Brazil – Poverty-Focused City Development Strategy for the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte
The Minas Gerais State Secretariat for Regional Development and Urban Policy (SEDRU) received a $500,000 grant to carry out a city development strategy to identify priority investments that enhance economic development and reduce poverty in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte (MRBH). The project aims to bring several municipalities in a metropolitan area together to formulate a Metropolitan Pact. The pact would address urban development issues of common concern. Issues identified include defining a metropolitan development agenda based on stakeholder input, creating institutional arrangements to articulate and support the Metropolitan Pact, and identifying priority investments, particularly in infrastructure and housing, to elaborate a five-year development plan. The project is co-financed by the Minas Gerais State Government and the MRBH municipalities ($2,613,786).

India - Bruhat Bangalore Comprehensive Development and Slum Upgrading Strategy
The City Managers Association of Karnataka will receive a $74,419 preparatory grant to provide technical assistance to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP), the Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation, to set up a strategic advisory cell within BBMP. The cell is to work closely with public utility companies to 1) elaborate policies and develop an action plan to address infrastructure service delivery in areas of the urban poor, 2) create a city development and slum upgrading strategy to be detailed in a formal proposal to the CA, and 3) develop a strategy for resource mobilisation focusing on property and administrative taxes. This project is co-financed by the BBMP ($3,000), JBIC ($7,000) and USAID/FIRE ($15,500).

India – Urban Strategy for India 2025 and Mega-Cities Strategy
The Government of India (GoI) will be supported with a $75,000 grant to draft two national strategies: a National Urban Strategy (projected to the year 2025) and a Mega-cities Strategy for city empowerment. The strategies will guide the GoI’s Planning Commission in establishing a framework of urban reforms and initiatives in which urban growth issues and poverty reduction can be addressed. The strategies will propose policy, institutional, financial, service delivery, and municipal management reforms and include livelihoods and governance components. Additionally, the funds will support the GoI in ensuring a wide cross-section of society is involved in developing the two strategies to articulate a vision for the equitable growth of urban areas. The project is co-financed by the World Bank ($150,000) and Water and Sanitation Programme ($25,000).

Mozambique – Preparatory Grant for the Development Chimoio Municipal Council of a CDS and Slum Upgrading Strategy for Chimoio
The Chimoio Municipal Council will receive a $42,000 grant to conduct research and consultations to elaborate a ten-year City Development Strategy (CDS) for Chimoio, Mozambique’s sixth largest city. Chimoio seeks to cope with the water and sanitation demands that a large influx of employment-seekers has placed on the city. The CDS will address growing urban challenges and propose ways to upgrade informal settlements, enhance service provision, support employment creation, and improve housing stock through private sector construction and government subsidies. A range of stakeholders will be involved in the strategy work. This project is co-financed by the Chimoio Municipality ($4,850) and USAID/PROGOV ($2,230).

Mozambique – Preparatory Grant for the Development Vilankulo Municipal Council of a CDS for Vilankulo
The Vilankulo Municipal Council will receive a $42,000 grant to conduct research and consultations to elaborate a ten-year City Development Strategy (CDS) for Vilankulo, a small coastal city with a growing tourism industry. The CDS will outline infrastructure improvements needed to support local and growing industry, propose ways to upgrade informal settlement areas, improve service provision, handle possible conflicts between the local fishing industry and tourism, and foster employment creation. A range of stakeholders will be involved in CDS development. This project is co-financed by the Vilankulo Municipality ($4,850) and USAID/PROGOV ($2,230).

Namibia Preparatory Study: Participatory City Development Strategies in Namibia
The Association of Local Authorities of Namibia will receive a grant of $89,325 to fund activities to involve local governments and stakeholders in the development of a Namibian Comprehensive Development Strategy for local economic development. Three cities will be selected to form the initial preparatory programme. Workshops with the three communities and local stakeholders will be held to guide the process and involve a range of people in decision making. Final outcomes of the preparatory process include the development of full-fledged CDS proposals for each city, guidelines for a transparent city selection process, and workshop reports. This project is co-financed ($32,500 in-kind) by the Association of Local Authorities of Namibia, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and the Namibian Association of Local Government Officers.

Nepal – Slum Upgrading Strategies and Investment Programme
A $75,000 grant will assist Nepal’s Ministry of Planning and Public Works in drafting a national slum upgrading strategy and urban investment programme. The Government of Nepal is concerned about the rapid growth of urban areas, particularly in five settlements in the Kathmandu Valley. The strategy will be drafted following consultations with a range of stakeholders including national government and municipal officials and community-based organizations representing the urban poor, women, savings and credit groups, and cooperatives. Consultations will also be held with donors (World Bank, Asian Development Bank, EU, GTZ, JICA, JBIC and others) to map current and future activities to develop a “partnership strategy” for urban development. The Municipal Association of Nepal, the Ministry of Planning and Public Works, and UN-HABITAT are contributing a total co-financing of $30,750, mostly in kind.

Vietnam – Urban Planning in a Rapidly Urbanizing Setting
Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction will receive a $75,000 grant to support a study of Danang, a typical medium-sized city in Vietnam, to stimulate national planning reform and produce proposals for scaling-up best practice countrywide. Activities will include dialogue with policymakers and preparing planning recommendations for Danang and its peri-urban areas. Study findings will help Vietnamese planners address the challenges of rapid urbanization by: (a) comparing and contrasting growth patterns over the past 20 years with other selected cities around the world; (b) providing recommendations for the economic and sustainable development of peri-urban areas; and (c) drafting policy reforms that foster a more integrated and strategic approach to urban planning. This project is co-financed by the Department of Construction/Danang ($15,000), UN-HABITAT ($26,000), and the World Bank ($50,000).