The
Association of Municipalities and Development Authorities (AMDA),
established in 1983, is an association of municipalities and development
authorities in the country. It is an Association of 65 municipalities
and development authorities of India. As the name signifies, this
institution addresses the issues pertaining to interface between
the state, municipal bodies and urban development authorities in
the realm of urbanization, urban development and urban governance.
The Association has emerged as a knowledge-integration and experience
exchange platform across the country, besides performing an advocacy
and interfacing role to improve efficiency of urban local bodies
and development authorities. For last 25 years, AMDA has been working
on issues of planned development and management of cities by sensitizing
local, state and central governments.
Vision
AMDA’s vision is to be a centre point for frontier research,
a treasure house of critical data, a meeting place for sharing information
and experiences, a think-tank for planned development of towns and
cities, a forum for advocacy of progressive urban development and
management issues and policies through the process of regional planning
based on the rural-urban continuum and an advocate of greater decentralisation
with citizens’ participation in local governance.
AMDA envisions itself as an organisation which promotes decentralisation
and institutionalisation of empowered local government bodies with
core activities as shown in the figure below
Mission
AMDA’s mission is to focus on the concerns of urban local
bodies and development authorities with the overall objectives of
improving human settlements and improving the quality of life in
urban areas; and to promote and facilitate economically efficient,
environmentally sustainable, socially just and politically participatory
urbanization in the country by information sharing, mutual learning
and networking between urban local bodies, development authorities
and other agencies involved in urban development in the country.
Activities
Information Exchange and Dissemination - To develop
a database on municipal governance by multifaceted documentation,
exchange information through meetings and disseminate it through
publications and newsletters.
Research and Studies - To conduct research and
in-depth appraisal of programmes and projects relating to urban
development. The spatial implications of present and future urbanisation,
rural-urban interaction in District Planning Committees/ Metropolitan
Planning Committees and participatory urban governance are of special
interest to AMDA Members.
Capacity Building - To conduct participatory
training programmes for professional development in different functional
areas through workshops, seminars and short in-house training programmes.
Advocacy - To organize workshops, seminars, conferences
and brainstorming sessions for reforms and advocacy in the sphere
of urban good governance.
Building partnerships and networks - To build partnerships and networks
with academic institutions, research institutions, NGOs as also
with the central, state and local government institutions and international
agencies.
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