Urban Governance in Pacific Island Countries: Advancing an Overdue Agenda

Over the past decade there has been an evident shift in the attitudes of Pacific peoples, governments and donors to the continued urbanisation of the region and the serious challenges emerging as a result. While not denying the obvious needs of rural development, and the connection rural poverty has with the pace and character of urban development, the region’s cities are clearly, and belatedly, on the policy map. Pacific urban regions are both typical and unique. Like many cities of the developing world, housing, services, infrastructure, poverty and the environment are all significant issues. Marginalisation, conflict and growing inequalities also threaten to undermine social cohesion and the building of urban societies in complex cultural environments. A 1996 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) summary of the key issues facing urban areas still holds value: