In the overall pursuit of good governance in Asia’s megacities, reforms must strive towards the following:
• Strengthening the lowest levels of government where the closest interaction between communities and government takes place.
• Investing increasingly in human capital formation through public spending in health, sanitation, housing and education.
• Ensuring that greater transparency and community participation are developed alongside private sector involvement in the delivery of basic urban services.
• Supporting community-based enterprises in the form of credit and skills training as part of the poverty alleviation and capital mobilization strategy.
• Ensuring greater transparency in public policy-making and administration through more meaningful civil society involvement and participation.
• Investing in social capital to engender an ethic and consciousness of civic community-the social ties that bind civil society actors towards the common good.
• Promoting and protecting the social ties of trust and mutual help which make living in cities not only viable but enjoyable and humane.