In March 1996, representatives from several Peruvian cities, grassroots organizations and NGOs, together with scientists and staff from universities and local government authorities, decided to establish a national forum to promote the development and implementation of Agenda 21 in cities in Peru. This came to be called the “Cities for Life” Forum which, today, brings together representatives from 41 institutions in 18 cities. This paper describes the origin and early development of the Forum - and its vision, strategies and work to date. It seeks to show how this Forum developed beyond what was initially a conventional project which depended upon technical assistance and the initiatives of a local NGO into a network of many different actors from many urban centres in Peru who, together, form an autonomous and independent entity. The Forum has encouraged and supported its members in developing and implementing local environmental action plans and in learning from each other’s experiences. The paper also outlines the main environmental problems in Peru’s urban areas and the unsupportive national framework within which urban authorities and other urban actors strive to address environmental problems.

This paper describes the consultation processes in Rufisque that have laid the foundations for a local agenda 21. These consultations have helped to establish new relationships between municipal government, community organisations and the private sector and have encouraged a range of initiatives to address local economic and environmental problems. New community-level and district committees have developed to bring different stakeholders together to identify problems and develop responses. The paper also describes how decentralization in Senegal has encouraged this, although local authorities remain weak because the decentralization of responsibilities has not been accompanied by measures to ensure local financial capacity to meet them.

This paper presents the findings of research on the rural–urban interactions and linkages between the town of Himo and two rural settlements in the surrounding area. The authors describe how urban growth has affected the livelihoods of different groups: high, middle and low income; urban residents and rural dwellers. They also explore the impact of these transformations on intra-household relations, in particular between genders and between generations. The main issues addressed in the paper are: flows of people (migration and mobility); flows of goods (agricultural production and access to markets); income diversification in both rural and urban settlements; and institutional and policy aspects, with particular attention to decentralisation processes. A related briefing paper is available for free download on IIED’s rural-urban web page

This paper presents the findings of research on the rural–urban interactions and linkages between the town of Lindi and two rural settlements in the surrounding area. The authors describe how urban growth has affected the livelihoods of different groups: high, middle and low income; urban residents and rural dwellers. They also explore the impact of these transformations on intra-household relations, in particular between genders and between generations. The main issues addressed in the paper are: flows of people (migration and mobility); flows of goods (agricultural production and access to markets); income diversification in both rural and urban settlements; and institutional and policy aspects, with particular attention to decentralisation processes.

This report provides an overview of urban environmental planning and management issues in low income settings. It starts by defining a field of action for development assistance, and ends with a review of urban environmental strategies. In between, it examines a range of policy relevant issues, from how environmental improvements can reduce poverty to how local governments can work with private enterprises and civil society groups to address environmental problems. 

This paper describes the consultation processes in Rufisque that have laid the foundations for a local agenda 21. These consultations have helped to establish new relationships between municipal government, community organisations and the private sector and have encouraged a range of initiatives to address local economic and environmental problems.

Peru, South Africa, Colombia, Uganda, Cuba, Nigeria, Ecuador, India, Turkey
This includes papers on~- Community-level local agenda 21s in Manizales and in Lima.~Land invasion and model house building in Cape Town.~-Information and participation within environmental management.~Addressing children’s needs in urban areas.~Sustainable manufacturing.~Pro-poor urban regeneration.~Partnerships for Local Agenda 21s.~Urban agriculture in Havana and in Nigerian cities.~Waste collection and management in Madras and in Quito.~Local Agenda 21 in Ilo, Peru.~Disaster preparedness in Turkey.~Incorporating gender issues in quality of life research.~~It also includes three papers on participatory tools and methods:~- Research on violence with examples from Colombia and Guatemala.. Indicators for users and suppliers of environmental services. Environmental health information systems

Includes: ~case studies of innovative local agenda 21s in Manizales (Colombia) and Chimbote (Peru) and of a Peru-wide programme to support local agenda 21s in many Peruvian cities ~A review of 'localizing agenda 21' programmes in Nakuru (Kenya), Essaouira (Morocco) and Vinh City (Vietnam). ~Measures to avoid anti-poor solutions to Mumbai's transport problems ~An overview of how urban agriculture has changed over time in and around Mexico City and the economic and ecological advantages it provides ~The environmental impact of the city of Bamenda's rapid growth in Cameroon ~Innovative waste management in Manila (working with the waste-pickers) and in Cotonou (Benin) ~A critical review of the concept of 'sustainability'. ~An analysis of how the military and the 'population control' lobby mis-represent the causes of environmental degradation to justify their roles and a critical review of the management of urban services in Buenos Aires, over the last century and a case study on street homelessness in Johannesburg.