ABSTRACT

The world's population is rapidly urbanizing but the affluence and development often associated with cities are far from equitably or sustainably distributed. Where it was once taken for granted that responsibility for urban development lay with the state, increasingly the emphasis has shifted to market-driven and public-private sector initiatives, which can marginalize the intended beneficiaries - the urban poor - from decision making and implementation. This text outlines the essential conditions for effective urban planning and management by placing bottom-up community initiatives at the heart of the push for equitable and sustainable development in cities. Crucially, the state must engage with both the market and civil society in pursuit of sustainable cities. Presenting a wide-ranging selection of case studies in rapidly urbanizing and transitional countries, from the poorest parts of Africa and Asia to the relatively developed United Kingdom, the authors describe and analyze innovations in how globally disadvantaged urban communities can be engaged in improving their living environments.

part 1|30 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|13 pages

Top-down and Bottom-up

The Challenge of Cities in the New Century

chapter 2|15 pages

The State, the Market and Community

An Analytical Framework for Community Self-development

part 2|142 pages

Case Studies

chapter 3|18 pages

The Role of Civil Society in Shelter at the Periphery

The Experience of Peri-urban Communities in Maputo, Mozambique

chapter 4|17 pages

The State, Business and the Community

Abating Industrial Nuisance in Lahore, Pakistan

chapter 5|19 pages

Urban Public Transport

The Development of a Regulatory Role for NGOs in Pakistan

chapter 6|16 pages

Informal Development in the Market Socialist City

The Case of the Floating Population of Beijing

chapter 8|18 pages

When Community Development Becomes a Political Bargaining Tool

The Case for Structural Change in Low Income Housing Provision in Costa Rica

chapter 9|15 pages

Community-based Organizations and the Struggle for Land and Housing in South Africa

Urban Social Movements in Transition

chapter 10|19 pages

Renegotiating Places

The Experience of Low-demand Housing in Salford, England