Dimensions Of Urban Poverty

"In India, over 30 per cent of the total population lives below the poverty line. Such a high degree of poverty highlights a serious dimension of the country's urban scenario also. The insufficient employment opportunities and poor income levels add to the miseries of the urban poor. They live in sub-standard settlements like slums, unauthorized colonies, squatters, pavements, resettlement colonies, etc. These settlements are considered to be the most filthiest in the world. Taking a serious note of the growing urban poverty, the Government of India spent hundreds of crores of rupees on implementing various schemes and programmes with no significant result. Urban poverty continues to be an area of major concern and unbeatable challenge. It was against this backdrop, experts working on different aspects of urban poverty were approached to contribute articles expressing their views and giving their first-hand experiences. The reading of this volume can be immensely useful to professionals, government officials, activists etc., who are involved in poverty alleviation programmes."

This is compounded by the lack of voice and influence that low income groups have in these official spheres.

The contributors respond to the absence of critical debate surrounding the ways in which spaces of the city do not merely contain, but also constitute, urban poverty. The volume explores how the spaces of the city actively produce and reproduce urban poverty.

This report provides an overview of important urban poverty questions. What defines urban poverty and how is urban poverty being measured? What other factors beyond consumption poverty need to be tackled? Who are the urban poor? What relations exist between urban poverty and city size? What linkages exist between urbanization, income, and urban poverty? What policy responses to urban poverty are implemented in selected Asian countries? The report served as a background study for the International Policy Workshop on Urban Poverty and Inclusive Cities in Asia, organized by the Asian Development Bank and the International Poverty Reduction Center held from 24-25 June 2013 in Suqian, Jiangsu Province, the People's Republic of China.

This book looks at the major policy challenges facing developing Asia and how the region sustains rapid economic growth to reduce multidimensional poverty through socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable measures. Asia is facing many challenges arising from population growth, rapid urbanization, provision of services, climate change and the need to redress declining growth after the global financial crisis. This book examines poverty and related issues and aims to advance the development of new tools and measurement of multidimensional poverty and poverty reduction policy analysis. The book covers a wide range of issues, including determinants and causes of poverty and its changes; consequences and impacts of poverty on human capital formation, growth and consumption; assessment of poverty strategies and policies; the role of government, NGOs and other institutions in poverty reduction; rural-urban migration and poverty; vulnerability to poverty; breakdown of poverty into chronic and transitory components; and a comparative study on poverty issues in Asia and other regions. The book will appeal to all those interested in economic development, resources, policies and economic welfare and growth.

The book presents academic research on urbanization, urban poverty and slum development initiatives in South Asia, in general, and Bangladesh, in particular, in the light of global slum upgrading initiatives. It combines the urban poverty and slum development initiatives globally and country-specific context in a single frame. The book identifies different dimensions of urban poverty, best practices of slum development initiatives, and challenges of the implementation of these programs so that the government and different development partners redesign their implementation strategies as regards to reducing the urban poverty and making improvement to the living conditions of the slum dwellers. The book provides a clear understanding of the penetrating procedures of different slum development initiatives in the global perspectives, following the operation procedure of different programs in Bangladesh. This allows the readers to make a comparison of the operating procedures of different programs.

Urbanization will become one of the defining trends of Asia's transformation in the coming decades. Investments in urban areas have a strong potential to contribute to inclusive growth, reduce urban poverty, and strengthen social resilience. The Guidance Note on Poverty and Social Dimensions in Urban Projects aims to assist Asian Development Bank (ADB) staff, including practitioners and specialists working on their behalf, to effectively address the poverty and social dimensions of ADB's urban operations. It provides practical guidance in strengthening the link between urban investments and poverty reduction by making better use of poverty and social analysis as a resource for successful projects. The guide complements the Handbook on Poverty and Social Analysis (2012) which provides general guidance on incorporating poverty and social dimensions in ADB operations.