This text provides an overview of urban administration, from the unique demographics of cities, local government political structures, intergovernmental relations, and the range of service delivery areas for which cities are ever more responsible.
We hear the term "sustainability" everywhere today. In the context of city management, the term often refers to environmental concerns, both locally and globally. Managing the Sustainable City examines not only how cities can prepare to weather the local effects of climate change, but also how urban centers can sustain themselves through other modern management challenges, including budgeting and finance, human resource management, public safety, and infrastructure. This clearly written and engaging new textbook provides a comprehensive overview of urban administration today, exploring the unique demographics of cities, local government political structures, intergovernmental relations, and the full range of service delivery areas for which cities are ever more responsible.
Throughout the book, two important components of city management today-the use of technology and measuring performance for accountability-are highlighted, along with NASPAA accreditation standards and competencies. Particular attention is paid to incorporating Urban Administration standards to provide students using the text will have a thorough understanding of:
The ethics of local government management¿¿
The roles and relationships among local and elected/appointed government officials, as well as what makes local institutions different from other institutions
Strategies for engaging citizens in local governance
The complexities of intergovernmental and network relationships to develop skills in collaborative governance
How to manage local government financial resources as well as human resources
Public service values such as accountability, transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, ethical behavior, and equity and emphasized throughout the text, and discussion questions, exercises, and "career pathways" highlighting successful public servants in a variety of city management roles are included in each chapter. Managing the Sustainable City is an ideal textbook for students of public administration, public policy, and public affairs interested in learning how cities can be sustainable-in their management, their policies, and their interactions with their citizens-as well as in preparing for and managing the impacts of climate change.
"Managing the Sustainable City provides a unique and useful approach to the business of managing cities. Organized around NASPAA Standards, the reader is provided a breadth of topics on how cities work from the perspective of the professional managers. Balancing historical foundations with current examples and data, the book provides information and insights that students will find necessary to gauge the City Management profession." - Robyne Stevenson, University of Central Florida, USA
"This book will become the leading textbook for urban management.?Stowers has written a terrific book that assures instructors that students will have the most recent and relevant training in urban administration written to meet the NASPAA accreditation standards.?The focus on sustainable urban management, full coverage of issues facing urban managers, and excellent exercises that link theory to practice makes this the ideal text for undergraduate and graduate students and a great resource for urban managers." - Ronald K. Vogel, Ryerson University, Canada
"Managing the Sustainable City introduces students to foundational tasks in city management, including budget and human resource management, but also challenges them to think about the trends and challenges of the 21st century, such as growing diversity and the importance of public engagement. Stowers and her collaborators offer a concise overview of core topics in city management and provide questions that help students structure an exploration of their own community. Rich in data about American cities, this book provides students with a unique overview of local government management." - Eric Zeemering, Northern Illinois University, USA?
