Ian Palmer is the founder of Palmer Development Group (PDG). He has 40 years experience in the fields of civil engineering and development. Ian is also an adjunct professor at the University of Cape Town (UCT) attached to the African Centre for Cities. For a period of 15 years from 1997 to 2012 he was on the board of Mvula Trust, an NGO focused on providing water and sanitation for rural communities. Nishendra Moodley currently works with the South African National Treasury's City Support Programme. He joined the City of Cape Town in 1998 to manage local government transformation projects and subsequently joined and later led Palmer Development Group (PDG). He has a Master's degree in Public Administration. He has worked on local government policy development, monitoring and evaluation processes for national government, and institutional transformation projects for municipalities. Susan Parnell is a Professor of Urban Geography in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences at UCT. She is centrally involved in the African Centre for Cities, serving on its executive. She is the author of over a hundred peer reviewed papers, and a number of books, including Africa's Urban Revolution (co-edited with E. Pieterse, Zed 2014)
`The authors present a rich, comprehensive but sober analysis of progress achieved by the South African public sector in the two decades after apartheid. Their view from the local level is particularly relevant, as South Africa is one of the few African countries with empowered sub-national government.' William Cobbett, Director, Cities Alliance `A landmark critical review drawing on a rich evidence base from both academic and practitioner perspectives. Its insights and analytical framework have relevance for other countries and cities facing the challenges of the new urban agenda.' Stephen Essex, Plymouth University `This brilliantly researched book holds lessons for the many countries dealing with rapid urbanisation and growing demands for basic infrastructure in cities.' Julio D. Davila, University College London 'Lucid and detailed.' Foreign Affairs