Urban Livelihoods: A People-Centred Approach to Reducing Poverty

THIS BOOK WAS commissioned by the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) to discuss the application of the sustainable livelihoods perspective to the urban context. Recently, there has been significant focus on developing a livelihoods approach to development. The sustainable livelihoods framework aims to put people and households at the centre of the development process, starting with their capabilities and assets rather than with their problems. However, it also recognizes that the situation of poor people is determined not just by their own resources but by the economic, social and political context in which they live – thus necessitating a focus beyond poor people and their households, to a wider socioeconomic context.

Much of the work undertaken to date deals with the rural dimension of sustainable livelihoods. This volume examines the findings of recent research on urban poverty, the applicability of the livelihoods conceptual framework to urban areas, the scope and outcomes of some recent urban poverty reduction projects and the possible implications of adopting a livelihoods approach to analysis, policy formulation and project design and implementation. It adopts an urban focus but acknowledges that it is inappropriate to consider “rural” or “urban” areas in isolation, and so the relationships and links between rural and urban areas and people are emphasized.

The book is divided into five parts. In Part I, conceptual and definitional issues are discussed and then the broader context for the discussion of urban issues is described. In Part II, the current understanding of the situation of poor urban people and their households is summarized, drawing on recent research from low- and middle-income nations. Part III analyzes the policy implications of urban livelihoods analysis, covering a variety of sectors including the types of support needed for developing financial, human (health), physical (shelter and infrastructure) and social capital. Part IV aims to assess some lessons learnt from project implementation in urban areas. It draws both on the experience of DFID-supported projects and on comparative research on the outcomes of a number of poverty reduction projects covering India, Jamaica and Zambia. Finally, Part V ends with conclusions both on the implications for project design of using a livelihoods approach and on key conceptual and policy implications. This multidisciplinary book, containing key issues in the urban livelihoods debate, will be of interest to policy makers, professionals, development workers, academics and students.