International Journal of Advanced Research and Development

Authors
Nega Solomon Asress, Professor Tara Kumari

Abstract
Decentralization and governance are supposed to bring and enhance popular participation at the local level. Urban governance as urban administration model is based on the logic that city governance needs the interaction of the government, citizen and stakeholders to better represent the need of the society. In this urban governance model participation of citizen become an important dimension specially in the planning of the city. As an objective this article try to assess how the different stakeholder that represent the local people try to play their role and involve in the planning of the city in one of Ethiopian city known Mekelle city administration. Using Mixed Research methodology that involves both the qualitative and quantitative the researcher found that citizen participation based on the urban governance model is very limited in the study area. Stakeholder participation in the city is limited due to government lack of trust on the local private and civil society sectors and such problems are only solved with close consultation and collaboration among the government, the citizen and the stakeholders and by creating awareness for mutual understandings.