The City in Urban Poverty

The City in Urban Poverty aims to turn traditional thinking upside down. It suggests that not only is poverty found in the city, the city itself (and its spaces) can also be found in urban poverty as it reproduces and perpetuates processes of exploitation and inequality. Edited by Charlotte Lemanski and Colin Marx, this book thus highlights the dynamics of space and its interaction with processes of exploitation. It also addresses what are currently implicit spatial aspects of urban poverty.

The introduction and conclusion by the editors outline the primary argument of the book and draw out its key lessons for future research and policy-based agendas. In between these, nine chapters written by a range of academics are “drawn together by a common recognition of the importance of incorporating the spatiality of the city into analyses of urban poverty” (page 2). Chapter 1 by Susan Parnell begins by arguing for a re-interrogation of the nexus between “the city” and “poverty” “from the perspective of the large-scale structural urban realities of the Global South” (page 18).

In Chapter 2, Sylvia Chant and Kerwin Datu give an overview of issues related to gender and urbanization. They “flesh out some of the most pertinent intersecting demographic, economic, social and political phenomena affecting women in cities in developing regions” – in particular how these interact with poverty and prosperity through different scales and spaces (page 42).  

Chapter 3 by Alexandre Apsan Frediani draws upon different case studies addressing informal settlement upgrading to explore how capabilities of the urban poor are conditioned by spatial arrangements and concepts. Here, Frediani considers how an expansion of capabilities “can contribute towards a more socially just production of space” (page 64).  

In Chapter 4, Melanie Lombard turns to look at urban informality – and specifically shelter informality – as a dimension of urban poverty, using the analytical lens of “place-making”. Through this Lombard highlights the social and spatial elements of marginalization, how these interact, and what they can teach us about how place is constructed.

Chapter 5 by Isa Baud continues looking at informal settlements by examining “what contributions mapping urban poverty…can make to policy discussions on reducing poverty in urban governance” (page 114). Baud draws upon studies carried out in India and concludes by discussing how spatializing knowledge on urban poverty can improve our understanding of its multi-dimensional and multi-sited nature (page 115). 

Based on research in Calcutta, Romola Sanyal explores the urbanization of refugees in Chapter 6. She reveals how the reshaping of gender, class and caste among refugees not only affects their experience of poverty but also reshapes urban social relations (pages 142 and 154).

Chapter 7 by Caren Levy examines in detail the case of the Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF) to explore the concept of “room for manoeuvre” (an action space for transformative planning). Using the experience of CLIFF, Levy argues that urban planning must prioritize three approaches to address urban poverty and contribute to socio-spatial justice (pages 13 and 159).

In Chapter 8, Amlanjyoti Goswami reflects upon the legality and spatiality of street vendors, using analysis at the scale of the street in Delhi (pages 13 and 183).  

Finally, Gareth Jones and Dennis Rogers in Chapter 9 explore the relationship between violence and cities. Using empirical examples from Latin America to critically challenge research approaches on violence and security, the authors demonstrate the very spatial nature of violence in cities and call “for greater attention to how security is to be achieved in complex urban environments” (pages 13 and 206).  

By promoting the spatial analytical framework that lies at the core of understanding urban poverty, this book calls for “a new spatial politics of urban poverty” and offers a broader range of strategies for poverty reduction available to scholars and policy makers alike (page 2).

Book note prepared by Hannah Keren Lee