The World Bank Institute and the Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative (LGI) of the Open Society Institute are currently cooperating to run an urban and city management course, in Budapest, Hungary. The aim of the two-week course is to improve urban governance in the Central and Eastern European region.

Most of the population of Central and Eastern Europe lives in cities, and the lion’s share of the region’s economic activities take place there. The newly established democracies and local governments in the region face multifaceted and complex urban challenges, including the ever-growing demand for better infrastructure; the need for fast, flexible, and efficient public and private services; and increasing expectations for better urban environments. At the same time, local governments must operate within the framework of a shrinking public sector.

These conditions call for new methods of urban governance. Cities throughout the region have adapted and implemented innovative solutions, with varying degrees of success. In several urban centers, participatory decisionmaking, new methods of municipal financing, privatization of public service delivery, and regulation of privatized services have been initiated. These best practices are introduced in the course, together with other tools city managers and policymakers need to plan, manage, and govern cities.

The course is appropriate for executives and mid-career decisionmakers and officials from Central and Eastern Europe holding either elected or appointed positions in local governments. Future trainers of similar courses, urban practitioners, and private consultants working for local governments are also welcome. The teaching staff of the course includes practitioners and academics from the World Bank and other international institutions and leading experts on Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to lectures, case study presentations, and discussions, the course allows participants to operationalize what they learn by applying it to a concrete situation involving Budapest.