city strategy & governance the naga city model

CITY STRATEGY & GOVERNANCECITY STRATEGY & GOVERNANCEThe Naga City ModelThe Naga City Model

Outline

• The Setting

• Governance Model

• Illustrative Examples

• Growth Programs

• Equity-Building Programs

• Participatory Mechanisms

• Insights

What Naga is NotWhat Naga is Not

NOT A BIG CITY. Of the 114 Philippine cities, 63rd in terms of land area and 53rd in terms of population

NOT A PORT CITY. Landlocked; no access to the sea and, therefore, at a disadvantage compared to Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo and General Santos

NOT CENTRALLY-LOCATED. Approximately 450 kilometers from both Manila and Cebu; not even Bicol’s regional government center

THE SETTINGTHE SETTING

What Naga IsWhat Naga Is

RECOGNIZED CENTER OF LOCAL INNOVATIONS. More than 40 national and international recognition– including the 1998 Dubai International Award for having one of the Top 10 Best Practices worldwide.

LIVABLE CITY. Says Interface, the newsmagazine of the League of Cities.

STRONG NON-GOVERNMENT SECTOR. In the form of civic, business and people’s organizations. More than 100 are accredited with the city.

TOOK ADVANTAGE OF LOCAL AUTONOMY. The state policy to promote local autonomy has helped Naga mainly because it has helped itself, crafting innovations that even antedate the Local Government Code.


But this did not happen overnight…But this did not happen overnight…


Naga in 1988 – Development ChallengesNaga in 1988 – Development Challenges

despite a tradition of being the center of trade and commerce, local economy was sluggish and stagnating due to years of neglect reduced from a first- to a third-class city low business sector confidence with the number of firms plateauing at 2,000; the Central Business District (CBD) was overcrowded and remained unchanged for more than four decades basic services had been deteriorating resources required to address problems were not forthcoming crime was on the rise; smut films and lewd shows proliferated; illegal gambling was rampant homeless urban poor population was growing

Naga’s Answer: Naga’s Answer: Good Urban GovernanceGood Urban Governance

NAGA GOVERNANCE MODELNAGA GOVERNANCE MODEL

Progressive development perspective - based on “growth with equity” as a core philosophy

Functional partnerships - vehicles that enable the city to tap community resources for priority undertakings

Participation - mechanisms that generate stakeholder-ship and ownership over local undertakings

Participation

Progressiveperspective

Partnerships

Good urban governance


Progressive Development PerspectiveProgressive Development Perspective

a function of the local leadership

In the case of Naga, given its problems in 1988, had to involve:

confidence-building measures

sharing with the community a vision for the city

leadership by example


CORE PHILOSOPHY: “GROWTH WITH EQUITY”GROWTH WITH EQUITY”

Shows an enlightened perception of the poor. It seeks to:

Promote economic development

(growth)

Sustain the implementation of pro-poor projects (equity-building)


Functional PartnershipsFunctional Partnerships

Multiplies the local government’s capacity and enables it to overcome resource constraints

May be:

for growth or equity-building strategies

with community groups or individuals

government-initiated or private-led

NAGA GOVERNANCE MODEL NAGA GOVERNANCE MODEL

People ParticipationPeople Participation

Borne out of the belief that the extent of the city government’s success is contingent on how people respond to its initiatives

Mechanisms to ensure the inclusion of individuals and the community in decision-making

Mainstreams and engages people in governance

Promotes long-term sustainability by generating broad-based ownership of initiatives

Promotes the partner-beneficiary concept

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLESILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES

Urban Transport & Traffic Management Plan

a growth strategy for expanding the CBD only through the relocation of transport terminals outside the CBD

expanded the commercial area by a third of its original size

Satellite/District Markets development dispersed to areas outside the CBD bv encouraging the development of privately- owned district markets (5 currently inoperation)

Partnerships in Growth ProgramsPartnerships in Growth Programs


Panganiban Upgrading & Beautification created a new business corridor at a main thoroughfare leading to the CBD (formerly a swampy one-kilometer eyesore)

Central Business District-II a 27-hectare distinct commercial area developed by the private sector

has resulted in a 100% expansion of the commercial district, and stabilized commercial

land prices



Naga Southwest Development multi-billion property development covering approximately

90 hectares another private-led partnership involving one of the country’s leading property development conglomerates will be the area for first-class commercial and residential

development



Partnerships in Equity-Building ProgramsPartnerships in Equity-Building Programs

Urban Poor Program (Kaantabay sa Kauswagan) – with urban poor organizations, landowners and private developers;

already covers 6,940 households

Livelihood – provides livelihood assistance to the urban poor

and other micro entrepreneurs


Partnerships in Equity-Building ProgramsPartnerships in Equity-Building Programs

Health, Nutrition and Emergency Assistance – brought down the number of malnourished children to 5.3% of the pre-school population; institutionalized Emergency Rescue Naga with various community groups

Education – schools for early education and development, specialized high schools


Participatory MechanismsParticipatory Mechanisms

Naga City People’s Council – institutionalized the concept of NGO participation in governance

Other Local Special Bodies – participation by specific sectors in various policy-making bodies (City Development Council, Housing Board, Livelihood Management Council, Investment Board)

I-Governance Program – seeks to involve the individual Nagueño in governance through more avenues for information openness and transparency

INSIGHTSINSIGHTS

Why Partnerships?Why Partnerships?

They can take place between and among the various levels of government (national, regional, local); between government

and the business and NGO-PO community; and between government and private individuals or entities

They can be government-led or private-led (with the government providing the environment for partnerships) They enable LGUs to marshal untapped resources of the local

community for local development initiatives They allow involved parties to attain mutually-beneficial

objectives even with minimum individual resources They multiply the LGU’s internal capability, opening doors to

opportunities that are otherwise beyond its resources to pursue

INSIGHTSINSIGHTS

Operating Principles of PartnershipsOperating Principles of Partnerships

Role definition – setting of rules of engagement minimizes potential conflicts

Resource complementation – “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”

Specialization – moving towards one’s core competencies

INSIGHTSINSIGHTS

Why Participation?Why Participation?

Participatory mechanisms promotes accountability and transparency which lead to further innovations

They can lead to more partnerships

They are effective strategies for encouraging and increasing stakeholders support for local development programs,

projects and activities

INSIGHTSINSIGHTS

Partnerships and ParticipationPartnerships and Participation

both are key components of Naga’s governance model

however, at the operational and practical level, partnerships work best among organized groups and institutions

this can exclude individuals and the community at large from the governance process

partnerships must be complemented by mechanisms that promote stronger participation at the level of individual

citizens

this is addressed by the city’s current initiatives such as I-Governance

Naga City: Naga City: An Maogmang LugarAn Maogmang Lugar

among the country’s fastest-growing economies with an annual growth rate of 6.5%-- a big jump over 1988

A lower unemployment rate of 5.2% compared to the national

A per capita gross product which is 115% higher than the national average; a family income that is comparable to other highly-urbanized areas, 126% higher than the average family in Bicol, and 42% higher than the national average

A lower poverty incidence of 29% compared to the region’s more than 50%

All a result of a concerted community effort…

- end of presentation -

city strategy & governance the naga city model

Documents

city leadership

big city

livable city

port city

local leadership

local economy

city governments success

local government code