Lessons from the urban poor

The crisis of development outlined in this book calls out for a need to change the functioning of society, away from a materialist and individual orientation. Drawing from the experience of organized groups of the urban poor in the Global South, this chapter identifies potentially transferable lessons for organizing that can break through the social structures that prevent alternative – collaborative, ecologically sound and egalitarian – modes of development from flourishing. Empirical analysis has a gendered focus, highlighting the potential for an alternative value system that strengthens and extends collective identity and action.