PLUS - Participation, Leadership and Urban Sustainability, 2003

The aim of the project was to collect and share practical knowledge of reciprocity between the political leadership and the peoples participation, in cities which are active promoters of sustainable urban development. By exploring alternative approaches to leadership and participation in local decision making in nine countries, the project will identify aspects that represent best practices in this respect. These findings will be forwarded to the respectable cities, national authorities and EU. The project was a comparative analysis of 18 carefully selected cities - two from each of the nine countries. The analysis was carried out using a joint framework for evaluation. The research has focused on two policy areas which are crucial for quality of life in cities: Economic revitalization and social inclusion. The aim of the project was to achieve a better understanding of the available strategies to improve sustainable urban development, by developing new approaches to local governance . A new conceptual framework is developed to assist in thinking about effective management of cities. The project has produced and passed on nine national case studies, in addition to practical guidance on how cities can proceed to assess the performance capability of their management systems. By creating an online database, develop a system for remote learning and arranging interactive, transnational dissemination seminars, the project has provided practical assitanse to politicians, officials and citizens who want to promote sustainable urban development in the future.