Municipal finance and resilience lessons for urban infrastructure management: a case study from the Cape Town drought

Simpson, N. P., Simpson, K. J., Shearing, C. D., & Cirolia, L. R. (2019). Municipal finance and resilience lessons for urban infrastructure management: a case study from the Cape Town drought. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, 1–20. doi:10.1080/19463138.2019.1642203

Platform
Cape Town
Publication type
Scientific article (peer-reviewed)
DOI Title
Municipal finance and resilience lessons for urban infrastructure management: a case study from the Cape Town drought
Journal
International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development
ISSN/ISBN
1946-3138 1946-3146
DOI
10.1080/19463138.2019.1642203
Author(s)
Nicholas Philip Simpson Kayleen Jeanne Simpson Clifford D. Shearing Liza Rose Cirolia
Published year
Subject
Geography, Planning and Development Development Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law Urban Studies

 

Abstract

At a time when flows of both water and finances were severely curtailed, this article explores the public and private adaptation actions which played out during Cape Town’s drought which produced a ‘shock within a shock’ on the municipality’s budget (2016–2018), this article provides a detailed and embedded account of the severity, urgency and complexity of the challenges that decision makers are faced with during such unanticipated events. Shifts in approaches are identified and traced through budget allocations to display uncharted governance arrangements which, although stabilising, present novel finance and governance challenges amidst altered resource and operating conditions. Reflecting on observed shifts and shock to the municipal budget, the article highlights the challenge of an uncoordinated response between public and private actors that aim to secure high-reliability service delivery. Reflecting on the findings, recommendations outline resilience qualities necessary to municipal budgets through sketching contextually reflective questions for municipal financing models.

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