Urban Poverty

6-page Environment and Urbanization briefs are now online for the last 3 issues of the journal

Three new briefs are now online and free to download:
Getting land for housing; what strategies work for low-income groups?
What role for mayors in good city governance?
Citizen driven action on urban poverty reduction.

New issue of 'Environment and Urbanization' Vol 21, No 2. 'Secure land for housing and urban development' Oct 09

In urban areas, the struggle by low-income groups to get housing and basic services is often a struggle to get land on which to build or to get tenure of land they already occupy.

Partner News

IIED -América Latina have produced a video 'El Agua era un Sueño' (water was a dream) in English.

Addressing the needs of urban children and adolescents

Not enough is known about practical and effective ways of addressing children's interests within urban development. Their concerns are rarely taken into account in most planning decisions, community development projects or housing and neighbourhood upgrading schemes.

New from Asian Coalition for Housing Rights

A conversation about Bang Bua - community upgrading project Bangkok. 10 page report.

Hope and high water

Dharavi is a place where worlds collide. One of Asia’s biggest slums, it is also an urban powerhouse of micro-entrepreneurism generating over half a billion dollars a year. As IIED director Camilla Toulmin walked its lanes, she found people facing an uncertain future with humour and hope intact.

City without limits: keeping pace with the urban poor

Celine D’Cruz, coordinator of Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI), talks about her work with IIED

Pro-poor Shelter Development

Urban poverty is a significant cause of inadequate shelter. Lack of finance requires individuals or households to rent poor quality accommodation or to build informally and sometimes illegally; no other options are affordable to many of those living in Southern towns and cities.

Human Settlements