80940 CITIES ALLIANCE CITIES ALLIANCE IN ACTION IN ACTION Setting the Right Course for Sana’a Sana’a is Yemen’s political and cultural capital and its primary centre of commerce. Its well-preserved Project: Sana’a City: Medium to Long-Term City Development Strategy for Sustainable medieval core has also historically been a tourism Development magnet. However, in the past few decades, Sana’a has struggled with rapid population growth and now has the Partners: World Bank, Arab Urban largest concentration of poor people in the country. The Development Institute (AUDI) Arab Spring uprisings and the resulting leadership Duration: 2006 - 2012 changes and ongoing instability have exposed many fault-lines in Yemen itself. Financing: USD 255,000 The city’s population has increased more than tenfold in Key Results: the past 30 years, to about two million people. Many • Built local government planning capacity new residents live in scattered informal settlements, and there is little unused land and many ownership disputes. • Improved collaboration and communication among key stakeholders Critically, half of the households lack piped drinking water, and the city’s aquifer is projected to be depleted growth, especially labour-intensive (but not water- within the next decade. Sana’a is further hampered by intensive) industries that could generate employment an inefficient government structure and a poorly skilled for the poor. It should build on the city’s relative city workforce. strengths, which include a more educated populace, To promote more sustainable development for Sana’a, decent infrastructure, and proximity to wealthy the Cities Alliance funded a City Development Strategy countries. But Sana’a must become more business- (CDS). It brought together public, private, and civil friendly, by tackling corruption and other issues. society representatives to lay the foundation of strategic The municipal government must also be restructured planning and stakeholder engagement that would enable and improved, incorporating planning and supervision the city to build on its strengths, better manage its in parallel with day-to-day service delivery. The city assets, spur sustained private-sector-led growth, and administration should be unified into one body, and ensure socio-economic integration of the poor. staff should receive appropriate training. A Sustainable Growth Strategy Financial management should focus on enhancing The result was a strategy and a set of recommended revenue (perhaps by improving public assets and actions focusing on: 1) economic development; 2) revenue collection methods) and linking it to improved institutional strengthening; 3) better financial service delivery. Promotional campaigns could raise management; 4) improved urban planning; and 5) a awareness of both the necessity and the advantages of comprehensive approach to urban upgrading. paying taxes. It was recognised that strong and sustained economic With these strategies in mind, recommendations were growth is needed to meet the city’s many challenges. made to address the physical, environmental, and Specifically, the city must stimulate private-sector institutional problems facing urban planners. One www.citiesalliance.org priority would be to update the master plan. And reform, which is critical to making local governments because lack of access to land is a critical obstacle for more efficient and effective. It also strengthened links growth, there should be a clear mechanism for land between the municipality and the private sector, as well management and disposition, and concepts such as land as other key stakeholders. All of these legacies will banking (the municipality acquiring land in key fringe benefit the city and the country during the national areas for future development) need to be considered. rebuilding period. Also, a cadre of young, motivated employees needs to be trained in urban planning. The water shortage could be Lessons Learned addressed by restricting water-consuming industries Strong leadership at the highest levels (such as the and irrigation and seeking new sources of water. Sana’a mayor and national ministers) ensured buy-in from all stakeholders. The process also revealed the need Comprehensive urban planning requires systematic for better coordination between a capital city and the information on Sana’a’s informal settlements. The team central government, to ensure that lessons and members estimated that 35 informal settlements are recommendations from the city’s strategy development home to up to 21 percent of the population, and that inform the federal government’s strategies. they are growing at an even faster rate than the city overall. There is therefore a need to not only deal with A local CDS coordinator is also key, to give local existing informal areas, but also to anticipate and stakeholders a point person for inquiries and input. And prepare for future growth. In addition to fixing existing flexibility is critical to account for weak local problems (such as lack of services and unsanitary government capacities; resources are limited, and delays conditions), a planning approach should organise and need to be factored in and informed trade-offs need to guide rather than prohibit informal settlement growth. be made among competing priorities. Far-Reaching Benefits Several other activities were carried out alongside the City Development Strategy. These included the development of terms of reference for a comprehensive update of the Sana’a master plan; securing a USD 300,000 grant to create a flood management and hazard risk management plan; and an additional grant for a climate change study. The strategy is a living document that will need to be revised every few years to remain relevant. In fact, conditions have already changed dramatically; the recent Arab Spring conflicts have led to a change in Photo by Scott Wallace/The World Bank A city development strategy has laid the foundation for a more Yemen’s government, and there remains a fragile sustainable future for Sana’a’s citizens. security situation and the threat of a humanitarian crisis due to food scarcity. The strategy development process has helped to build the local government’s planning capacity and improve collaboration and communication. It allowed the central and local governments to forge better links and build consensus to move forward with decentralisation www.citiesalliance.org