Catalytic Programme & Resource Planning
Intergovernmental Project Pipeline
A Metro’s intergovernmental project pipeline should be incorporated into its MSDF that should take particular interest in the pipeline of projects planned for the Metro across the public sector actors (national, provincial and municipal government as well as state-owned entities).
Inclusive economic growth and more efficient urban form will not be possible without understanding the plans and programmes, particularly investment plans of all relevant sectors, spheres of government and state-owned entities, and, through Metro coordination, guiding and aligning these programmes and projects to the Metro’s plan for better outcomes, e.g. the alignment of the planning and delivery of provincial infrastructure, such as health facilities and schools, within metropolitan spaces. Furthermore alignment between the investment in public transport and human settlements is required to enable integration at the local level. There has generally been weak intergovernmental coordination and planning across the three spheres of government and state owned companies although all have substantive investments in the built environment at the city level.
Inclusive economic growth and more efficient urban form will not be possible without understanding the plans and programmes, particularly investment plans of all relevant sectors, spheres of government and state-owned entities, and, through Metro coordination, guiding and aligning these programmes and projects to the Metro’s plan for better outcomes, e.g. the alignment of the planning and delivery of provincial infrastructure, such as health facilities and schools, within metropolitan spaces. Furthermore alignment between the investment in public transport and human settlements is required to enable integration at the local level. There has generally been weak intergovernmental coordination and planning across the three spheres of government and state owned companies although all have substantive investments in the built environment at the city level.
The MSDF should focus on the intergovernmental project pipeline at two levels outlined below:
01
A city-wide perspective of the intergovernmental project pipeline
This is aimed at providing information and a baseline for the progressive spatial targeting of this investment in terms of a Metro’s plans – the basis for dialogue on alignment of objectives and programmes in terms of a shared set of agreed outcomes. Most Metros have struggled at one point or another with limited information on plans and projects of other spheres and/or entities within their jurisdiction. This information is often only received when the spheres and/or entities apply for development approvals. This severely limits their ability to co-ordinate the implementation of these projects in relation to their own projects – where there are co-dependencies or opportunities lost in the failure to coordinate.
In the short term, all spheres and entities who have projects within cities should be able to provide Metros with their lists of projects (capital projects over the medium term) to include in an intergovernmental project pipeline. The main purpose of the pipeline is to share information, enable engagement on this information and to shift towards agreement and commitment to a programme of collective, coordinated public investment in priority precincts based on identified needs set out in the precinct plan’s intergovernmental project pipeline, and to inform the development of the long term financial strategy to sustain this investment programme.
02
The intergovernmental project pipeline within the catalytic urban development programmes
The preparation of a catalytic urban development programme of projects to a ready status of implementation is complex containing many projects over the medium to long-term which include many municipal projects, other inter-governmental projects (as well as a variety of private sector related projects) which necessitate rigour and discipline in programme management and corporate decision-making processes in order to ensure progression through various stages of programme preparation.
The Built Environmental Value Chain (BEVC) process aims to progressively move Metros from the alignment of processes and time frames in the public sector to joint planning of priority precincts within spatially targeted areas followed by the sequencing of public investment in these areas, while respecting the various mandates of government spheres and entities and understanding their business models through the catalytic urban development programmes, as discussed above.
As institutional coordination mechanisms take hold at the Metro and precinct level that enable the sharing of information and in time, joint planning, prioritisation and project alignment, ultimately the goal is to have municipal, provincial, national sector departments and state-owned entities plan their projects and budgets collaboratively, under the leadership of the Metro, for the transformation of integrations zones and priority precincts within these. The ‘crowding-in” of public investment should generate confidence and generate a response from the private sector and households, and in so doing serve to optimise the gearing of public funds.
The Built Environmental Value Chain (BEVC) process aims to progressively move Metros from the alignment of processes and time frames in the public sector to joint planning of priority precincts within spatially targeted areas followed by the sequencing of public investment in these areas, while respecting the various mandates of government spheres and entities and understanding their business models through the catalytic urban development programmes, as discussed above.
As institutional coordination mechanisms take hold at the Metro and precinct level that enable the sharing of information and in time, joint planning, prioritisation and project alignment, ultimately the goal is to have municipal, provincial, national sector departments and state-owned entities plan their projects and budgets collaboratively, under the leadership of the Metro, for the transformation of integrations zones and priority precincts within these. The ‘crowding-in” of public investment should generate confidence and generate a response from the private sector and households, and in so doing serve to optimise the gearing of public funds.
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