ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳

'New Urban Governance: Urban complexity and institutional capacities of cities’ was a two-year ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Cities research and engagement project co-funded by the John D. and Catherine T. to examine multiple aspects of municipal planning, management, and governance.

Cities increasingly rely on advanced institutional capacities, democratic governance and effective management to address ever more complex and interrelated economic, social and environmental challenges, while tapping into the potential benefits of new technological opportunities.

The project was split into four components: ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Cities’ research, invited papers, a foresight seminar series (hosted in , , and ) and outreach activities.

The massive attention directed towards cities is undeniable. But are cities well-equipped and able to lead world transformations like championing resilience and sustainable development? The gap between expectations and available resources and autonomy extends beyond financial matters. Institutional capacity to coordinate efforts may also be lacking. This is not particular to the developed, developing or industrialising world, affecting cities in the Global North and South. To critically address whether cities have the necessary capacity or whether new governance arrangements might be required, we have assigned themed research papers to academics based across the world.

The practice of urban governance is very much on the agenda of both theorists and practitioners. However, the high level of interest in the topic is mostly not matched by empirical research. The  by ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Cities in partnership with UN Habitat and UCLG attempts to address a general lack of empirical research into urban governance. Also, as part of ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Cities’ research, networks of governance have been mapped and analysed. Underlying urban governance patterns have been formalised by applying social network analysis methods to the data gathered through structured interviews in London and New York City.