ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to provide an overview of what we know about urban poverty in low- and middle-income nations (for a more detailed coverage see Mitlin and Satterthwaite 2013). It draws on the literature not only on poverty but also on deprivations associated with poverty in regard to housing conditions, health, access to basic services, rule of law and voice. It suggests that the scale and depth of urban poverty in Africa and much of Asia and Latin America is greatly under-estimated because of inappropriate definitions and measurements. How ‘a problem’ is defined and measured obviously influences how a ‘solution’ is conceived, designed and implemented — and evaluated. The use of inappropriate poverty definitions that understate and misrepresent urban poverty helps explain why so little attention has been given to urban poverty reduction by aid agencies and development banks. It explains the paradox of so many poverty statistics apparently showing relatively little urban poverty despite the evidence showing the very large numbers living in poverty and facing many deprivations.
