John S. C. Abbott - Sharing the City: Community Participation in Urban Management

SHARING THE
CITY

JOHN ABBOTT

First published by Earthscan in the UK and USA in 1996

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Copyright John Abbott, 1996. Published by Taylor & Francis.

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 13: 978-1-85383-323-6 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-85383-328-1 (pbk)

Typesetting and figures by MapSet Ltd, Gateshead, UK

First and foremost I wish to thank my wife Ania for her support and encouragement, and for helping me to understand such a complex subject. A book such as this one, which transcends desciplines, evolves over many years and receives inspiration from many different sources. I have been fortunate in those years to be able to interact with many wonderful people across a wide spectrum covering academics, professionals, educationalists, community activists and leaders, and ordinary people. I have been fortunate to gain experience across a range of activities within the development arena. It is in the communities themselves, however, that I have learnt the most, witnessing the power of patience, politeness and tenacity when faced with attitudes of intransigence and lack of understanding from those in a position of power and authority. It is there that the key to successful community management in South Africa lies. Among the many people I have met I would like to mention, and to thank, two in particular. The first is Mr Zwane, the civic leader of KwaThandeka, who led by example and showed me that wisdom does not always come from academic learning. The second, posthumously, is Mr Majola, the civic leader of Bruntville in Natal. He and his family were victims of the South African struggle for peace and security, all of them murdered to try to prevent the democratization of the development process.

Among academics and professionals I would particularly like to thank Mary FitzGerald, who taught me the theory and practice of non-directive community development; Professor Dan Smit, who helped to bridge the gap between engineering and planning; and David Marsden, for helping to provide an international perspective. Finally, I would like to thank Jonathan Sinclair Wilson of Earthscan for his support and encouragement.

A lthough the rate of urbanization has increased dramatically in the South over the past 20 years, the capacity of governments to support this urban growth has decreased. Various attempts have been made to address this dichotomy, but without success. Nor is there a consensus on the best way to solve the problem. The World Bank supports increased involvement by the private sector, whereas non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) are beginning to see community management as a way forward. Whatever their policy preference however, all of those concerned with the process recognize that the solution must involve local communities. The growing acceptance of this view brings the management of the urban environment into line with other sectors of international development, in which the importance of community participation has long been perceived, but it also brings with it the same problems. There is still no clear understanding of what constitutes meaningful and effective community participation. Many workers have analysed the subject of community participation in a variety of different contexts, but in spite of this it is still true to say, as Midgely did in 1987, that there is no rigorous academic foundation for the whole topic of community participation.

The lack of a theoretical basis for community participation is particularly important in urban management for several reasons. Firstly, the whole debate exists within a clearly defined political structure, namely that of local, or municipal, government. This immediately raises the issue of the relationship between participation and democracy. Secondly, there is the mix between public and private services which constitutes modern local government. The participatory process which suits one of these may not be appropriate to the other. Thirdly, there is the geographical spread and the difficulty which this poses in defining communities and their boundaries. This has particular relevance to several of the physical infrastructure services. Finally, there is the level of technology involved. A modern city has a sophisticated support system in terms of the engineering equipment employed, the level of technical expertise and the computer-based systems of management. Widening the scope of the decision-making process therefore constitutes a complex task.