Drawn together from a conference organized around the formidable problems facing many Asian cities in the 21st century, this collection of papers highlights current success stories and details strategies for providing effective local management under difficult circumstances. Diverse examples from Bangladesh. India, and Sri Lanka highlight the different ways emerging cities have coped with rapid urbanization, growing demand for better public services, and declining financial support from central governments. Particular attention is paid to management success in Ahmedabad and Calcutta.