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Pergamon www.elsevier.com/locate/cities Introduction PII: S0264-2751(01)00026-9 Urban Management Concepts, Principles, Techniques and Education B. K. Chakrabarty* A-10 Qutab Enclave (Phase-I), Jeet Singh Marg, New Delhi-110016, India Cities, Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 331–345, 2001 © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved Printed in Great Britain 0264-2751/01 $ - see front matter The paper outlines the limitations of conventional practice for resource-efficient and equitable solutions of urban problems in the context of urban dynamics and uncertainties, and the need for an integrated management approach. It presents a concept of integrated urban management based on management theory and a systems approach, and argues that many principles of traditional management – such as the principles of productivity, social responsiveness and flexibility – are equally applicable to urban management in order to overcome these limitations. Similarly, many techniques of traditional management – such as management science, operations research (OR) and computer-aided design (CAD) – are also applicable in urban management at various system levels, in order to achieve efficiency and equity in the urbanization and development process. Computer-aided techniques for analysis and optimization of urban built form, and for optimal design and drafting in urban development, incorporating OR, are presented as urban planning and management tools to improve productivity and equity in urban operations. Basic features of the software CAUB and HudCAD, and their application, are illustrated with examples. The need for education in urban management, to facilitate application of such principles and management techniques and to solve urban problems in a resource-efficient manner while fulfilling the needs of multiple-stakeholders, is stressed. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Urban management, Systems approach, Productivity, Social responsiveness, Management techniques Urbanization is the most dominant phenomenon in all developing countries. Studies show that urbanization and the economic development status of a country are intimately linked (World Bank, 1990, 1991; Smith, 1975; Cheema, 1993). However, urbanization tends to accentuate a number of problems, such as inadequate housing and urban services (water, sanitation, transport and so on), spiraling land prices and construction costs, proliferation of slums, pollution and deterioration of the urban environment. Urban professionals can make significant improvement to the urban environment by adopting an integrated management approach, in order to resolve the conflicting interests of multiple-stakeholders and achieve equity, while keeping in view urban dynamics and uncertainties. The paper highlights the limitations of conventional practice in achieving efficiency and equity, and how an integrated management approach incorporating *Tel.: +91 011-696-3927; e-mail: bibhuti@mantraonline.com 331 flexibility principles could help overcome such limitations. It presents a concept of integrated urban management, based on management theory, which incorporates five managerial functions, ie planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling (Koontz and Weihrich, 1990; Koontz and O’Donnel, 1976). It is argued that many principles of traditional management, such as the principles of productivity, social responsiveness and flexibility, are equally applicable in urban management, and in this context urban planning should be viewed as one of the five urban managerial functions to achieve the goals resourceefficiently and with equity. In traditional management, operations research and computer-aided design (CAD) are important techniques to improve productivity (Koontz and Weihrich, 1990; Koontz and O’Donnel, 1976). Such traditional computer-aided management techniques, if oriented to urban operations, could be equally useful in urban management to improve productivity. The paper presents the salient features of two examples of software, one for computer-aided analysis of urban built form to facili-
