Strengthening Urban
Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE)
Performance Evaluation

Conclusions &
Recommendations

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Conclusions

Conclusions View Full Image
  • 01
    Relevance:

    SURGE interventions to improve the institutional capacity of CDI cities in inclusive and resilient urban development contributed to USAID’s development priorities under the Cities Development Initiative-Partnership for Growth; CDCS (previous and current) and USAID’s policies on urban resilience and WASH; the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022; USAID’s direction to improve the competitiveness of second-tier cities; and the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) of the Government of the Philippines. The SURGE project was demand-driven and highly aligned with the needs of the CDI cities.
  • 02
    Effectiveness:

    The SURGE project helped strengthen capacity in inclusive and resilient urban development and improved the enabling environment for local economic development for the target CDI cities. SURGE also improved connectivity and access between urban and rural areas by addressing local regulatory constraints that limit the mobilization of investment capital and increase the costs of doing business in the target CDI cities.
  • 03
    Sustainability:

    Factors that will contribute to the sustainability of SURGE activities include:

  • The government initiating national laws mandating that Local Government Units (LGUs) mainstream the interventions initiated

  • LGUs adopting policies and plans in areas supported by SURGE

  • Key city stakeholders acquiring the technical expertise needed to perform mandated functions as a result of the project’s capacity building activities

  • LGUs having adequate budgets to implement immediate follow-through activities. Changes in political leadership arising from the local elections in 2022 could be a hindering factor to sustainability

Recommendations

Recommendations View Full Image

The following recommendations are put forward for USAID’s consideration:

  • 01
    Support The Implementation of Plans Formulated Under SURGE:

    Subsequent programs or interventions should focus on strengthening the capacities of partner LGUs by implementing plans that SURGE has developed and conducting follow-through activities. Such activities could include a continued focus on administrative system streamlining and efficiency to support local revenue generation, implementation of DRR and CAA plan priorities, and helping to implement projects to mitigate GHGs.
  • 02
    Institutionalization of Initiatives Introduced by SURGE:

    Methods and tools to institutionalize SURGE’s initiatives could include continued policy support, strengthening or establishing appropriate structures, publication of manuals of processes and systems created under the SURGE project and introduced or supported with local governments, and documentation of effective training modules to support replication of successful programs to additional cities.
  • 03
    Application of ICT in Urban Governance and Management:

    Future interventions should focus on capacity development (institutions and people) for integrated information technology (IT) systems for local and urban governance and management. This can help to further advance some of the efficiency gains supported by SURGE.
  • 04
    Develop Post-Project LGU Capacity Development Road Maps:

    These will address future training needs of LGU stakeholders such as second-line managers and technical staff, as well as new recruits, and ensure that gains are maintained and adequate skills remain available.
  • 05
    Define Appropriate Indicators for Better Measurement of Results of Sub-Component Activities:

    Contributions of specific sub-component activities to cross-cutting indicators should be captured. For some objectives, it was difficult to assess the effectiveness of SURGE sub-components due to a lack of appropriate indicators, or due to the overlap between components.

DISCLAIMER

This report is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of Panagora Group and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or of the United States government.