| | Back to global site
| Register
Enter your username or your registered email address
Enter the password that accompanies your username.
To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
Network
Collaborate  

How can the governments in developing world enhance the upgrade of urban poor settlements?

[Question] - Posted by: Anthony Kuria - Thu 15 Dec, 2011

While low priority to urban shelter is a burden of access to the urban poor, I wonder how the governments' in evolving sphere will recognize the urgency of upgrading poor urban settlements!  We all know that a number of economic, social, administrative and political factors are to blame for these constraints, but the starting line has to be drawn on when the actual initiation has to begin. In most cases priority is given to the productive sector, while investment in the urban industrial sector is encouraged. Planning for shelter and basic urban services in low income settlements does not receive the priority it deserves. Budget allocation for social services, particularly for those in shantytown and dumpier areas, are not adequate. In the case of squatter settlements, government interventions are usually averse to provide services for the fear that it might encourage others to illegally occupy land. Every one of us has a role to play in the upgrade of urban poor settlements. What role have you played? 

Tags
Themes: 
,
,
Relevant Partner Type: 
  • Login or register to post comments
  • Flag as offensive
  • Share this

2 Comments found

Comments

Tue 27 Mar, 2012 20:35:50 — Olufemi Oyedele

Rights advocacy and education

Rights advocacy and education are important roles I have played in ensuring that governments live up to expectation in upgrading urban slums and shanties. According to the United Nations treaty on Human Rights, Housing is a right of human beings. Most people do not realise this and governments of third world nations capitalize on the ignorance of poor citizens in pushing for their right to neglect their housing needs. Food is the first basic need of man. After food is housing, clothing, transport and health in that order. Human beings cannot survive for long without eating. After meeting this need, human beings (homo sapiens) will look for a shelter to wade off inclement weather and to stay in a container for comfort and safety. He will also need to cover his body and after this look for transport means to his place of work, to socialise and to recreate.

Governments should see urban renewal as the fundamental right of the citizens and rural development as a way of discouraging the rural dwellers from mass-migrating to the urban centres because of the urban blight. Citizens should use petitions and protests to push for these rights where governments fail to provide them.

Mon 16 Jan, 2012 15:46:28 — Abubakar Sani

Planning and development in

Planning and development in the developing nations will continue to be elusive because the yearnings and aspirations of the majority (which is the informal sector of the economy) is not adequately captured in the models/concepts/techniques of planning. The developed nations are largely controlled by the formal sector of the economy while in the developing nations the informal sector is the key-player of development, as such the developed nations (which has better training and experiences) must assist the developing nations in designing appropriate models/concepts/techniques that will capture the true yearnings and aspirations of the informal sector, for meaningful development.