Phase 1 of Durban's Local Agenda 21 programme commenced with the preparation of the first State of the Environment and Development Report for the Durban Metropolitan Area (DMA). The issues identified in the Report were then prioritised during a series of workshops. This provided the basis for Phase 2: Policy Formulation and Planning.

State of the Environment and Development Report

Sectors Reviewed
Terrestrial Resources Fresh Water Resources Urban Form Transport Waste Economy Health Governance Legal Framework	Atmospheric Resources Marine Resources Housing Water Supply & Sanitation Energy Education Violence & Peace City Finances

An Environment and Development Study was commissioned in November 1994 and completed in June 1996. It was undertaken as a partnership between local government and two research organisations: the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) and ISER (Institute for Social and Economic Research). There was ongoing participation and review from a variety of stakeholder groups throughout the process.

Seventeen key environment and development sectors were reviewed using specialist panels, sectoral reports and cross-sectoral workshops.

The Findings of the State of the Environment and Development Study have been summarised within the context of five major systems which make up the urban environment - the natural system, the built system, the economic system, the social system and the system of governance. The report is available on Internet at: http://environment.durban.gov.za/

The Durban Metropolitan Council has limited resources to address all the issues identified in the State of Environment and Development Study. A prioritisation process was therefore carried out to identify where best to focus resources. This process involved stakeholder workshops in each of the six local council areas and a workshop with the project's Advisory Committee and Inter-Service Unit Network.