Towards an Urban World: Urbanization and Development Assistance

THIS BOOK IS a valuable summary of urban issues but also has a greater interest in that it is presenting a strong argument for a greater involvement by development assistance agencies in urban development in Africa, Asia and Latin America and suggesting what form this assistance should take. It is also significant that this book was prepared and published by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) which has long concentrated on rural development and which, like many aid agencies, has been uncertain as to what role it should take in urban development. Section one highlights the rapid urban growth in Africa, Asia and Latin America and how two thirds of the world’s urban population now live in these regions. It also stresses the diversity between regions (and countries) in terms of the level of urbanization and the rate of growth in urban populations. It also stresses that urbanization cannot be stopped and the flaws in the assumption, common among governments and aid agencies, that urbanization in general and large cities in particular are “bad”.

Section two considers a range of key issues about urbanization - including the strong complementarity between rural and urban areas in many countries, the influence on urbanization and urban policy of structural adjustment and new steps towards democracy and a changed role for the state and the links between urbanization and economic development. It also considers urban poverty (and the inadequacy of the information base about it), the links between environment and health and the issue of shelter and its importance in providing people with a better life. Section three explains why cities should receive aid and why, in particular, Swedish aid should provide assistance to urban development. The reasons include the fact that an increasing proportion of the South’s population (and poor population) live in urban areas, the range of environmental problems accompanying rapid urbanization and the importance to national economies of urban centres. It also points out that many development projects which are not “urban projects” have major impacts on urban areas but few improve conditions in urban areas. Among the types of assistance suggested are support to municipal authorities, support for financial institutions and instruments for infrastructure and housing investments (rather than projects in these areas whose achievements are often limited by the lack of such institutions and instruments), incomegeneration and credit for the poor and health and education services for low income urban dwellers. It also suggests criteria for selecting countries and cities and the main parties with whom SIDA should work (with an emphasis on the local level, working with municipalities and local NGOs and community based organizations). The book also includes short descriptions of some of the innovative urban projects that SIDA has supported. For instance, the PRODEL programme in Nicaragua and FUPROVI in Costa Rica (which was described in more detail in the April 1993 issue of Environment and Urbanization)