ABSTRACT
What exactly is 'small change'? Build a bus stop in an urban slum and a vibrant community sprouts and grows around it - that is the power of small changes that have huge positive effects. This book is an argument for the wisdom of the street, the ingenuity of the improvisers and the long-term, large-scale effectiveness of immediate, small-scale actions. Written by Nabeel Hamdi, the guru of urban participatory development and the master of the art, Small Change brings over three decades of experience and knowledge to bear on the question 'what is practice'?. Through an easy-to-read narrative style, and using examples from the North and South, the author sheds light on this question and the issues that stem from it - issues relating to political context, the lessons of the 'informal city', and the pursuit of learning that challenges convention. The result is a comprehensive, yet imaginative, guide to the forms of knowledge, competencies and ways of thinking that are fundamental to skilful practice in urban development. This is powerful, informed, critical and inspiring reading for practitioners in the field, students and teachers of urban development, those who manage international aid and everyone looking to build their community.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|17 pages
The Setting
chapter 1|15 pages
Street Work and Dev-talk: Who Controls the Truth?
part II|72 pages
Encounters in Practice
chapter 2|11 pages
Departures and Arrivals
chapter 3|3 pages
The Composting Bin: Looking for Starters
chapter 4|12 pages
Power Points, Bullet Points and Waste Collectors: Learning from Precedent
chapter 5|9 pages
Needs and Rights: Some Formal Planning
chapter 6|15 pages
In Search of Community and the Structure of Place
chapter 7|4 pages
The Bus Stop: Cultivating Community
chapter 8|7 pages
Pickers, Sorters and Tap Attendants
chapter 9|7 pages
The Pickle Jars
part III|51 pages
Learning Practice