New Directions for Community Participation in Asian Cities

THIS CONTAINS THE papers presented at a meeting on "The Future of Community Participation in the Asian Economic Context" held in Fukuoka, Japan in March, 1998. The meeting brought together practitioners from governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as academics and development professionals. The participants confirmed the need for new institutional bridges to be developed in order for community based action to grow into a city or country-wide movement and achieve a substantial impact on the shelter conditions of the urban poor. They agreed that the rich range of experimentation in the Asian region was helping to develop more responsive institutional mechanisms that could bring
community concerns to the central and local government apparatus. The role of community based organizations in winning transparency and accountability from politicians and bureaucrats was also highlighted. It was hoped that the economic crisis in the region would play a catalytic role in accelerating political and economic reform and help provide new opportunities for community participation.
The papers are divided into two main sections, distinguishing between the national and regional presentations. Seven national presentations are included, covering community participation and housing movements for low-income groups in Korea, low-income housing in Pakistan, community development in the urban context in Vietnam, and community based organizations and the status of housing for the urban poor in Bangladesh. Other presentations cover the topics of economy, poverty and participation in India, opportunities and challenges for community based development programmes in Indonesia, and participatory human settlements development and urban poverty alleviation in Sri Lanka. The four regional presentations discuss new developments in community based approaches in low-income housing, a new scope for community participation and development cooperation in Asia, organizational structures of participatory urban development programmes in Asia, and community development, international capital and good governance.