Introduction: Territorial Governance for Equitable and Sustainable Development: Examples from Africa and the Middle East

This edited volume attempts to set out a comprehensive framework for understanding the challenges posed by territorial governance and local development practices across Africa and the Middle East. As a field for exercising politico-administrative power, territorial management is central to public policies at the local level. New modes of governance require local actors and policymakers to tailor their strategies based on a spatial approach. This territorialization of policies necessitates continuous coordination and consultation at multiple levels. The goal is to move from public policy to public action by adapting national orientations and sectoral policies to the specificities and potential of every locality. Territorial governance can only be effective by making the territory more sustainable, competitive, and equitable, and by addressing regional socio-economic disparities and unequal distribution of resources.