Urban governance in earthquake struck medium-sized Haitian cities

This paper aims to provide an insight into the urban governance of four medium-sized Haitian cities hit by the earthquake of 2010, bearing in mind two affirmations of J. Pierre on urban governance; namely, that it is the better analytical model for the conceptualization of a broad heterogeneity of actors and that comparison is critical to take it to a theoretical level. Local governments faced many issues, ranging from the urgent need for reconstruction to the intervention of a multiplicity of international stakeholders, a situation compounded by complex relations with an ever-weakening State in a context of the generalized shortfall of human and financial resources. We will endeavor to measure the impact on urban governance of the intervention of external entities, the effectiveness of the population’s participation in urban planning projects, and the extent to which the Haitian State can provide an adequate framework for sustainable urban governance.