Abstract
As urbanization has become an important phenomenon in many countries around the world, both the structure of local government and the relations of local authorities with other government levels need a rethink. Urbanization sparked the emergence of huge metropolitan cities, on the one hand, and the depopulation of rural areas, on the other, which requires strategies for structural reforms and for the effective representation of both urban and rural local interests in intergovernmental relations. This chapter brings together insights from the case studies included in this book regarding four particularly salient issues: (1) decentralization within metropolitan areas, (2) mergers and inter-municipal cooperation in rural areas, (3) the role of local authorities in intergovernmental conferences and (4) the representation of urban and rural interests through local government associations.