Urban resilience is no longer just about city governments acting alone; it’s about the interplay of local, regional, and national actors—what experts call multi-level governance. In an era of rapid urbanization and escalating climate risks, effective governance across these levels is essential for managing complex urban systems, preventing cascading failures, and ensuring that resilience strategies are both comprehensive and inclusive.
What is Multi-Level Governance?
Multi-level governance (MLG) refers to the distribution and coordination
of authority and responsibilities among various levels of government—national,
regional, and local—as well as engagement with non-governmental actors. It
recognizes that urban challenges, especially those related to climate change and
critical infrastructure, transcend administrative boundaries and require
collaborative solutions.
Why Does It Matter for Urban Resilience?
Cities are vulnerable to shocks—floods, earthquakes, pandemics—that can
have ripple effects across sectors and regions. No single authority can manage
these risks alone. MLG enables:
- Scale matching: Aligning the
scale of governance with the scale of the problem, ensuring local issues
are addressed locally, while larger risks are managed regionally or
nationally.
- Resource
pooling: Combining financial, technical, and human resources for more
effective action.
- Policy
alignment: Ensuring that local plans support national goals (e.g., Nationally
Determined Contributions for climate action) and vice versa.
- Adaptive
management: Facilitating institutional learning and flexibility to adjust
strategies as new risks emerge.
Global Examples
The Netherlands: The Dutch approach to flood management is a classic
example. National, provincial, and municipal governments collaborate with water
boards—specialized regional authorities—to manage dikes, rivers, and urban
drainage systems. This layered governance has prevented catastrophic flooding
and enabled adaptive responses to climate change.
England’s Combined Authorities: Legislation in the UK has enabled the
creation of combined authorities led by metro mayors. These bodies coordinate
transport, regeneration, and resilience across city-regions, pooling resources
and aligning strategies with national policies.
Kigali, Rwanda: Through its Water Resilience Action Plan, Kigali demonstrates how
city-level leadership, supported by national frameworks, can drive investments
in climate adaptation and water management.
Critical Analysis
While MLG offers clear benefits, it also faces challenges:
- Fragmentation: Overlapping
mandates can lead to confusion and inefficiency.
- Capacity gaps: Local
governments may lack resources or expertise to implement national
policies.
- Equity
concerns: Without deliberate inclusion, marginalized groups may be left out
of decision-making.
Success depends on clear roles, robust communication, and inclusive
stakeholder engagement—including NGOs, academia, and the private sector.
Nepal’s Context
Nepal’s federal structure, established in 2015, provides a foundation for
MLG. However, coordination between federal, provincial, and municipal
governments remains a work in progress. For example, Kathmandu’s air pollution
and flood risks require joint action across administrative boundaries, yet
policy alignment and resource sharing are often limited.
The Way Forward
- Strengthen
institutional frameworks: Clarify roles and
responsibilities at each level.
- Promote regular
dialogue: Foster communication and knowledge sharing among all stakeholders.
- Invest in
capacity building: Equip local governments with the
tools and expertise needed for resilience planning.
- Ensure
inclusivity: Engage communities and marginalized groups in decision-making.
Conclusion
Multi-level governance is not a luxury but a necessity for resilient
cities. By aligning efforts across scales and sectors, Nepal can build urban
systems that are robust, adaptive, and inclusive—ready to face the challenges
of a changing climate.
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