Changing the narrative of the urban poor

The urban poor are often stereotyped, viewed merely as a problem to be solved — or ignored. This week URB.im explores ways of telling the story of poverty in an inclusive and realistic way, with examples that include graffiti art in Cairo, a monthly newspaper for sex workers in Mumbai, and a manifesto for the poor in Dhaka.

Read on to see more transformative narrative approaches from Mumbai, Nairobi, Jakarta, Rio de Janeiro, Dhaka, Mexico City, and Cairo — then join the conversation in the comments below.

Mumbai
Nairobi
Jakarta
Rio de Janeiro
Dhaka
Mexico City
Cairo
Jorge Bela

 
Jorge Bela — Bogotá Community Manager

 

Bogotá's location is in many ways privileged, with mild temperatures and 12 hours of daylight year-round. This location, however, also entails risks: it is a seismic area, and torrential rains can result in serious flooding. The "Niña" weather pattern creates especially dangerous conditions, like the 2010-2011 period when much of the city was left underwater, especially — although not only — in the poorer neighborhoods.

Prevention, mitigation, and management of natural disasters are not the exclusive responsibilities of the city municipality. As these responsibilities are shared with the central government and other local and regional entities, coordination is imperative. In Bogotá, for instance, the Empresa del Acueducto, an autonomous company, runs the sewer system, a crucial element in flood management, and is responsible, along with several local and national agencies, for the upkeep of the flood-prone Bogotá River.

In order to be able to meet its responsibilities, the municipality needs to have an emergency plan in place (Sistema Distrital de Gestión de Riesgos y Cambio Climático). But a plan is not enough: the principles of disaster management must be applied in all areas of government action, and at all levels of urban planning.

Bogotá Community Manager Jorge Bela has been working as a freelance writer and journalist in Bogotá since 2010. Prior to that, he worked at El Pais, Spain's leading newspaper, and Analistas Financieros Internacionales. Bela has also worked as a researcher at the European Latin American Research Institute and as project manager at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He has an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Florida and completed the coursework for a Ph.D. in comparative politics at the University at Albany.

 

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