GOLD Report I - UCLG

METROPOLITAN GOVERNANCE258United Cities and Local GovernmentsThe growthpatternsof metropolitanregions are mostusefully viewed asproducts of bothgovernment andprivate-sectorpoliciesnal level have provided powerful instrumentsto steer metropolitan settlement and addressresource inequalities. In the South, however,even where comparable mechanisms exist,they are apt to be less extensive and lesseffective.In confronting rapid urbanization and thechallenges of metropolitan governance in the21st Century, Southern metropolitan areascan find guidance in the growing number andrange of global institutional models. Thesemodels incorporate international expertiseabout policy in specific sectors, and accumulatedlessons about metropolitan managementgarnered from previous experience withurbanization. But the sheer size and extent ofthe largest urban regions, as well as the growinginfluence of outside forces and metropolitaninterconnectedness, frequently give riseto unforeseen circumstances and dauntingcomplexities.The growth patterns of metropolitan regionsare most usefully viewed as products of bothgovernment and private-sector policies.Intentionally or not, even the most diverseand expansive metropolitan areas achievedcertain aspects of their present form partlyas a result of governmental choices. Suchgovernmental efforts include extendingtransportation systems, such as motorways,trains and other forms of mass transport,designating locations for businesses and residents,providing incentives through taxabatements and other subsidies, and planningsuburban habitats. At the same time,individual businesses and consumer housingpreferences exert powerful, ongoing influenceson growth patterns.III. Key challenges of governingmetropolitan areasThe governance of metropolitan areas is particularlydifficult for a number of reasons.Whatever the institutional arrangements orthe peculiarities of the surrounding region,metropolitan governance must address increasinglyextended, diverse, and dividedspaces. Many metropolitan areas must dealwith continued demographic expansion. Manyothers must also overcome institutional fragmentationdue to the lack of a central, encompassingregulatory authority. Most, tosome degree, also have to cope with new andsometimes intense local conflicts.III.1. Social and territorial diversityThe shape of metropolitan regions todaymarks a clear departure from the traditionalform of cities. Especially in Europe, urban settlementhas long been understood to followan agglomerative concentric model. Withinfortifications, behind gates and along greatboulevards, the European city developed adistinct economy and way of life. Beyond thecity walls lay the economically and administrativelyseparate sphere of rural settlement.Modern metropolitan regions, however, havefar more complex patterns of territorial diversitythat often blend urban and rural elements.Such new patterns are reinforced bysocial diversity that frequently outstrips thatof urban regions in centuries past.Though it may seem counterintuitive, todaythe fastest growth often occurs in the ruralcommunities on the fringes of urban areas.In the developed countries of the North, thisgrowth is fed by young families looking forhomes with more space. Many of these “newrural dwellers” left denser urban neighborhoodsor even established suburbs to live inoutlying villages. Though they move fartherfrom the center of the city, these familiestypically remain dependent on the city foremployment and public amenities.In the developing countries of the South,especially in Brasilia and Mexico City, middleclass and affluent households are alsomoving away from the center of metropolitanregions. However, an even larger numberof new arrivals are poor residents of ruralareas and poor urban dwellers seeking affordablehousing.As the urban fabric spreads and stretches, thenotion of ‘conurbation’ – a continuous net-