The Latin American and Caribbean Regional Plan of Action on Human Settlements was agreed at the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in 1995. It was considered that the Plan seems to remain fully valid in its aim of achieving sustainable progress in human settlements by integrating a variety of development dimensions. It was, though, felt that the plans effectiveness was limited due to inherent vagueness. The current text elaborates and attempts to clarify the 5 main thematic areas that the Regional Plan of Action identified. Those 5 areas can be summarised as follows: obstacles posed by poverty; the necessity for human settlements to become more productive; concern for the urban environment and vulnerability; the need to consolidate governance; and the need to enhance the efficiency of housing sector policies

Based on the experiences of the author Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich, who was the executive director of the first National Urban Policy process, and historical archives, this book analyzes the actions of President Carter, HUD Secretary Patricia Roberts Harris, other Cabinet members, and the professionals leading the process. Consensus and Compromise outlines the negotiation of power, principles, and priorities necessary to ensure the successful creation of the first National Urban Policy.

Written for the design professional, the book offers examples of management of the public process in large and small projects involving architects, planners, and urban designers. The book has methods, tips, and strategies for working with various constituencies in a design project.

The purpose of this book is to help the reader understand our differences and to suggest a way that we can reach a consensus on education reform.

Concern about rising crime rates, high levels of unemployment and anti-social behaviour of youth gangs within particular urban neighbourhoods has reinvigorated public and community debate into just what makes a functional neighbourhood. The nub of the debate is whether concentrating disadvantaged people together doubly compounds their disadvantage and leads to 'problem neighbourhoods'. This debate has prompted interest by governments in Australia and internationally in 'social mix policies', to disperse the most disadvantaged members of neighbourhoods and create new communities with a blend of residents with a variety of income levels across different housing tenures (public and private rental, home ownership). What is less well acknowledged is that interest in social mix is by no means new, as the concept has informed new town planning policy in Australia, Britain and the US since the post Second World War years. Social Mix and the City offers a critical appraisal of different ways that the concept of ‘social mix’ has been constructed historically in urban planning and housing policy, including linking to 'social inclusion'. It investigates why social mix policies re-emerge as a popular policy tool at certain times. It also challenges the contemporary consensus in housing and urban planning policies that social mix is an optimum planning tool – in particular notions about middle class role modelling to integrate problematic residents into more 'acceptable' social behaviours. Importantly, it identifies whether social mix matters or has any real effect from the viewpoint of those affected by the policies – residents where policies have been implemented.

This volume reflects on the global dimension of the 2008 banking and financial crisis and point to a bigger and deeper crisis of authority and legitimacy for public managers. The chapters examine key conceptual and theoretical ideas in contemporary international public management.

An examination of how to move from consensus to implementation using collaborative approaches to natural resource management, urban planning, and environmental policy. Collaborative approaches are increasingly common across a range of governance and policy areas. Single-issue, single-organization solutions often prove ineffective for complex, contentious, and diffuse problems. Collaborative efforts allow cross-jurisdictional governance and policy, involving groups that may operate on different decision-making levels. In Beyond Consensus, Richard Margerum examines the full range of collaborative enterprises in natural resource management, urban planning, and environmental policy. He explains the pros and cons of collaborative approaches, develops methods to test their effectiveness, and identifies ways to improve their implementation and results. Drawing on extensive case studies of collaborations in the United States and Australia, Margerum shows that collaboration is not just about developing a strategy but also about creating and sustaining arrangements that can support collaborative implementation. Margerum outlines a typology of collaborative efforts and a typology of networks to support implementation. He uses these typologies to explain the factors that are likely to make collaborations successful and examines the implications for participants. The rich case studies in Beyond Consensus—which range from watershed management to transportation planning, and include both successes and failures—offer lessons in collaboration that make the book ideal for classroom use. It is also designed to help practitioners evaluate and improve collaborative efforts at any phase. The book's theoretical framework provides scholars with a means to assess the effectiveness of collaborations and explain their ability to achieve results.

Whether you work in the corporate world, a nonprofit organization, or the government sector, you likely face the need to work with others to solve problems and make decisions on a daily basis. And you've undoubtedly been frustrated by how laborious and conflict-ridden such group efforts can be. At all levels--from neighborhood block associations to boards of directors of multinational corporations--the consensus building process is highly effective in an increasingly fragmented, contentious society. In addition, the old top-down methods such as Robert's Rules of Orders often prompt more problems then they solve. Consensus helps you to implement better, more creative solutions. It provides a winning alternative to top-down decision making--and even parliamentary procedure. By learning to build consensus, stakeholders come to understand and respect one another's perspectives. The consensus building process allows participants to find solutions and forge agreements that meet everyone's needs--and provides a meaningful basis for effective, long-range implementation of decisions. The Consensus Building Handbook provides a blueprint to help make the process work in your organization, including a practical, quick-reference Short Guide. Plus, you'll find in-depth commentary and seventeen case studies with in-depth commentaries to provide the theoretical basis for this approach. --From publisher's description.