Readings and resources on cities and poverty
As the holidays approach, many of us seek ways to give to those who are close to us while also sharing with those around the world who need our help the most. With that in mind, our community managers have come up with a few suggestions: books that will deepen your understanding of life in the world's informal settlements, as well as organizations doing work that you and people you know might want to support. Please consider (and share!) these suggestions, then add your own ideas in the comments below.
The "We Are Watching You" Campaign
Katy Fentress, Nairobi Community Manager
Early next year, at some point in March, Kenyans will go to the urns in the hope of democratically electing their next president.
These will be the first presidential elections since the December 2007 election results were announced and a month-long wave of violence and ethnic conflict broke out across the country. The grievances that were unleashed during that time had been stoked-up by cynical politicians in the months preceding the elections. During those dark times, irate neighbors viciously attacked longstanding friends, simply because they were of an ethnic group that was perceived as having robbed them of their rights to riches, land, and the other spoils of power.
When, in early February 2008, peace was finally reestablished and a power-sharing agreement had been settled on, over 800 people had been killed and 600,000 displaced.
The "We Are Watching You" Campaign (WAWY) is a project that was born from the ashes of the violence. Led by the formidable community leader Ramadhan Obiero, the project began as a means of ensuring government accountability and youth engagement in a process of civic vigilance.
By creating forums and assemblies for youth in violence hotspots, WAWY's focus was to highlight the importance of ensuring accountability for politicians and of not succumbing to their short-term promises and handouts.
As the election date looms closer, Obiero and his colleagues have redoubled their efforts to spread the word and raise awareness amongst Kenyan youth around the country. Beyond hosting community-based forums for people to engage in and participate in discussions on leadership, the constitution (which was ratified in 2010), and peace-building, WAWY has been focusing on organizing concerts every few months that speak out about the importance of non-violence, education, and social change.
WAWY is currently involved in two different programs: the community outreach program and the corporate outreach program.
The aim of the community outreach program is to visit all 47 counties in Kenya to organize assemblies and forums in which to talk to youth about the importance of voting and how it is vital not to be manipulated by politicians into becoming hired muscle. The corporate outreach program aims instead to include private companies in the civic education program, giving them a chance to host awareness-raising events. Private companies stand to lose a lot of revenue in case of another flare-up of violence, so it is in their interest for their employees to use their votes wisely.
As part of the fundraising drive to be able to support the campaign over the next few months, Obiero has teamed up with Acumen Fund, who are helping him reach out to funders and raise the necessary cash for his campaign. The WAWY campaign is aiming to raise a total of $40,000 by March. In order to achieve that, their first target is to reach $5,000 by the end of this year.
Because I believe in Obiero, whom I have witnessed working tirelessly on this and other projects — many of which are dedicated to raising the quality of life for people in his neighborhood, Baba Ndogo — I have decided to contribute to the WAWY campaign. I believe ensuring that the elections go smoothly is the single biggest challenge Kenya faces over the next few months.
If you would like to contribute to the WAWY campaign in the name of democracy and non-violence, you can do so through the Global Giving web site here.
Five books you need to know Mumbai
Carlin Carr, Mumbai Community Manager
Mumbai can be intimidating even to the most seasoned researcher. It's a city of extreme numbers — there are 12.4 million people within the city limits, and that number jumps up to 18 million for the greater Mumbai region. In Dharavi, the city's — and, at one time, Asia's — largest slum, has upwards of a half-million residents in just a one-kilometer-square area. The city is home to migrants from all over the country, bringing a diversity of language, culture, political views, and trades. Moving beyond the numbers and into the lives of the city's marginalized requires a hefty reading list. Here are five books to get you started.
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
Suketu Mehta
If you don't know where to begin with Mumbai, start here. Mehta's sweeping work is one that I carried with me everywhere when I first arrived in the city. His Bombay moves from stories of slum dwellers to the city's underbelly — dancers, mafiosi, and even the glitz of Bollywood. This is an absolute must-read for everyone interested in unraveling the complexities of the city's inner workings.
Rediscovering Dharavi: Stories from Asia's Largest Slum
Kalpana Sharma
Dharavi is a unique place in the city and, arguably, in the world. Most visitors are struck by the diversity of businesses, artisanal crafts, and bustling life inside. Originally published over a decade ago, Rediscovering Dharavi remains one of the best introductions to this fascinating settlement. Sharma takes us through the history of Dharavi's development and details the lives, challenges and hopes of the various communities living within this area of the city. Those particularly interested in labor and housing issues will enjoy this work.
Mumbai Reader
Urban Design Research Institute
Mumbai has become a mecca for urban researchers, planners, architects, and sociologists. This annual publication tackles urban planning and architectural issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Environmental issues, women's rights, redevelopment plans and housing policy issues are analyzed in depth; in-between pages spotlight headlines from various newspapers to follow major relevant stories related to the city's future.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Katherine Boo
It's no surprise that Katherine Boo's book, released earlier this year, won the 2012 National Book Award in the US. This is one of the best books I've read about slum life in Mumbai, and about the lives of the poor in general. She eloquently uncovers the story of poverty in the city through four residents of the Annawadi slum, a makeshift settlement near Mumbai's airport. These unforgettable characters give a revealing look into the varying layers of power and exploitation in the lives of the poor.
Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay's Dance Bars
Sonia Faleiro
If you're interested in poverty issues in India, then you must read Sonia Faleiro. Her articles in The New York Times are always fascinating — discovering single stories that can reveal enormous truths, like this one. This year, she released her first book, Beautiful Thing, which introduces us to Leela, a “beautiful and charismatic bar dancer with a story to tell.” So few books tell the story of female migrants to Mumbai, and Faleiro's work of non-fiction gives us new insights into the seedy underworld of Bombay's dance bars and the struggles of these women.
Three organizations working with underprivileged children
On Juhu Beach, a posh beachfront area of Mumbai lined with upscale hotels, 25 orphaned boys have made their home. When I arrived in 2008, the street children shelter was simply a bathroom and locker facility for swimmers visiting the beach. At night, the boys slept on the floor. The shelter has grown in the last five years: it now has a separate area for the boys to sleep, and instead of cooking for themselves, the shelter employs a cook, allowing the boys to go to school and study in their free time.
Many of the boys would not be in this safe, supportive environment if someone hadn't called Childline 1098. Childline is India's first 24-hour emergency line for children in need of assistance. While Childline is a good first contact point, these children need a network of services to break the cycle of poverty, and nothing is more important than education. Masoom Education is responding to the needs of those with complicated lives: many children and teenagers in poverty are forced to work to support their families. Masoom offers night schools, providing an alternative for underprivileged children. These kids come from a variety of backgrounds, but one of the biggest employers of migrant laborers in India is the construction industry. The laborers come from all over the country to Mumbai, living on the sites with their children in tow. Mumbai Mobile Creches provides holistic support to these children. In Mumbai alone, there are 50,000 children living on construction sites.
Mengenal Jakarta lebih jauh
Julisa Tambunan, Jakarta Community Manager
Nineteen: The Lives of Jakarta's Street Vendors, by Josh Estey (photos) and Irfan Kortschak (text): Studies show that 40 percent of Jakarta's economy is made up of informal businesses. The book Nineteen depicts the intimate stories and struggles of 19 of Jakarta's marginalized characters labelled as street vendors, those who work in informal sectors along Jakarta's streets, under the high overpasses, and behind the skyscrapers. The stories range geographically across all municipalities of Jakarta, and socially across many of the different ethnic groups. All are accompanied by beautiful photographs. A rare piece in the literature of Jakarta.
Rujak Center of Urban Studies: One of the most striking organizations that deal with urban issues is the Rujak Center of Urban Studies. Originally a think-tank, Rujak strives to educate all levels of the society for a just and inclusive Jakarta. With a crowdsourcing method, Rujak mobilizes the young middle-class community of Jakarta through Twitter (@RujakRCUS), organizes advocacy projects, and publishes user-friendly urban planning educative tools.
Nineteen: The Lives of Jakarta's Street Vendors
Mengupas cerita para pejuang jalanan
"Kalau ingin merasakan Jakarta yang sebenarnya, mengenal orang-orangnya, habiskan waktu di warung pinggir jalan dan mengobrol-lah dengan mereka yang duduk-duduk di situ," ungkap Josh Estey, fotografer yang menelurkan buku Nineteen: The Lives of Jakarta's Street Vendors bersama dengan penulis Irfan Korthschak. Estey mengungkapkan hal tersebut untuk menegasikan pandangan banyak orang mengenai kota Jakarta yang serba cepat dan serba modern, serta ingin menegaskan bahwa ibukota sungguh pilih kasih terhadap warganya.
Buku yang mengupas kehidupan 19 penjaja kaki lima di Jakarta ini tidak baru, sudah dirilis sejak tahun 2008. Namun, ceritanya tetap relevan dengan keadaan masa kini. Dilengkapi dengan koleksi foto yang mengagumkan, Nineteen melukiskan kisah warga Jakarta yang tersembunyi di balik gedung pencakar langit dan di kolong jembatan layang; mereka yang berjuang dalam sektor informal.
Ide buku ini sendiri berangkat dari penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Mercy Corps, organisasi yang banyak bekerja di wilayah miskin kota Jakarta, pada tahun 2007. Menurut hasil penelitian yang bertajuk Jakarta Urban Livelihood Study tersebut, terlihat bahwa ternyata 40% roda ekonomi Jakarta digerakkan oleh sektor informal. Jadi, para penjaja kaki lima ini tak kalah penting dari mereka yang bekerja di sektor-sektor formal.
Nineteen menjadi menarik sebab meski ke-19 tokoh yang diulas di buku ini memiliki profesi beragam (mulai dari penjual air, tukang soto, sampai pekerja seks komersil) dan tersebar di berbagai penjuru kota serta berbeda usia maupun etnis, namun mereka memiliki sejumlah permasalahan yang sama. Beberapa yang berulang kali muncul adalah akses terhadap layanan dasar seperti air, maupun layanan finansial. Perspektif bertutur yang diambil oleh Kortschak sangat personal dan humoris, sehingga tak seperti kebanyakan buku mengenai masalah perkotaan, Nineteen terasa hangat dan akrab. Untuk melengkapi visual, posisi penjaja kaki lima yang tengah dikisahkan pun ditandai dalam peta Jakarta.
Buku ini bisa didapatkan di sini.
Rujak Center of Urban Studies
Berjuang untuk kota yang adil bagi semua warganya
Kalau boleh memilih organisasi mana saja yang punya taktik paling menarik sepanjang tahun 2012 ini, maka Rujak Center of Urban Studies pantas menjadi salah satunya. Rujak adalah wadah berpikir dan berkarya, kebanyakan untuk mengedukasi warga di bidang perkotaan, khususnya Jakarta. Terdiri dari sejumlah praktisi, arsitek, perencana dan peneliti kawakan yang telah tahunan berkecimpung di dunia perkotaan, Rujak gencar mengarah warga kelas tengah yang "buta Jakarta" untuk mulai peduli terhadap kotanya. Digawangi oleh penata kota kawakan Marco Kusumawijaya, Rujak yakin jika masyarakat, utamanya kelas menengah yang jumlahnya besar sekali, memiliki pengetahuan yang cukup mengenai kota Jakarta, maka mereka bisa menjadi penggerak roda keadilan di Jakarta, sehingga Jakarta tak lagi pilih kasih.
Organisasi ingin meyakinkan bahwa setiap orang punya hak dan kewajiban yang sama di dalam ibukota ini, di manapun ia tinggal dan dari mana pun ia berasal. "Pengetahuan yang benar dan merata adalah cikal-bakal perubahan. Jika pengetahuan tentang kota disebarluaskan, maka kota jadi miliki semua, tidak ada lagi eksklusifitas," berkali-kali diungkap Elisa Sutanudjaja, direktur program-program Rujak, di berbagai kesempatan.
Adalah Pilkada 2012 yang membuat Rujak makin banyak dikenal khalayak ramai. Mengawasi kerja pasangan gubernur dan wakil gubernur baru, Rujak melancarkan banyak kegiatan yang berbasis media sosial, terutama Twitter. Yang paling baru adalah mereka membuka pendaftaran untuk menjadi "Relawan Kota", yaitu mereka yang ingin ikut memperbaiki Jakarta dengan turun langsung ke lapangan. Yang tertarik tinggal mendaftar di google docs yang disebarkan secara viral atau langsung datang ke pertemuan yang diumumkan lewat twitter.
Rujak juga membuat petisi penolakan 6 ruas jalan tol baru yang sedianya akan dibuat membelah-belah kota Jakarta. Petisi yang disebarluaskan lewat media sosial ini ditandatangani oleh ribuan anak muda Jakarta dan diserahkan pada gubernur baru. "Jakarta milik semua orang. Aktivitas warga kelas menengah di Jakarta yang sangat tinggi di media sosial seperti Twitter adalah kesempatan yang sangat besar unutk meningkatkan partisipasi warga," ungkap Dian Tri Irawaty, manajer program Rujak.
Follow Rujak di @RujakRCUS atau kunjungi situsnya di www.rujak.org.
El Leviatán Urbano
Fundación Pro Niños de la Calle
María Fernanda Carvallo, Mexico City Community Manager
El Leviatán Urbano
Abstract: Do you know how the largest cities in the world have developed? Diane Davis, Professor of Urban Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), explains in detail the growth of Mexico City in her book El Leviatán Urbano. From a sociological perspective, she analyzes the network of actors that influenced the growth of the urban area in the 20th century. She describes in detail how labor groups influenced the design of national public policy, and recounts the factors that influenced the urban policy and how policy makers, employers and unions outlined their development.
¿Sabes cómo se han construido las ciudades más grandes del mundo? Diane Davis quien es profesora de Urbanismo en el Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts (MIT) explica con detalle el crecimiento de la Ciudad de México en su libro El Leviatán Urbano, a partir de un análisis sociológico en donde analiza el entramado de actores de esa época que influyeron en el crecimiento de la mancha urbana, describe con detalle cómo influían los grupos sindicales en el diseño de la política pública nacional, narra los factores que impedían que se construyera el sistema metro y cómo los actores políticos, empresarios y sindicatos delinearon el desarrollo del país.
Leer El Leviatán Urbano es abrir la puerta del tiempo de la Cd. de México y del siglo pasado, es entrar a un mundo de explicaciones que nos ayuda a entender las causas de los conflictos por los que hoy atraviesa esta gran ciudad como la contaminación, la escaza oferta de servicios públicos y la deficiencia en el transporte público.
Como su nombre lo indica, El Leviatán Urbano refiere al gran monstruo de la Ciudad, entendiendo a este como sus grandes procesos de formación, los intereses y los poderes políticos detrás de ellos. La autora recorre la cimentación de la Ciudad en la época postrevolucionaria mostrando la política urbana de aquel entonces, los liderazgos y el establecimiento de los objetivos urbanos; evoluciona al contexto de las clases sociales y el corporativismo del General Lázaro Cárdenas que dio paso al desarrollo industrial y a los confortamientos de intereses entre el crecimiento urbano y las políticas; analiza el papel de la Cd. de México en el desarrollo nacional en la era de Luis Echeverría y en la crisis del Milagro Mexicano, hasta la articulación de una nueva política urbana ante los efectos del terremoto del 85 y los conflictos del desarrollo urbano de un gobierno unipartidista.
En líneas de la autora, este libro muestra la problemática del desarrollo urbano que recaía en la dificultad de vincular el corporativismo, la urbanización veloz e incontrolada, la industrialización concentrada y un sistema político con un partido hegemónico, que como consecuencia se volvió menos capaz para encausar las demandas de servicios urbanos, alejando a los habitantes de las estructuras estatales y apoyo al partido, para integrar movimientos urbanos que encausó el debilitamiento institucional del partido en el poder.
Sin duda este libro merece estar en tú cabecera si te interesa entender cómo surgen las grandes ciudades, en particular la Ciudad de México.
Fundación Pro Niños de la Calle, I.A.P.
Abstract: Fundación Pro Niños de la Calle's mission is to provide the conditions for street children to choose another way of life permanently. It serves teens between 10 and 17 who live in the streets of Mexico City, regardless of their physical condition, provenance, emotional condition, and addictions. Support for this foundation provides opportunities for street children to improve their lives permanently, according to the argument of Amartya Sen. Pro Niños de la Calle aims to develop skills in children so they are not limited by their context to live in poverty, but have the option to choose between street life and a healthier lifestyle. By 2011, Pro Niños de la Calle had rescued 812 children, some of whom have been placed back with their families or in residential programs, while others live independently through a paying job and by strengthening their decisions through monitoring programs for addictions.
Pro Niños de la Calle tiene como misión facilitar las condiciones para que los niños de la calle puedan elegir otra opción de vida de manera permanente. Atienden a adolescentes entre los 10 y 17 años que viven en las calles de la Cd. de México, independiente de su condición física, procedencia, estado de salud, estado emocional y adicciones.
Las causas por la que un niño es orillado a la condición de calles deriva del ámbito de la familia, la escuela y la comunidad, entre ellas: la pobreza, el desempleo, adicciones, prostitución, violencia, falta de sentido de pertenencia y violación de los derechos de la infancia y la juventud, entre otras. A pesar de que las condiciones son injustas y precarias en la calle, los niños de la calle se encuentran atrapados en el entorno debido a factores que no permiten cambiar el estilo de vida, como el acceso a drogas, dinero fácil, asistencialismo y experiencias sexuales.
Apoyar a Pro Niños de la Calle es brindar oportunidades a los niños de la calle para que mejoren su vida de manera permanente; siguiendo la lógica del Premio Nobel de Economía Amartya Sen, Pro Niños de la Calle busca desarrollar capacidades en los niños, de manera que no estén orillados por su contexto a vivir la pobreza, sino que tengan la opción de elegir entre un estilo de vida sano y la vida de la calle.
Para lograr esta labor, Pro Niños de la Calle implementa un modelo educativo en tres etapas, el cual supera el asistencialismo y rompe con el ciclo multidimensional de la pobreza, de manera que los niños puedan desarrollar estrategias de vida. La primera consta en realizar trabajo de calle para acercarse de manera amistosa a los niños por medio de juegos, y se les invita a que acudan a la fundación durante el día. En la segunda etapa en la fundación se realizan actividades con el niño en el Centro de Día de 9:00 a 16:30 horas para explorar alternativas de vida y hábitos saludables, con el fin de demostrar otra opción viable de vida, desarrollar sus capacidades y contrastar el entorno de la calle. En una etapa final en la que el niño elige abandonar su situación de calle, se le acompaña en el proceso de adaptación para asegurar su decisión, en este sentido se prepara para reinsertarse con la familia, o en una casa hogar o vivir de manera independiente bajo un modelo sano de vida y se alienta a tener un seguimiento en su proceso.
Al 2011 Pro Niños de la Calle rescató a 812 niños, de los cuáles algunos se han reinsertado son sus familias o en programas residenciales, y otros viven de manera independiente al tener un trabajo remunerado y continuar fortaleciendo su decisión a través de programas de seguimiento de adicciones.
Para apoyar a que más niños de la calle tengan la oportunidad de elegir su modo de vida y salir de las condiciones en las que viven, puedes aportar una cuota periódica o a través de donativos, en especie o voluntariado. Mayor información disponible aquí.
Books worth reading, organizations worth supporting
Catalina Gomez, Rio de Janeiro Community Manager
The holiday season is coming soon, and with it comes the opportunity to catch up with the reading that we haven't had time to cover during the year. The holidays are also a time when many people like to give financial support to organizations that are transforming people's lives. So here are some recommendations for those interested in learning more about Brazil, and for the people interested in supporting organizations that are doing exceptional work to have a more sustainable and just Rio de Janeiro.
For all those who are interested in reading about urban upgrading, I recommend a recent book that compiles the lessons from Brazil. Urban Upgrading: Lessons Learned from Brazil was produced through a collaboration among the Inter-American Development Bank, Cities Alliance, Brazil's Ministry of Cities, and the Caixa Econômica Federal. It compiles lessons from different programs within Brazil, including well known cases from Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Curitiba, as well as cases that are less well known, but surely interesting, including Manaus and Vitoria among others.
The book studies the physical, urban, and architectonic dimensions of upgrading programs, but goes further in analyzing the social and institutional dimensions, which have been less explored and are pivotal in the success and sustainability of upgrading interventions. I'm sure you will find this book useful with insights of current and future challenges faced in interventions of this type.
Another book worth considering during this season is Underground Sociabilities: Identity, Culture and Resistance in Rio's Favelas, which is the product of research led by the London School of Economics. The book explores several issues concerning the favelas, such as poverty, exclusion and violence. It also highlights the role of new social actors in promoting social inclusion and cultural activities that have tremendous positive effects in the beneficiary communities. As a professional who has worked with several social projects in low-income communities in Brazil, I find this analysis fascinating, inspiring and worth learning from.
Both books are available for sale, but if you only want to have a quick look at them, you can find them here and here (go to "READ FINAL REPORT").
With respect to institutions and organizations worth supporting during this season, URB.im has covered the work of several that are doing an impressive job in improving the conditions of the poorest and most vulnerable populations in Rio de Janeiro. It might be through the training of youth in the use of computers and technology in excluded communities, like the work of Rede Jovem and the Developing Minds Foundation; through the efforts of Favela Orgânica, an organization that promotes cooking classes to favela dwellers and teaches them how to take advantage of food that is usually discarded; or through the work of Salvemos São Conrado, an initiative that is raising awareness about the garbage and contamination in one of Rio's most beautiful beaches that is affecting the ocean and the communities close by.
Although these four organizations are just a few marvelous initiatives among hundreds of others, I would like to highlight their work. Just contact their coordinators and you will find, as I did, that they are willing to present their organization's activities and concrete results of their work. So let's go ahead and give them fuel for more to come! Please contact the organizations directly or let us know if you'd like further insights into how you can support them.
Father Joseph Maier and the HDF Mercy Center
Joseph Petrillo, Bangkok Community Manager
Among the many community organizations providing services to the poor in Bangkok, I am especially fond of the Human Development Foundation Mercy Center.
The Human Development Foundation Mercy Center
Begun in 1973 in the Slaughterhouse area of Klong Toey, Bangkok's most notorious slum, HDF Mercy Center was the brainchild of Father Joseph Maier and Sister Maria Chantavarodom. Father Joe, as he is affectionately called, was the parish priest for the Catholics that butchered the pigs in the district. Sister Maria began teaching the children of the Slaughterhouse at a school she set up in a seldom used holding pen for the pigs. According to Father Joe:
"In its early days, almost 50 years ago, the Slaughterhouse [in 70 Rai] actually was a safe and fairly healthy place to live. [...] Seven years ago, it all began to unravel. Authorities decided that the old method of butchering pigs, the way we had been doing it for generations, was not hygienic, and that it was time to move the Slaughterhouse. No work meant no cash for food. [...] The Slaughterhouse residents were told they would soon have to leave, that they were being evicted from the homes and shacks that their families had homesteaded for over 50 years — that they had no rights. [...] Authorities tore down the pigpens and cemented them over as a massive parking area for the trucks that carry products to and from the adjacent Klong Toey Port. [...] With the trucks came their drivers seeking drugs, alcohol and temporary female companionship. [...] The authorities would provide housing in new suburban slums outside of the city, miles and hours away from where they could earn a livelihood...." — Father Joseph Maier, "Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse: The Battle for Human Dignity in Bangkok’s Bleakest Slums" (2005)
Since then, HDF Mercy Center charity has grown to operate thirty-two preschools that have taught more than 20,000 children how to read and write, and six shelters for abandoned, abused and orphaned children, and sponsors more than 500 of the poorest neighborhood children to attend primary and secondary school.
It also provides home care for the poor for more than 500 patients living with AIDS in Bangkok, helping them to maintain their strength and remain productive members of their family and community.
The Gospel of Father Joe
For anyone looking to dig deeper into the world of Bangkok's slums, I recommend The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolutions and Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok, by Greg Barrett.
According to Publisher's Weekly:
"Barrett, a veteran journalist, records the inspiring work of Catholic priest Joe Maier in Bangkok's slums. Drawn to service in Thailand on a whim, the misfit American seminary student found a calling among the Thai downtrodden, even living in the slums himself.... [M]any of the stories are memorable, from the tragic (street toddlers, happily schooled at Mercy, later dying there of HIV/AIDS), to the triumphant (Mercy graduates who attend college abroad and are able to climb out of poverty)."
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Nicola Griffiths replied on Permalink
We love Ramadhan Obiero!!
To anyone reading this post, and as someone who has also witnessed first hand the amount of effort Rama puts in to bettering his community and Kenyan society at large, I would just like to re-iterate what Katy Fentress said in her article, that Ramhadan Obiero truly is formidable and that his campaign deserves as much support as it can get, especially at the present moment, with elections round the corner.
Ideas for Street Vendor Policy in Jakarta?
Julisa, I’m sure the book on the lives of Jakarta’s street dwellers is fascinating. In Mumbai, the informal sector is said to be 70%, and in India altogether, over 90%. I’m curious if you have any insights—or if the book offers some—about how street vendors are treated by the state, and if city planners have come up with any innovative models to incorporate street vendors into the street life. In Mumbai, the municipality treats the vendors—who I would see as being such an important part of the fabric of the city—with great hostility. (Prof. Sharik Bhowmik wrote about this for urb.im earlier this year). It’s interesting that people seem to enjoy the convenience and affordability of street vendors, but there is little effort to zone space for them and embrace their services as essential functions to urban life in India. Anything interesting happening on this front in Jakarta?
RE: IDEAS FOR STREET VENDOR POLICY IN JAKARTA?
Hello Carlin, the book is indeed fascinating. There are no precise estimates for what percentage of Jakarta’s informal economy is comprised of street vendors, but they obviously dominate the urban landscape. And echoing what you say about the street vendors in Mumbai, their economic role is powerful—it has been calculated that Jakarta’s street vendors can earn a combined total of Rp 13 trillion (US$ 1.38 billion) per year. And again, you're right, there are similarities in the way the state is treating street vendors --although I must say that the most common challenges faced by the vendors are more of those related to their extra-legal status which make them hardly significant. These vendors experienced issues with land tenure insecurity, basic urban services, access to capital and financial services, as well as social relationships and networks -- and yet all of these are the same issues faced by the urban poor in the city. I think it's important to connect diverse actors on the urban stage —from local governments to Indonesian community organizations, to work together in acknowledging their legal status first and foremost.
Sonia Faleiro's Top Book Pick for Poverty Researchers
It was fun picking my top five favorite books for poverty researchers coming to Mumbai--not an exhaustive list by any means! I threw the question out to some Twitter folks to get their thoughts. Here's what Sonia Faleiro--author of "Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay's Dance Bars," one of my top five: "The gold standard on poverty reportage for me, not connected to Bombay, alas, is Adrian Nicole Le Blanc's Random Family." I quickly read the synopsis, and it sounds fascinating.
Has anyone else read this? Anyone have any recommendations to add to my list on Mumbai?
Katherine Boo and Suketu Mehta Agree on Random Family
I was at a literary event in Mumbai this weekend, and I was lucky enough to hear two author's who topped my list this week--Suketu Mehta and Katherine Boo. It seems that they, too, agree that Random Family is an excellent book on poverty in the US. Mehta, who lives in NYC now, also made an interesting point about how the most poignant stories of cities are being told by outsiders. He said he pitched an idea to National Geographic to have them bring in people from all parts of the world--from villages in Africa to the countryside of South America--to tell the stories of the US. What do you think of the outsider's ability to tell the story of your city, in all its complexities? I think Katherine Boo proved it can be done with years of hard reporting work, but I'm curious if any of you have any similar viewpoints on your cities.
One more recommendation
What a fantastic set of recommendations on books worth reading and organizations worth supporting among the URB.im cities! I hope I have the time to catch up with all those readings.
I would like to add just ONE more recommendation on the organizations worth supporting in Rio: The Fundação Oscar Niemeyer, which is a Foundation located in Rio de Janeiro that serves as a resource center on architecture, urban planning and design. The organization has a vast compilation of the work of the late architect Oscar Niemeyer, who died 2 days ago in Rio at the age of 104. Mr. Niemeyer was a Brazilian icon, internationally known for the design of most of the public buildings in Brasilia, as well as many projects in Rio, Curitiba and other Brazilian cities. His designs can also be found in several countries including Venezuela, Cuba, and Spain among many others. The architect was an innovative, controversial and influential professional. He will be remembered for his socialist thinking, which he addressed in his creations. Such creations provided a special identity to the areas were the projects were located. In the case of Brasilia, his designs shaped the identity of the entire city and the lives of its dwellers. Supporting the mentioned organization will help to keep alive Mr. Niemeyer’s legacy and the work towards the promotion of innovative, socially-conscious architecture and urban design. Check the following website: http://www.niemeyer.org.br/
Support Children living in the streets
The Human Development Foundation Mercy Center, Childline 1098 and Fundación Pro Niños de la Calle, implement similar strategies in order to help children living in street and brake the multidimensional conditions of poverty. These models promote the permanence of children in a life with better conditions and opportunities, I mean they develop children's capacities to choose a better way of life. Definetely worth supporting these organizations.
Great recommendations
Fantastic recommendations on readings and organizations on these URB.IM cities! I wanted to chip in a quarterly magazine that I've become a fan of: The magazine is CityScapes, published out of the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town on a semiannual basis: http://africancentreforcities.net/publications/10/
Although very much focused on the salient issues taking place within African cities, I've come to greatly appreciate its comparative nature. For example, the Winter 2012 issue included a photo essay of Lima, Peru and discussion of the growth of poor settlements on the city's periphery; articles discussing Johannesburg vs. Bangalore as a "world-class city" (and a critique of the Konza Technology City, a "Silicon Valley" development initiative in Nairobi. It also featured an interview with the Mayor of Mogadishu.
In addition, the articles and magazine as a whole deftly synergize intellectual discourse on urban development with practical, everyday perspectives -- all while hitting on the key struggles and challenges that many emerging/developing country cities face. In addition, the manners through which contributors examine cities in interdisciplinary - from photodocumentary, to political economy, to urban planning to environmental approaches.
It's a new magazine (the first issue came out in January of this year, and the second this Winter), but a fantastic read so far if you can get your hands on it.
One for the photography enthusiasts...
I'd like to recommend "Grassroots Upgraded", a Slum-Tv collective photography book in which participants, all youth who have grown up in Nairobi's Mathare slum, worked with LoMo film cameras, whose plastic lenses produce varied and unpredictable results.
Th aim of the project was to "capture unexpected images, to fill in the gaps and by doing so maybe even humanize a life which is being presented as inhuman"
The pictures offer us a soft-focus view of life in Mathare and the book is a good way get perspective into the other, less-sensationalistic side of life in the slums.
“Grassroots Upgraded” is available to buy on
Amazon [http://www.amazon.com/Grassroots-Upgraded-Reflections-Nairobi-Eastlands/...
Barnes and Noble [http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grassroots-upgraded-slum-tv/1111017221]
And
Uread [http://www.uread.com/book/grassroots-upgraded-tv-slum-tv/9789058563910]
A trailer which showcases the images can be found on the Africalia [http://africalia.be/blog/2012/10/09/grassroots-upgraded/] website
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