The Urban Poor as Agents of Development: Community Action Planning in Sri Lanka

THE DEVELOPMENT OF “community action planning” within the innovative housing programmes of Sri Lanka has long been of interest to practitioners of housing and urban development in the South. Through community action planning, the National Housing Development Authority have sought to involve the residents of low-income settlements in a range of activities to improve their immediate environment. This book describes the principles and practices of community action planning with a particular focus on the period between 1988 and 1991. The text is illustrated with photographs. The book is divided into five chapters with the first describing the housing situation in Sri Lanka and the introduction of the Million Houses Programme in 1983. The second enced and new trainers who have an interest in training others in the use of participatory methods, whether they are researchers, practitioners, policy makers, villagers or trainers. The guide: • provides a comprehensive background to the principles of adult learning; • focuses on the facilitation skills necessary for effective training; • describes group dynamics and how to build interdisciplinary teams; • summarizes the principles of participatory learning and action; • describes in detail the process of training, both in the workshop and in the field; • suggests how to organize workshops, from laying the groundwork to post-training evaluation; • details 101 interactive training games and exercises. The guide is illustrated with cartoons by Regina Faul-Doyle