Authored by two planner/architects, this book on participatory planning is at once highly ambitious and modest in its aims. In the introduction, the authors acknowledge: “…it is unlikely that the reader will find many new ideas in this book. It is equally unlikely that everyone will agree with it.” It seeks to revive an emphasis on people-centered housing and bottom-up planning, dispensing with fads and misguided conceptualizations such as Cities Without Slums. The text utilizes vivid examples largely from African cities, which uncover the processes and transformations in governance that can enable communities to become key decision makers. With a mix of candour and optimism, the authors show how community participation can be made to work across diverse settings and over time.

Part I questions many conceptualizations of “slums” and informality through richly textured chapters on daily life and historically grounded discussions of these settlements. After a brief chapter on slum clearance policies since the nineteenth century, Chapter 2 provides snapshots of settlements in cities such as Accra, Addis Ababa and Dubai. These profiles offer some interesting insights into rental housing in African cities, which vary widely in housing quality and conditions. Practitioners must avoid generalizations about informal settlements, which are home to vulnerable households as well as successful entrepreneurs. Chapter 3 offers sketches of several residents, while Chapter 4 criticizes the lip service paid to community “consultation” and “participation”. The authors also provide a stimulating, scathing analysis of the project cycle, which they argue is inflexible and unaccountable to the poor. Communities can find solutions on their own, without necessarily requiring large investments, as long as planners emphasize consensus-building and responsiveness. Part I ends by reviewing the problems of legal frameworks and building standards, which are contrasted with the efficiency, flexibility and economy of informal processes.

In Part II, the authors present a framework for placing communities in the “driver’s seat” and show that participation can become an integral part of democratic government. Effective participation depends on a transfer of power and forging meaningful partnerships between communities and local governments. After a conceptual discussion of participation in Chapter 6, Chapter 7 offers brief examples of how to negotiate effectively, provide community members with useful skills, and build consensus. The authors emphasize good communication; reversals in government relationships and staffing (such as Chapter 8’s “barefoot bureaucrats” based in communities); and sharing responsibility in financial matters (Chapter 9). Small-scale and gradual approaches are advocated, and Chapter 10 makes the important point that projects should be subject to continuous review with community oversight. Chapter 11 concludes by considering the different actors in local governance, and notes that positive outcomes require continuity in funding and establishing trust between parties. The authors do discuss some challenges of participation, such as control of money, bureaucratic resistance and community divisions. Yet the benefits remain profound, and the book provides a detailed but flexible model of how participatory planning can truly benefit the poor.