The Center of Urban and Regional Planning for Postgraduate Studies at the University of Baghdad held a training workshop entitled “The Role of Local Governments in Urban Planning and Development,” presented by Assistant Lecturer Balsam Muthanna Hamed.
The workshop aimed to highlight the importance of local governments in urban planning and their role in urban development. It also clarified the powers of local governments in managing and regulating land use, and their role in improving services and local development through coordination with relevant authorities to achieve sustainable urban development.
The workshop addressed the concepts of local government and urban planning, emphasizing the importance of their role in urban development. It also covered the powers of local governments in urban planning and the tools they use, as well as the challenges they face in urban development and proposed solutions to enhance their role in this area.
Before concluding, Hamed recommended strengthening the role of local governments in preparing and implementing urban plans, developing coordination mechanisms with relevant authorities, focusing on regulating land use and curbing unplanned expansion, involving citizens in identifying the needs of their areas when preparing development plans, and supporting projects that contribute to improving services and infrastructure and achieving sustainable development.
