Land, Environment and Climate Change
Windhoek, Namibia: City Councils face many challenges in managing peri-urban growth. Š UN-HABITAT/Remy Sietchiping
The heterogeneity of the group in some cases undermines cooperation while in other cases certain types of heterogeneity enhance collaboration. In cases where collective action fails to work it may be better to specify more individual property rights to enhance sustainable land management. It may also be difficult to implement big investment projects, like building irrigation dams, purely based on collective action. Such large investments require some additional funding and incentive payment (Baland and Platteau, 1996). It is easier to promote collective action in small rural communities than large urban slum areas. Other forms of collective action may be promoted in neighborhoods when people feel tenure secure. Law, regulations and law enforcement mechanisms are not enough in most countries. More important is consolidated and coordinated action for ensuring quality and standard of urban environmental services.
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A strong urban environment monitoring agency is essential. An independent, powerful and capable urban environment protection force can be established. 5.12 Integrated rural and urban development There are strong links between urban and rural areas through for instance migration as well as flow of resources, commodities and services. Rural and village development is considered crucial to reduce the inflow of migrants to urban slums. Employment generation in both rural and urban areas is the key to further slum expansion. Land reforms can in some countries be the key to employment generation in rural areas. Organizing slum dwellers at village or group level and into cooperatives can be a good way to mobilize participatory collective action and training to improve urban livelihoods and environmental management and the same goes for rural livelihoods.