density
2. Diversity
3. Design
4. Destination accessibility and
5. Distance to transit
The 5 Elements of Urban structures are:-
1. The location and types of activities centers.
2. Public transport nodes and corridors
3. Public spaces
4. Community facilities and
5. Urban infrastructure
The main principles t of Urban planning
1. Character
2. Continuity and enclosure
3. Quality of public realm
4. Ease of movement
5. Legibility
6. Adaptability
7. Dversity
8. Sustainabilty
 The roles of Urban managers are:-
a) Local planners and politicians that want change will help
with any obstacles or opposition to regeneration /renewal.
b) Partnerships b/n local councils and developers will be set up.
c) Property developers are crucial to the design and funding of
any project.
The aspects of Urban management includes:-
 Roads, housing, water supply and sewarge, primary education
and health care and dep't control.
Urban Best Management Practices ,or BMPs are
1) Structural,
2) Vegetative, or
3) Managerial approaches designed to reduce storm water
runoff volume, maximize natural.
Ground water recharge, and treat, prevent or reduce
degradation of water quality due to storm water runoff.
According to Tessema et al.(2016),the major challenges to
good governance in Ethiopia’s urban lands include:-
 Corruption and rent-seeking
 A lack of commitment by officials and experts,
 The lack of a mechanism to hold municipal officials
accountable for their misdeeds.
The importance of studying Urban planning
 Transportation system
 Infrastructare
 The layout and prescribed densities of our
residential,commercial,and industrial areas and more.
Land mamagement is the process of managing the use and
development (in both urban and rural settings) of land
resources.
Land resources are used for a variety of purposes which may
include :-
 Organic agriculture
 Reforestation
 Water resource management and
 Eco-tourism projects.
Depending on the size and the services available and functions
rendered,urban centers are designated as
1. Town
2. City
3. Million city
4. Conurbation and
5. Megalopolis
The united states has some of the top-ranked universities for
urban planning and development, such as Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard Universities and the
University of California.
Urban planning encompasses the preparation of plans for and
the regulation and management of towns, cities and
metropolitan regions.
There are often roads of a better quality and well-built houses
in urban areas.
Transport facilities are highly developed and often receive
regular funding for updates. It can be faster to get from place to
place in a city or town.
Most amenities and entertainment are easy to reach.
Disadvantages of Urbanization
 Dense population in Urban areas
 Purchasing a house could be difficult.
 Regression in rural area
 Excessive crime
 Unemployment
 The cost of living has risen
 Lack of privacy
 The pollution in urban areas.
 disadvanteges of Urban areas :-
1. Living spaces:-narrow,shady,lack of light and greenery.
2. Habitat:are pollution,noise pollution,facing large amounts of
domestic wastes and industrial waste
Types of Urban settlements:-
1. Town:-is the closest term to a rural settlement.
2. City:-are much larger in size and population than towns.
3. Conurbation is applied to large areas of urban settlement that
are combined.
4. Megalopolis
The characteristics of Urbanization include:-
 Structural facilities
 Residential
 Employment center
 Communication network
 Infrastructure facilities
 Size, density of population
 Family,marriage,occupation class extermes
 Social heterogenenity,social distance
 System of interaction and mobility.
Urban areas are created through Urbanization and are
categorized as cities,towns conurbation or suburbs.
The problem associated with Urbanization are:-
 High population density
 Inadequate infrastructure
 Lack of affordable housing
 Flooding
 Pollution
 Slum creation
 Crime
 Congestion
 poverty
 industrialization and urbanization began long before the late
19th and early 20th centuries.
Major challenges of Urban growth include:-
 Affordable housing
 Urban pollution and
 Inequalities in access to services and amenities.
Here are a few of the most serious challenges faced by urban
areas in developing world:-
 Basic resource allocation
 Environmental threats
 Equitable public infrastructure development
 Good governance
 Healthy and safety
 Slums
 Overcrowding or overpopulation
 Unemployment
 Housing problems
 Sanitation ,water shortage problems
Developing nations should focus on urban development.
8. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
Urban leaders understand that effective management is
crucial to the successful implementation of an urban
development plan.
As mayor, one of your first steps might be to assess if the
management systems currently in place are adequate for
implementing, monitoring and evaluating the
implementation of the plan and the provision of related
public services.
Management challenges in metro areas abound. Cities
struggle every day to meet daily operational needs while
at the same time investing in the future – all with limited
financial resources.
Perhaps the main challenge currently facing local
governments of large cities in developing nations is how
to provide essential services–including housing, energy,
water, sanitation, health and education--to meet the basic
needs of an ever-growing population.
Inadequate public services related to health, education,
housing and a lack of security of tenure are at the core of
urban poverty and vulnerability.
Inadequate public services related to health, education,
housing and a lack of security of tenure are at the core of
urban poverty and vulnerability.
A significant urban management challenge many mayors
face is land tenure.
Two harms of Urbanization results in
1. Deforestation ,habitat loss and
2. The extraction of fresh water from environment
Types of Urbanization and economic growth :-
 Urbanization
 Economic growth
 Urban natural increase
 Migration
 Agglomeration
Advantages of Urbanization
 The problem of unemployment will be solved
 High transportation facilities
 More education opportunities
 Recycling process
 Internet connections will be available
 More modernized equipment
 Higher wages in cities on average.
The importance of Urban land management is a crucial
element in property development process and its
acquisition is vital to achieving efficient and sustainable
housing delivery in urban environment.
Urban planning is a tool to achieve these goals,and it is
refinement of strategies and paths.
City management is a different problems. To put it
simply, city management is a collection of actions, while
city planning is a plan.
In general,to achieve these objectives, the important tasks
of management for urban governments are likely to
include:-
Duties of urban Management are
Provision of water
Drainage
Sanitation
Waste removal
Transportation
Health-related
Security and safety sevices
The generation of employment