Local government

Local government is a form of public administration which, in a majority of contexts, exists as the lowest tier of administration within a given state. The term is used to contrast with offices at state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or (where appropriate) federal government and also to supranational government which deals with governing institutions between states. Local governments generally act within powers delegated to them by legislation or directives of the higher level of government. In federal states, local government generally comprises the third (or sometimes fourth) tier of government, whereas in unitary states, local government usually occupies the second or third tier of government, often with greater powers than higher-level administrative divisions.

The question of municipal autonomy is a key question of public administration and governance. The institutions of local government vary greatly between countries, and even where similar arrangements exist, the terminology often varies. Common names for local government entities include state, province, region, department, county, prefecture, district, city, township, town, borough, parish, municipality, shire, village, and local service district.

Regional municipality

A regional municipality (or region) is a type of Canadian municipal government similar to and at the same municipal government level as a county, although the specific structure and servicing responsibilities may vary from place to place. Regional municipalities were formed in highly populated areas where it was considered more efficient to provide certain services, such as water, emergency services, and waste management over an area encompassing more than one local municipality. For this reason, regions may be involved in providing services to residents and businesses.

Regional municipalities, where they include smaller municipalities within their boundaries, are sometimes referred to as "upper-tier" municipalities. Regional municipalities generally have more servicing responsibilities than counties. Typical services include maintenance and construction of arterial roads, transit, policing, sewer and water systems, waste disposal, region-wide land-use planning and development and health and social services.

Regional Government of Andalusia

The Regional Government of Andalusia (Spanish: Junta de Andalucía, "Council of Andalusia") is the government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It consists of the Parliament of Andalusia, the President of the Government of Andalusia and the Government Council. The 2011 budget was 31,682 million euros. It employees about 500,000 workers.

Institutions

Parliament

The Parliament of Andalusia is the Legislative Assembly. Its main functions are to enact, amend or repeal laws and to appoint/remove the President. It is composed of deputies chosen by direct, universal suffrage, to represent the Andalusian people. The Parliament was constituted in 1982, after the approval of the Statute of Autonomy in 1981. Its current headquarters is in the former Hospital de las Cinco Llagas, Seville.

President

The President of the Regional Government of Andalusia is the executive of the Autonomous Community and the ordinary representative of the State; he is appointed by an absolute majority of the Plenary session of the Parliament and approved by the king.

Andalusia

Andalusia (/ˌændəˈluːsiəˌ -ziəˌ -ʒⁱə/; Spanish: Andalucía [andaluˈθi.a, -si.a]) is a south-western European region established as an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain. It is the most populated and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities in Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville. Its capital is the city of Seville (Spanish: Sevilla).

Andalusia is in the south of the Iberian peninsula, immediately south of the autonomous communities of Extremadura and Castile–La Mancha; west of the autonomous community of Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea; east of Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean; and north of the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar. Andalusia is the only European region with both Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines. The small British overseas territory of Gibraltar shares a three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian province of Cádiz at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Andalusia, Pennsylvania

Andalusia is a historic neighborhood in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, bordering Philadelphia. The ZIP code is 19020. The area is the southernmost part of the township and of the county. Its boundaries are: Woodhaven Road (Pennsylvania Route 63) to the northeast, the Delaware River to the east and south, and Poquessing Creek to the north and west. Interstate 95, known locally as "I-95", runs through its southeastern section near the Delaware River. The neighborhood takes its name from the Andalusia estate of Philadelphia financier Nicholas Biddle (1786–1844), now preserved as a National Historic Landmark.

In 1922, the unincorporated village was named Torresdale Manor, after the neighboring Torresdale section of Philadelphia, and some developments in the area are still affiliated with that name.

Today, Andalusia is a middle class suburb, mainly typical of the area. Many of its grid-style streets contain small single-family homes that date back to the 1920s. Andalusia is also home to many historic buildings, some dating back to the early Nineteenth Century, owned and inhabited by some of Philadelphia's wealthiest families. Architectural styles include Gothic Revival, Romanesque, and Greek Revival. The neighborhood's main thoroughfare, Bristol Pike (US Route 13, formerly Kings Highway), reveals various homes and churches that have been preserved, while the most esteemed buildings, including Biddle's estate, the Pen Ryn mansion, and State in Schuylkill, are hidden along the banks of the Delaware. Saint Katharine Drexel is buried at the Katharine Drexel Shrine, which is also in the area on Bristol Pike. The Red Lion Inn was located here, at the Red Lion Bridge, along King's Highway (Bristol Pike), at the Poquessing Creek.

Andalusia (Los Angeles, California)

Andalusia is an apartment building located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, built in 1926 in Spanish Colonial Revival style. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Architects Arthur and Nina Zwebell designed the structure, which is said to be turned inward to a richly landscaped interior courtyard. The building is located in a historic neighborhood across Sunset Boulevard from the Chateau Marmont. The same block of Havenhurst Drive also includes two other apartment buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Colonial House (1416 Havenhurst Dr.) and Ronda (1400–1414 Havenhurst Dr.).

See also

References