Supporting cities not being able to deliver in the given framework

The rhythm, methods used, and time commitment the programme requires of city practitioners might not fit all partners and their institutional context – potentially too hierarchical, bureaucratic, slow, or responding to different priorities. At times, participant cities may find themselves falling behind and unable to deliver what they signed up to deliver. It could be that events outside of the network and cities’ control negatively influence what can be delivered. Be ready to adjust the expected outputs from participating cities. For cities that go off the radar or that are not capable of pushing through certain phases of the network, will there be space for contract terms to be renegotiated? Will contracts allow requesting the end of a financial agreement?

Our approach and methods

• Network-level shocks (e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic): It is possible that the network as a whole will experience important shocks that will question whether and how plans can continue to be delivered.

• • How to respond? Sharing a framework and supporting city response: Understand and capture where best the network can support cities with the disruption they face. Deliver this support where appropriate. Think about how things are delivered if the lockdown and disruption continues and if it does not.

• City-level disruptions (e.g. elections, flood, discontinuity in staffing): It’s highly likely that at least one of the cities will experience an external or internal shock or important change whilst the programme is running. For instance in ASToN (2019-2022), cities experienced changes in political leadership after elections, changes in personnel, key leaders leaving the programme due to illness or parental leave, external shocks like flooding or social unrest. These will all affect cities’ project teams and may jeopardise their ability to carry on with their involvement in the programme either temporarily, or permanently.

• How to respond? While some thing will be out of the network’s control and participant will drop out, if it’s a temporary shock
  •  Evaluate what this means for the programme and cities projects timelines;
  •  Agree what’s realistic;
  • Re-draft timelines and agreements;
  • Escalate where necessary.