Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
the regional structure was spatially defined, the way voting powers are exercised,
how finance is obtained, or the type of executive and administrative units that carry
out the regional functions. Despite the theoretical acceptance of some city-regional
governance as being a necessary idea in the contemporary world, and essentially
recommended in the New Urban Charter, there are still very few practical examples,
and no recommended structure or standard evolution. The simplest theoretical ap-
proach would be to vest all local government powers in a new all-purpose govern-
ment unit, with mandatory powers over the region governed by a directly elected
council and created by a top-down decision of the state. This solution has rarely
been adopted, because it would eradicate existing local governments, which most
countries are unwilling to do. The opposite alternative would be to have separate
regional agencies for each particular function, as in the last row of Table
2.5
. But
such a structure means that there will probably be limited co-ordination between the
agencies, which defeats the purpose of coherent regionalization.
Perhaps the most typical structure is some form of a co-operative two-tier sys-
tem, with a regional structure lying above the local government units. In this type
individual local governments below the regional level still exercise most statutory
power over a range of functions, but a
regional agency
is established by the partici-
pating councils, perhaps with state approval or initiation. This carries out some stra-
tegic functions for the lower level units as a whole, typically plans for protecting the
natural environment and watersheds, controlling land use and suggesting growth
centres, providing transport planning for the whole area, and sometimes economic
co-ordination. Apart from planning functions some of the regional agencies may
have authority for delivery of certain functions. Usually the regional council that
administers the agency is composed of representatives from each participating local
government, but since the regional plans are usually only advisory, not mandatory,
either the regional council has to agree on implementing the plans on behalf of their
governments, or the plans are sent to each unit for agreement, which frequently
causes tensions within the region when local governments disagree. Although this
type of structure may be the most typical, most city-regional governances are hy-
brid regionalizations, with structures composed of more than one of the subdivi-
sions in the dimensions of Table
2.5
. So a single tier unit of regional government
may include most, but not all regional functions, with the others operated by single
function agencies, such as those associated with police or emergency services that
are responsible to state institutions. The following examples from four different
countries show the range of variation and the complexity of these city-regional
governances.
One of the most basic types of regional authorities can be seen in Canada, where
the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) had its origins as one of the re-
gional planning agencies established by the province and covered 21 municipalities.
Today it is still primarily an advisory body for strategic planning, mainly in land
use and transport, for its municipalities exercise statutory control over most lo-
cal government services and its council is composed of members from these units.
Although regional attitudes are helped by the region's concern with liveability,
and more recently sustainability issues, it lacks mandatory powers and two key
