In the course of a changed understanding of urban management and development cooperation, interest is increasingly being focused on networks. These are more and more recognised as appropriate modes of action and cooperation for the development of multidimensional and flexible actor systems. The author identifies four modes of action and cooperation of transnational networks of local communities by taking the Tanzania Urban Poor Federation (TUPF) as an example. The results provide guidance for the development of network structures bridging existing gaps in the field of urban governance in the Global North and South. Beate Ginzel is an Architect. She works as Head of Division at the Office for Urban Regeneration and Residential Development of the City of Leipzig and has a lectureship at the University of Leipzig.