Policy Brief #01 of the Emergency Governance Initiative for Cities and Regions spotlights innovative institutional responses to the coronavirus emergency in Barcelona, Spain; Bogotá, Colombia; Gauteng, South Africa; and Seoul, South Korea based on interviews with senior government officials. These case profiles are complemented by lessons drawn from UCLG, Metropolis, and UN-Habitat’s “Live Learning Experiences,” including a personal reflection from UCLG Secretary General Emilia Sáiz and a summary of global COVID-19 monitoring initiatives and insights from a scoping survey. The Policy Brief concludes with a critical perspective, “Urban sovereignty in the time of pandemics” by Diane Davis of Harvard University and Graham Denyer Willis of Cambridge University.
This Policy Brief is part of the Emergency Governance Initiative (EGI) led by LSE Cities, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), and the World Association of the Major Metropolises (Metropolis). This Initiative investigates the institutional dimensions of rapid and radical action in response to global emergencies to provide city and regional governments with frameworks, knowledge, and resources to navigate the new demands of leading emergency responses.
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Policy Brief #01 is also available in French and Spanish.