Access To Basic Infrastructure By The Urban Poor

This report documents discussions on urban poverty issues in the developing countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia related to the urban poor's access to basic infrastructure services. Basic infrastructure services are services that allow the urban poor to live under conditions that facilitate their income-generating activities so they can maintain a good nutritional level and participate in the normal activities of society. Services include housing, transportation, water, sanitation, solid waste disposal, and energy for cooking and lighting. In addition to discussing ways to improve the conditions of the poor in urban areas through the provision of basic infrastructure services, the workshop also laid the groundwork for follow-up regional senior policy seminars in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. While workshop participants did not attempt to conclude with formal policy recommendations, they did develop general areas of consensus. The focus of the workshop discussions were on the following concerns: financial issues; the role of nongovernmental organizations; the role of governments; and the relationship between nongovernmental organizations and the governments.

This report documents discussions on urban poverty issues in the developing countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia related to the urban poor's access to basic infrastructure services. Basic infrastructure services are services that allow the urban poor to live under conditions that facilitate their income-generating activities so they can maintain a good nutritional level and participate in the normal activities of society. Services include housing, transportation, water, sanitation, solid waste disposal, and energy for cooking and lighting. In addition to discussing ways to improve the conditions of the poor in urban areas through the provision of basic infrastructure services, the workshop also laid the groundwork for follow-up regional senior policy seminars in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. While workshop participants did not attempt to conclude with formal policy recommendations, they did develop general areas of consensus. The focus of the workshop discussions were on the following concerns: financial issues; the role of nongovernmental organizations; the role of governments; and the relationship between nongovernmental organizations and the governments.

Originally published in 1984. The diverse problems suffered by the urban poor in Asia and the means by which their welfare levels can be raised are investigated comprehensively in this study. All chapters, written by specialists, deal with a particular subject but the general theme remains that the factors causing urban poverty and low income levels are interconnected and transmitted from one generation to another. It is intended that this study will lead to discussion of the problems involved in providing services for the urban poor and result in the increased responsiveness of urban management. This title will be of interest to students of urban and development studies.

The chapters in this book examine the data on infrastructure and the poor in developing countries and consider how policies centered on private provision can address their needs. Many of the chapters focus on the extent to which the poor have access to infrastructure services of reasonable quality, for example, to water that is safe to drink, to a reliable source of electricity, and to a nearby telephone. Access to such services is, of course, not the only infrastructure issue that matters to the poor; the poor who already have access to modern services care, for instance, about the price and reliability of those services. However, in most developing countries access is the key issue. In these countries most of the poor have no access to standard infrastructure services provided by utilities. Instead they often pay high prices for lower-quality substitutes: they might buy water by the bucket from a private vendor and use candles instead of electricity for lighting. They would rarely make a telephone call. The lack of ready access to good basic infrastructure services can directly reduce the well-being of the poor.

Getting basic services—housing, transportation, trash disposal, water, and sanitation—poses almost unimaginable challenges to the urban poor of Asia. The Inclusive City provides case studies of how governmental programs attempt to meet these challenges by directly involving the poor themselves in improving their access to urban services through collaborative efforts. Case studies are drawn from the largest cities in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China (including Hong Kong), Indonesia, and the Philippines. Contributors to the book are scholar-practitioners from Asia as well as Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Evaluates the role of infrastructure in promoting economic growth and poverty reduction in Africa. Examines complementary physical infrastructure: telecommunications, power, transport (roads, railways, ports and airports) and water supply. Explores Africa's infrastructure endowment and financing options.

Rapid demographic growth will add 600 million people to cities and towns in developing countries during the 1990s, about two-thirds of the expected total population increase. Of the world's 21 megacities, which will expand to have more than 10 million people, 17 will be in developing countries. With urban economic activities making up an increasing share of GDP in all countries, the productivity of the urban economy will heavily influence economic growth. This paper analyzes the fiscal, financial, and real sector linkages between urban economic activities andmacroeconomic performance. It builds on this analysis to propose a policy framework and strategy that willredefine the urban challenge in developing countries. ISBN10: 0-8213-1816-0 ISBN13: 978-0-8213-1816-4

This publication suggests solutions that can be built into the design of urban development projects undertaken by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to address the common problems and grievances of the urban poor, and to improve urban governance overall. It also identifies successful or promising community-based approaches to dispute resolution that can be useful in urban project design. It uses ADB's Governance policy as a framework for analyzing key findings of Access to Justice for the Urban Poor, a regional technical assistance grant to four developing member countries in Asia and the Pacific---Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The findings consist of case studies illustrating typical problems encountered by the poor in connection with access to urban assets and services, and identifies the types of grievances or disputes that may arise because of these issues. The publication reproduces key case studies to illustrate significant concepts.