The Role of Leadership in Urban Development: Reflections from Selected Urban Centers in Tanzania

Abstract

Urban management is a critical aspect in the development of cities as it affects both the present and the future of the city. The concept of Urban Management has been debated and perhaps this debate reflects something, un-clarity of the concept which then affects the practice. The central argument of this paper is that cities and towns in Tanzania are facing leadership challenge which has a crippling effect to sustainable growth of urban centers. The objective of this paper was to map out how different understanding of leadership has affected the trajectory of development of cities in Tanzania. Information for this article was collected under the project UrbTan. Throughout the study sites, respondents gave their views on leadership of towns and cities. Critical in their view is the concern that urban management in Tanzania is generally weak save for few cases. Managing cities and towns in the 21st century requires skills and new approaches. It is recommended that investment should be made in training leaders of cities and towns of Tanzania.

Key words: urban management, leadership, governance, politics