Local government and urban governance in Europe / [electronic resource] Edited by Carlos Nunes Silva; Ján Buček.

Local Government And Urban Governance in Europe: An Overview -- Four Decades of Democratic Local Self-Government in Portugal.-Long-Term View on Local Self-Government Development in Slovakia After 1989 -- Hungarian Local Self-Governments after the Crises -- Recent Local Government Innovation in Italy And Impact on Urban Design and Regional Planning. An Analysis with a Special Focus on the Milanese Context.-Territoriality and Metropolitan Culture in Spain -- Composition and Spatial Structure of Urban Municipalities in Russia: Process and Risks of Centralization -- NGOs and Citizen Participation in Croatian Local Democracy -- Urban Dimension of the EU Policies and The New?EU Urban Agenda?.-The Relationship between European Commission and Local Governments: Constraints and Solidarities -- Relational Networks: Professional Co-Operation within and Beyond the European Capitals of Culture -- Urban Community Initiatives and Sustainable Urban Regeneration. Case Studies in Italy -- Local Governance and Citizen Participation in Urban Regeneration Programmes in Spain: A Learning Process from EU Urban Policies Experiences -- ICT And Water: The Dynamics of A New Social Agenda for Local Governance Agenda -- Assessment of Socio-Economic Status Relevance to Latvian Voters Participation in Elections -- Direct Local Democracy Needs the Fiscally Informed Voter Too: About Fiscal Shortcuts, Soft Fiscal Illusions, and Practical Ideas to Narrow Gaps -- Temporary Reuse of Spaces and Participation in Urban Regeneration Processes.

This book discusses innovative responses and reforms developed in critical areas of urban governance in European countries. It examines the impact of European Union?s policies on the urban agenda and on local governance, and the impact of the transition to democracy in Central and in Southern Europe on local self-government systems. The book is divided into three parts: i) Crisis, Reform and Innovation in Local Government; ii) EU Policies, the Urban Agenda and Local Governance; and iii) Citizen Participation in Local Government. Providing an extensive and updated overview of key challenges in the governance of cities in Europe, the book will be of interest to students and researchers in the broader field of urban studies, and for policy-makers, especially those engaged in urban governance in European countries.