UCL Development Planning Unit

dpuIssue 51 June 2009news

In this issue: As food security is under threat, is urban a move in the right direction? See Focus On, page 2

5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 1 03/07/2009 10:28 Focus on By Robert Biel and Yves Cabannes

The rise of Urban Agriculture the Transition Towns movement in Ireland Conceptual framework Previously marginalised, urban agriculture and the UK, which is a development of The struggle for land has always had a (UA) has recently been receiving increasing potentially historic significance which has dimension which explicitly challenges the recognition, and is moving higher on the UA as a central focus. ruling order. Capitalist development and urban agenda. At the same time, we are Urban agriculture contributes to a urbanisation are everywhere accompanied seeing a rapprochement between official sustainable form of development in a by the degradation and eviction of rural agendas and grassroots movements in number of ways. It reduces and labourers, and in response, we find an advocating UA. What is the explanation? hunger, generates jobs and can increase uninterrupted tradition of fighting back, A serious urban food crisis is now hovering. income. Its contribution to inclusion of a running from the English of 1649 We will discuss the substance of this crisis wide variety of destitute social groups is through to the Brazilian landless movement in a moment, but the initial point to make significant. At the same time, its allows for a (MST). is that official development discourses recycling of organic domestic waste through But UA also has another side to it: dare not acknowledge that food security is compost and recycling of waste water and integrative, in the sense of encouraging under threat, so it is not openly discussed. therefore contributes to improving the people to accept their lot within an However, the increasing emphasis on UA environment. The evidence is that this new exploitative system. For the working class, constitutes a kind of coded recognition. trend is here to stay. But existing research urban/industrial life can be alienating and Thus, both many national policies and laws has been deficient in key respects: although oppressive; if workers can be made to calm in countries as diverse as Brazil, much empirical work has been done, down and peaceably dig their allotment, and Peru, and many municipal policies, analysis tends to be restricted to assessing they are less likely either to get drunk, or such as that of Kampala (Uganda), are ‘best practice’, at the expense of any to radicalise and fight the system in their now UA-friendly. On the community side, understanding of the true significance and workplace or the street. This was the urban dwellers, finding their food security underlying logic of this crucial phenomenon. thinking behind official backing for the increasingly challenged, are unfolding many This paper is intended as an initial English allotment movement, and behind exciting new UA innovations, for example contribution to pushing the theory forward. similar programmes in ; in times the maraîchers (vegetable gardeners) in We define UA as the sum of food of severe crisis UA has been seen as a Dakar (Senegal), and Chinese mushroom production activities in the city and its source of ‘values’ and integration, which producing co-ops. These developments give peri-urban region. We emphasise not just attracted strong support from the Nazis. rise to new institutional forms, enabling land, but space (rooftops, balconies). In the It encourages the downtrodden to bear up official-grassroots dialogue, for example the third section, we will attempt a normative to the everyday oppressions of urban life, multi-actor committee in Accra (Ghana), or definition. without demanding a say in how the city

Peri-urban mushroom farming in China

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5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 2 03/07/2009 10:28 is run. There is therefore always a strong tension between the radical and co-opting facets of UA. In the current crisis, this historic contradiction is undoubtedly still present, but the bland ‘best practice’ discourse of much contemporary UA analysis serves to obscure it. It is this fudging which we need to clear away. So much for the continuity with earlier history, but today’s crisis also introduces many new features. Workers employed in the formal sector are probably now the minority, and the principal problem is to manage the disaffection and alienation of the more marginalised populations who theory that poor people lack ‘entitlements’ ABUNDANCE project subsist in an informal way. Official discourses (the wherewithal to access food). But to demonstrate estate also correctly – albeit from a social although Sen was right to attack the food-growing, on the Guinness Trust Estate, control motivation – recognise a link with Malthusian notion of an absolutely deficient Loughborough Park, nutrition: poor nutrition underpins cycles of food supply, there remains something South . underachievement and exclusion. more profound underpinning the crisis: The above points would apply at an the actually existing global food system individual or family level, but becomes – squeezed between diminishing returns even more interesting when we move to a from chemical-based agriculture, peak community level. The sustainable livelihoods oil, insufficient resilience in the face of framework recognises the importance of climate change shocks, and a tendency for networks, and also, their vulnerability at a speculative finance capital increasingly to time of crisis. Once again, this recognition exploit the food sector – will soon genuinely is correct, but it can be pushed in an be unable to feed the people. exploitative sense: if communities can be encouraged to guarantee their own social A move in the right direction and economic reproduction in a low-cost In a normative sense, the fundamental way or outside the monetary economy, programme is to shift to a radical movement this will relieve a failing capitalism of of dispossessed and rightless. This will the responsibility of repairing the social be possible if producers’ movements and damage it continuously causes. Hence the urban agriculture co-ops can link up their ‘sustainable communities’ discourse, of struggles, and their initiatives, to a much which UA is an integral part. broader array of social movements. We can formulate in theory the This may be concretely expressed in an contradiction between a transformative or a agenda for change, addressing in a practical merely palliative UA, but the reality of how way the specific challenges facing an this plays itself out can only be grasped in urban agriculture which, in many respects, the concrete. For instance, the piqueteros stands today at a crossroads. The point is in Argentina are a social movement which to accentuate those already-existing facets radically questioned power relations locally of UA which can seriously contribute and globally. The movement has since been to humanity’s surviving the crisis. As a channelled to a significant extent into UA preliminary contribution, we would highlight activity, notably in the city of Rosario. It the following linked aspects. Firstly, the might be that this has anaesthetised it; but productivity of UA needs to be raised so as on the other hand, UA practitioners have to constitute a serious contribution to the retained their militance, so this could also cause of ‘cities feeding people’. Secondly, equally signify the birth of a new radicalised cultivation methods associated with a high form of UA. Only research on the ground output of food must still be not just organic, can answer such questions. but also low-input, including low input Let’s now add the dimension of the of labour (permitting the same individual wider food crisis itself. In its initial form, to combine UA with diverse livelihood this crisis seems to confirm Amartya Sen’s strategies), of energy and (a key point) of

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5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 3 03/07/2009 10:28 ‘Permaculture Training Course led by Graham Burnett and Mark Warner

water, alongside low output of greenhouse gases and harmful waste. Thirdly, UA must be incorporated into a sustainable city metabolism, using methods similar to those of ‘industrial ecology’ to process things which would otherwise be waste (grey water, compostable material). Fourthly UA should become a laboratory of institutional experiments of wider significance to the new popular development project, e.g. regimes for the stewardship of common property resources. Finally, all of the capable of feeding the city’s residents is a unique contributor in embodying popular above imply a big development and input qualitative one. This is why the Garden City aspirations to overturn our alienation from of knowledge. This knowledge must aim manifesto launched by Ebenezer Howard the natural world. at empowering grassroots producers, in 1898, and carried forward by Unwin for example to select and save their own et Parker, remains a living issue. In many Supporting Urban Agriculture in seed and experiment with it. This is fully respects, the key is vision. This is why the practice: ABUNDANCE compatible with, and in fact requires, a Transition Towns (TT) experience is so The ABUNDANCE project (Activating major investment in R&D, as in the Cuban relevant, because a visioning exercise is Blighted Urban Niches for a Daring case (research on biological pest controls, central to it: in his day, Howard lacked the Agricultural Network of Creativity and etc.) benefit of permaculture knowledge, but as Endeavour), run by the DPU in partnership We will conclude by highlighting a the TT experience shows, the permaculture with Transition Town Brixton was initiated few trends to be emphasised in realising approach is applicable not just to agriculture in late 2007 and concluded (in a formal these goals. UA cannot be seen merely in a strict sense, but to its place within the sense) at the end of 2008. Its aim was as a means to support the livelihood of entire city metabolism. It is important, too, to develop a new paradigm for urban the urban poor (even if it contributes). It that agricultural method is not separated agriculture in London, specifically on low- must be the starting point for a critique from the legal and institutional relationship income housing estates. It formed part of of the entire food system: from industrial to the land: Howard advocated common UrbanBuzz, a programme for sustainable agriculture to the long circuit of marketing, property in land, with the revenues from community-building and knowledge transfer and the very high ecological footprint ground rent distributed to the citizens in the in urban areas of London and Southeast of current agricultural processes. UA is form of services. This links with the Digger England, based on partnership between a favourable starting point for launching philosophy of the earth as a common Universities and a non-academic (business a new agricultural revolution, because it treasury, and looks towards common or community) bodies. is relatively immune from the hold of property regimes as an institutional solution The focus of ABUNDANCE was agribusiness. But if it remains restricted for sustainable resource stewardship. South-North knowledge transfer. As to the urban framework, this revolution UA is intrinsically diverse, as well as such, it built upon the DPU’s experience would be incomplete. The basic staples of forming part of a wider movement for in the urban agriculture field, particularly our global food system (rice, wheat, corn, societal change, whose diversity it also Yves Cabannes’ leading role in surveying soybean) remain under the control of its strength. We hope that it can act as cultivable urban space, for example in agribusiness, monocropping and export- trigger for wider alliances. While remaining Cuba and Argentina, and his current role oriented chemical-based farming with conscious of the risk of being co-opted, as Evaluator of the global programme of high fossil fuel inputs; as such it remains producers must continue to struggle, as Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture vulnerable not just to climate change but many do, for UA to be inserted within urban and Food Security (RUAF), as well as on to the agendas of capital accumulation planning agendas and supported through the major research programme on the which place profit above the precautionary public resources. While continuing to peri-urban interface (PUI, directed by principle (for example, in propagating develop its leisure based and social inclusion Julio Dávila and Adriana Allen) which GMOs), speculate on biofuel plantations, dimensions, UA can at the same time begin ran over several years in several cities of or buy up huge tracts of land in pursuit to initiate an economic model, still to be the developing world. The point about of a new, imperialistic definition of food invented, that could become an alternative South-North knowledge transfer is that it security. UA must therefore ally itself with to the current one, which is in a deep crisis. reverses the more usual colonial attitude to a rural movement for the defence of family In this, it will work together with radical knowledge, as well as recognising that the based and cooperative agriculture focused movements. The latter should support the South is in fact in the forefront of strategies on mixed systems of polyculture and animal struggle for UA, but not try to subordinate which will in the near future be required if husbandry. or homogenise it: UA has the special, humanity is to confront immense challenges The question of scale is crucial, because intrinsic dynamic which we have briefly to its food security. ABUNDANCE also the transition from today’s UA to a system described in this paper, which makes it a drew on Robert Biel’s experiments with

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5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 4 03/07/2009 10:28 agricultural knowledge systems which spatial and institutional solutions to urban are everywhere still being sacrificed at the he describes as ‘working with nature and food production. The pattern will then by altar of an already-doomed globalisation. like nature’, and which can otherwise be highly diverse, including not just individual- We similarly felt that the GLA conference called permaculture, agroecology or no-till family production/consumption (as in the grossly neglected the international farming. This is also a South-North transfer, allotment model), but also collective food- experience, as well as failing to link or because it draws upon sources like studies growing linked to distribution networks, dialogue with the powerful experience of of traditional African systems (some still micro-scale growing, the use of non-land regime-based solutions which exists among surviving), archaelogical evidence from the spaces like rooftops and balconies etc. Only English allotment activists. Our strategy is pre-colonial Americas, or the assimilation of on such a highly flexible basis can cities to be centrally active within the emergent Chinese experience by the pioneers of the produce significant quantities of their own movement, precisely in order to contribute modern organic movement like Sir Albert food, and trigger the adaptation of human critically from a DPU perspective. Howard. society to the challenges it now confronts. The methodology of ABUNDANCE The Transition Towns (TT) movement Resilience requires fresh thinking, and was similar to that of Participatory Action (beginning as recently as 2006) is one of diversity of responses. Research (PAR). A common issue in PAR is the remarkable social movements of the In facing this challenge, we decided to how to empower communities when coming current phase of history. Pioneered in do two things: to map available growing from outside, which often raises agonising Totnes, Devon by Rob Hopkins, it is about space (drawing upon experiences and ethical issues for the researcher. Looking communities taking charge of their own methodologies from the developing world); back at our diary, a phrase like “piloting a (and therefore humanity’s) destiny, pushing and to unfold a pilot project in a low- ghost-ship through the Sargasso Sea” attests development onto a fundamentally different income housing estate. Typical London to our sense of isolation around spring course where skills, capacity, knowedge and estates have a number of housing blocks 2008. Nevertheless, it came together in the innovation increase, and (by a reciprocal among green space which is intended for end, and in understanding why, the crucial process) fossil fuel energy consumption community use but is actually barren and condition may have been the existence and greenhouse gas emissions decrease. unused: through food-growing, it was of TT. The point about TT is that, in the The key principle is vision: the community hypothesised, the community itself would preparatory phase prior to Unleashing, conducts a visioning process about what a be galvanised, as well as empowered with it discovers energies already existing in low-carbon, post-Peak Oil, future should the ability to control their own food security the community and, by networking them, be … and then backcasts from this to and nutrition. creates a momentum where the whole is the present. Local food production/ 2008 was a year when the whole UA greater than the sum of the parts. Hence, consumption is central to the Transition agenda in London decisively shifted, a we were able to tap into a constituency philosophy: permaculture has implications process within which ABUNDANCE of support, create a sense of excitement for the way society is organised, not just played a certain part. We worked closely about the project, and achieve a lot in a food-growing itself, and the most important with other projects like Sustain (the alliance short period of time. The Food Group of single educational tool has been the film for better food and farming), the Bankside TT Brixton is now led by estate residents, ‘Power of the Community’ which shows Open Spaces Trust sponsored by the Tate notably Bonnie Hewson and Louise Jordan, how organic urban agriculture permitted Modern, and the Sceaux Gardens project which is an extraordinary success for the Cuba to escape fossil fuel dependence, and run by DPU student Andrea Mason. In project. create a wholly new basis for food security. Spring 2008 a major conference at the Although ABUNDANCE formally Transition Town Brixton (in south London) Assembly resulted in came to an end along with the whole was one of the first half-dozen to be the Mayor of London strongly backing a UrbanBuzz programme, the concept lives Unleashed (in October 2008), and the first proposal – which has now become known on, and we are currently discussing where to introduce the Transition approach in an as Capital Growth – to create 2012 new to take it now. True to the DPU perspective, inner-city area. It was therefore extremely food-growing spaces in time for the 2012 we should re-emphasise the centrality interesting for the DPU to be part of London Olympics. This adds up to an of developing countries’ experience. A this from the beginning. ABUNDANCE unprecedented seismic shift in English UA. fascinating question is the global relevance was administered by Yves Cabannes and As an ‘emergent’ process (in the sense of of the TT concept. If TT was merely a way Robert Biel for the DPU, Duncan Law for spontaneous emergent order in systems of reducing the excessive carbon footprint Transition Town Brixton and Sarah Cannon theory), the outcome cannot wholly be of cities in the North, this would still be a as Co-ordinator. predicted, but we can still try to analyse the major contribution to the South. But there Historically, urban agriculture in trends. is a strong argument that its significance Britain could be virtually equated with In doing so, we employ a distinct DPU goes beyond this: the notion of empowering the allotment movement (together with perspective. Our global experience leads communities with a vision of self-reliance some city farms). Although allotments us to be extremely wary of Olympics-style based on energy flows is potentially of remain essential and must be defended, this mega-projects, and the risk that superficial universal relevance. paradigm is no longer sufficient. It must gimmicks will merely cover up a deeper be supplemented by a whole range of new marginalisation of poor communities, who

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MSc Mumbai UDP and Focus group with ESD Fieldtrips in 2008 children in Mankurd Fieldtrips in 2008 During May of 2008, UDP students embarked on a fourteen day fieldtrip to Mumbai, India. Organized in teams of twelve, we worked on two case studies: the first reviewed the relocation of pavement dwellers from their vulnerable locations on pavements to new housing projects in the outer fringe of the city, the second the relocation of dwellers living next to railway tracks under a major, donor- funded infrastructure project. The exercise targeted community-based organizations, local NGOs, the municipal and State governments and private sector actors. Our aim was to produce a report that would provide the civil society Alliance “...the exercise gave us as schemes/solutions/recommendations. of grassroots- and non-governmental participants an understanding Attempting to articulate a relation between organizations with a critical comparative the planner’s perceived role and the evaluation of the twin processes of of urban change, and prepared landscape upon which she/he intervenes, relocation of slum dwellers which were us as future planners by our approach sought to compile stories that concurrently - yet separately - undertaken enhancing our critical and accommodate the different socio-economic- by the Alliance and by the municipality analytical capacities to respond spatial cycles within which Mumbai slum of Mumbai, highlighting the problematic dwellers operate, a confrontation between, aspects and the opportunities for (what to such change, always within a on the one hand, the city as social space in our opinion was) positive change. The general framework of with a history, and on the other, the project focused on understanding the social justice.” internationally renowned ‘first class’ city. In transformation that the slum dwellers this sense we constructed a story (our own) underwent, in terms of the impacts of wherein the planner intervenes through a relocation on livelihoods and the trade-offs influenced the economy, politics, culture, set of assumptions and aims; slum dwellers between livelihoods and secure housing. and space of the city in innumerable ways. themselves are what is at stake in this We sought to identify a planning of hope; The exercise therefore aimed to identify investigation and their silence or absence, one that simultaneously understands the community as an active agent whose as users of the city, “is indeed a problem - everyday life. role is essential in the production of better and it is the entire problem” On another level, the fieldtrip also livelihoods and its outcome. (Lefebvre 1991; 365). explored the relationship between the The first phase was a baseline analysis “Seeing Mumbai, eating its food, planner and her/his ability to impact urban carried out in London using secondary reading its books, walking its streets and change. It stemmed from a firm belief in research. The second phase challenged our acknowledging our differences vis-à-vis it, planning as an active mode of resistance. (pre)conceptions of Mumbai and mapped we were able to imagine the possibility This innate ability wholeheartedly to change narratives through 14 days of fieldwork of an-other relationship between this the world, coupled with the will to challenge characterized by a combination of meetings ‘unfamiliar’ city and ourselves. As such, the different imaginations of urban India, with community leaders, interviews with the fieldtrip set the conditions for further drove this project towards the empowering individual women and men, girls and boys interactions and allowed for more stories potential of planning. It sought to examine affected by relocation, and presentations to emerge; by highlighting the critical the role of field-based practice as a tool not by officials and stakeholders. The third thinking in the process of relocation of only to articulate a situation better, but also and final phase of the exercise took place slum dwellers, it was the start of new to challenge and transform the planner her/ in London, where each team collated actions, on our part, in any city and any himself, continuously seizing power and its findings and introduced them into a context. In the end, the exercise gave producing change. presentation and a final Report. us as participants an understanding of The fieldtrip exercise addressed planning On a personal level, this trip was an urban change, and prepared us as future in its relation to the role of communities in exploration of the relationship between planners by enhancing our critical and a process of transformation. Over the past the planner and an unfamiliar city. It analytical capacities to respond to such twenty years, slum dweller communities was also an investigation of the role of change, always within a general evolved social institutions, fought political stories, our own and those of the people, framework of social justice.” battles for their right to the city, and in the representations that finally produce Abir Saksouk-Sasso, MSc UDP

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5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 6 03/07/2009 10:28 “It was humbling to know how much more we need to experience as professionals, how honest we need to be in our interventions and in representing what we know, to bring anything of value to people who are in the thick of their own struggle.”

Environmental Sustainable academic exploration. The second aspect of the situation. Some people benefited Development fieldtrip was more introspective and revolved around from the schemes, others lost out. Here As we boarded the plane, Mumbai was still the process of us growing as individuals we were faced again with one of the main a place on a map, the host organisation and professionals. As we searched for the failings of development projects: reaching SPARC and the Alliance still existing only practical solutions to sustainable relocation the beneficiaries that need it most. But as on websites and annual reports, the actors and inequality, we were building our we stood beneath the towering housing still part of an elusive puzzle and the policies opinions, finding our position and gaining blocks that reminded us of prisons from still thick and difficult to grasp documents in insights that we will continue to refer to in afar, we were also faced with, and are still our laptops. Slowly, we got acquainted with the future. Our expectations were as diverse trying to answer, important questions: the city. We witnessed how extreme poverty as our varied origins. Some of us had Despite the progressive and participatory and opulence rub shoulders and use one never set foot out of Europe, others came nature of the scheme, what will happen another to sustain the dizzying balancing knowing what the reality of poverty smells to spatial inequality as more and more of act of Mumbai’s daily dance. We listened and looks like and yet others had bombs these settlements are built in locations of and exchanged with the current managers, falling near their families at home as we all lesser market value? Will we do any better as planners, policy-makers that are shaping the discovered Mumbai in our own way. Our future decision makers and planners? How city’s future and present. We met men and group of almost thirty students being from will we answer questions of sustainability women, boys and girls in the communities Asia, Europe, Africa, to the Americas, we while also trying to meet poor people’s basic living the manifestation of plans and policies also illustrated the different perspectives needs? Are we committed to looking and listening for the solutions? Are we ready to think and act differently to reduce inequity and prevent an ecological crisis? Education can be a dangerous thing. It may give you the feeling that you “know and understand”, that your opinion matters more than others, that you hold answers and that your perception is the right one. In this way, meeting SPARC reminded us of the small part we can play in development and planning. Realizing that, despite our education, the mountains of books and articles we had collectively read and the ideas we had received from visiting scholars and professors, we were only scratching the surface, is an invaluable lesson that will hopefully allow us to find some answers. We were exposed to the Informal settlement Alliance’s transformative edge, its ability in Mumbai to remain integral to itself and to never compromise on its core philosophies. It was refreshing to meet an organisation related to our case studies, each with a between planners and environmentalists, that through self-reflection, commitment, different story, each with a different future. North and South, male and female. As we time, trial and error, has come to know And in this way, we began the process of made connections in the field, begun to ask what its strengths and frailties are. It was connecting thought to image, concept to the better questions, found some humility humbling to know how much more we reality. in the face of our ignorance, we learned, need to experience as professionals, how The trip was twofold. On the one hand, fumbled and explored our own limitations honest we need to be in our interventions all of us were looking at the relocation as well as the limitations of the projects we and in representing what we know, to bring and rehabilitation of people living either were assigned. Not only were the cases we anything of value to people who are in the by the side of railways, roads or living were examining rich, our group was also a thick of their own struggle. The experience on the pavement and the Alliance’s role source of inspiration, creative tension and served to build us, nourish us and show us in these projects. The complexity and support. that we are not essential, simply a part of a heterogeneity of beneficiaries, contexts, Despite the fact that our time in conversation and that our aim should not tenement design, implementation methods, Mumbai was limited, we did understand be to save anyone, it’s just to attempt to level of participation of various actors that there wasn’t a clear one-size fits all contribute something valuable. No more, (notably civil society and communities) solution and there wasn’t enough time for no less. made for an incredibly complex and rich us to grasp the depth, scope and complexity Isabelle Lemaire, ESD

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Chevening Fellowship Course: Gender journalists, government officials, civil society Later I got a one year scholarship Social Justice and Citizenship activists and development professionals. to study at DPU (MSc in SDP). This 2009 marked the end of a five year They came from places as diverse as has changed not only my life, but my programme of short courses at the DPU, Chechenya, , , Bahrain, organization’s too! My time in DPU run by Caren Levy, Nadia Taher and Julian , Jordan, Tunisia, Cameroon, Kenya, equipped me with means to return back and Walker of the Gender Policy and Planning , Ecuador, Mexico and Kiribati, create a sustainable system for HAWCA, Programme. This series of five three to name just a few of the countries a women led Afghan NGO which, like months courses was part of the Chevening represented. This diversity led to a lively many other NGOs, was dependant on Fellowships Programme, an initiative from and engaging atmosphere of learning and its leader. I first attended the Chevening the British Foreign and Commonwealth exchange of experience, and many of the Course on ‘Participation of Women’ for Office (FCO), in cooperation with the participants commented on how important three months (2005). Caren Levy’s ‘Web of British Council, which is a scholarship it had been for them to be exposed to so Institutionalization’ which I was introduced scheme aimed at mid-career professionals. many new and different points of view both to on this course has been a great Initially this programme ran under the from the DPU team and guest lecturers, and instrument for me to create a framework for title of ‘The Participation of Women’ but from their fellow course participants. The analysis of every and each institution I have after two years we changed the title to on DPU team are happy to hear that most of so far worked for, not only to institutionalize ‘Gender, Social Justice and Citizenship’, the past course participants are still in touch gender but governance and which we felt better reflected its scope and with each other and actively maintaining the too! HAWCA (www.hawca.org) is now content. networks that they have formed through led by a strong team, in place since 2007, The overall objective of the course e-mail and even visits to each others’ and I only remain as a board member of was explore the factors that influence how countries. it. I have started a wider level of advocacy women and men in the global South exercise for legal reform and human rights at the their right to participate in decision making Orzala Nemat Ashraf (Chevening Course national and international level, and am structures and processes of governance, Participant from 2005 and MSC SDP now using my expertise helping many other in the context of gender and other social Graduate 2007) remembers her time onthe Afghan organizations in their leadership relations. As well as ensuring exposure to Chevening Course: and advocacy skills. Because, during my research and academic debates, the course ‘If you leave the organization, it will post-DPU experiences I have learnt that was also grounded in practice, with the collapse immediately’! This was the response to deal with challenges in the policy level, aim, by the end of each course, to support of my colleagues at the organization I was for instance ensuring that Afghan women participants in developing action plans to leading between 1999-2007 (Humanitarian have laws that are securing their lives; they promote and social justice in Assistance for the Women and Children of have presences as well as voice in the policy their own field of work. , or HAWCA) when they heard and decision-making positions; and that The course participants were women that I was leaving to study in the UK. But Afghan people from the bottom can see and men from a range of professional something very special had happened. I had their daily challenges are met throughout backgrounds, including politicians, received a Chevening Fellowship. the governance system, it is necessary to focus on a much larger level of national and international advocacy. I have been selected this year as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum for which I am very keen to carry on the advocacy for women’s rights and human rights as well as for a participatory governance in the international level, while I also work with leading local initiatives of the Afghan women’s movement for peace, justice and reconciliation. If it was not for my period with DPU, I would have still remained in responding to day-to-day emergencies which in a country in war and conflict is considered so normal. The challenges in war and conflict affected countries like mine are enormous, and they require a very long term commitment, dedication as well as means to contribute into a Final Chevening Course group in front of the DPU, 2009 healthy and sustainable development, but thanks to DPU, I have had a tremendous

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5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 8 03/07/2009 10:28 opportunity to learn from its distinguished Sarah Swalheim (MSc Environment and and DPU Lecture on “Urban Sanitation professors and their lectures; to learn from Sustainable Development) for her essay and the ‘Taj Mahal’: the politics of toilets my classmates coming from all different entitled “Analysis of Informal Regulation as in Mumbai and Puna, India” by Sundar parts of the world with amazing stories and an Institutional Mechanism for Environmental Burra (SPARC, India). ‘Dialogues’ presented profound experiences; to have a wonderful Change”. by DPU’s own staff (in some cases jointly opportunity to do a joint project with my with the series Cities & Change run by classmates in Africa (somewhere I always PhD students) have included Prof Yves wished to visit) and work with the street Dialogues in Development Cabannes on Innovative municipal policy children of Arusha, Tanzania. I have learnt The DPU has continued to provide a forum for social inclusion, and also on Urban a lot of lessons from DPU and no matter to discuss cutting edge development issues Agriculture: a challenge for planning cities where I reach, I will consider it as a turning through our Dialogues in Development of the future; Adriana Allen on Water point in my life. lecture series. provision for and by the peri-urban poor: Lectures so far in 2009 have covered a Public-community partnerships or citizens range of issues related to human settlements co-production?; Michael Walls on State HBA Prize in memory of development and good governance. Bob formation in Somaliland; and Julio Dávila Laszlo Huszar (1932-2007) Annibale (Global Director of Microfi nance on Being a mayor in Colombia: Challenges In September 2008, the DPU awarded for Citigroup) discussed Citigroup’s of municipal governance. the fi rst HBA Prize in memory of Laszlo experience with micro-fi nance, highlighting Huszar to Abir Saksouk-Sasso, a student some ways in which the private sector can Bridging the fi nancing gap for slum on the MSc Urban Development Planning, work with the poor. Former DPU student and settlement upgrading for her essay on “Who am I, the Planner?” and staff member Anna Soave refl ected This is the title of the new two week training The Essay Prize of £250 was donated by on some challenges faced in her work as a programme developed by the DPU in Michael Brummah of Huszar Brummah and planner (with the Aga Khan Foundation) collaboration with Homeless International Associates, Urban and Regional Planning in post-confl ict Afghanistan. The DPU and Happold Consulting, which will run Consultants (HBA) “to be awarded annually also collaborated with Somali Focus (UK) from the 7th – 18th September, 2009, at the at a DPU students who might in some way to bring together a panel including DPU’s Development Planning Unit, London. aspire to the high ideals represented in the Michael Walls, Roda Ibrahim (Development This course aims to provide a clear life and work of Laszlo Huszar.” (See DPU worker), Rashid Ghadweyne (Sociologist), conceptual understanding of the fi nancial News No 50 for Pat Wakely’s tribute to chaired by Sally Healy of Chatham House to services and products that are required Laszlo Huszar and the announcement of discuss the lessons that can be learnt from to address the complexities of urban the Essay Prize.) the Indigenous Approach to State-Building settlementdevelopment and to provide a set that has characterized the peace process in of practical tools for use by practitioners Somaliland. David Westerndorf (Managing who have the responsibility for fi nancially Partner of urbanchina partners, LLC, packaging and implementing home Shanghai) gave a presentation on the impact improvement programmes and settlement of the rapid changes in China’s economy on upgrading projects. the Right to Adequate Housing. Dr. Hans The course has been designed for Skotte, Norwegian University of Science practitioners working on housing, settlement and Technology (NTNU) spoke on The and slum upgrading programmes and Good, the Bad and the Ugly of post disaster projects in local authorities, as well as housing reconstruction NGOs, donor agencies, Micro Finance In 2008 the Dialogues in Development Institutions, banks and other fi nancial lectures included: Market-oriented value institutions. The programme will be The three runners up were Claire enhancement (MOVE) from piloting to anchored in a number of case studies O’Meara (MSc Social Development scaling up and institutionalization, by Dr and exercises that will be used to explore Practice) for her essay entitled “PRSPs Sangeetha Purushothaman (Best Practices the continuum of fi nancing for slum are fundamentally the same as SAPs”; Foundation, India); “Land for urban and settlement upgrading, and to apply a Maricar Paz Garde (MSc Development infrastructure? Land for the urban poor? comprehensive range of fi nancial analysis, Administration and Planning) for her Experiences of relocation and rehabilitation planning and monitoring tools. essay entitled “Some Lesson from Water in Mumbai, India” Sundar Burra (SPARC, Contact [email protected] for further Privatisation in Manila and Jakarta”; and India); A Joint Institute of Global Health information.

Images in Development

The new DPU building is an ideal space his successful PhD, graced the walls of for photographic exhibitions. Some of our new building from November 2008 you may recall that Reza Masoudi Nejad to February 2009. In March 2009 a new set the pace with the fi rst exhibition in exhibition went up, entitled “Desires for our old building (see DPU News, No 50, Change from Marginal Brazil”: these are p 10). This exhibition was so impressive photographs by Brazilian photographer, and stimulating, that we asked Reza to Gustavo Pellizan, working with DPU launch a more formal and permanent staff member, Alex Apsan Frediani, on ‘project’ entitled “Images in Development”, a UNDP, Brazil, research project which a series of photographic exhibitions based is presented in this issue. Please contact on the work of DPU staff and students. Caren Levy if you would like to make Reza’s photographs, which he titled “The a proposal for coming photographic Rite of Urban Passage” after exhibitions.

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How People Face Evictions lessons learned through collective work and and their impact on local development and Yves Cabannes and Cassidy Johnson exchange aim to allow each of the groups, governance through programmes such of the DPU will be working with Silvia and any potential reader, to improve its as the 3x1 Programme which matches Guimarães Yafai (BHSF) on this research action. Once the exchange seminar has collective remittances and served to finance project funded by the Building and Social taken place, a book will be put together nearly 8000 projects during 2002-2007. Housing Foundation (BHSF). assembling the various contributions. This Forced evictions have been dramatically final report is envisaged as a source of Climate Change and growing worldwide. Nonetheless, some inspiration for all those interested in social Sustainable Development people-based initiatives have successfully justice in the housing field. Le-Yin Zhang has been her developing resisted this trend. A key lesson from the research focus on climate change in Advisory Group on Forced Evictions to the Peri- urban agriculture in Lisbon and recent years. During 2007-2008, she was Executive Director of UN Habitat, is that London: Generating social inclusion commissioned by the Department for people-led movements are a fundamental and biodiversity Economic and Social Affairs, UN, to ingredient for successful solutions to forced Yves Cabannes will be working on this prepare an analytical paper on the linkage evictions. Research documenting actual research project which has recently been between climate change and sustainable practices and strategies is quite limited, approved for funding under the Treaty of development. The draft paper was presented usually conducted by NGOs and advisory Windsor programme for 2009/2010. The to the Expert Group Meeting on Integrating groups, but rarely giving voice to people research is a cooperation with the Technical Climate Change into National Sustainable active on the ground. In addition, existing Lisbon University, Faculty of Architecture, Development Strategies (NSDS) and the people-led networks communicate very little CIAUD, Centro de Investigação em Financial and Economic Committee of the among themselves worldwide. Arquitectura, Urbanismo e Design The General Assembly of the United Nations, in What we know so far is that the different objective is to understand the relationship New York. networks develop various strategies, between recent immigrant populations and The principal findings of the paper sometimes mixed together, and often urban farming practices. A comparative are as follows: 1) Climate change makes it changing over time, such as: (i) Negotiation analysis between London and Lisbon and a harder and more essential to achieve some with public authorities, for instance for cross interpretation exercise by the Lisbon of the Millennium Development Goals. 2) relocation, but accepting the fact of being team on the Brixton ABUNDANCE case Climate change does not require economic displaced; (ii) Ocupar – Resistir – Morar (see Focus On) and of the London team on development in developing countries to (Occupy, resist, live) is another strategy the Lisbon case (of Cape Verde islanders slow down. On the contrary, growing developed by the MNLM from Brazil, settled in Lisbon) should be extremely rich faster and smarter is the only way to part of the NO VOX network; (iii) Legal in generating research findings. This scoping achieve both sustainable development and channels and court cases; (iv) Open struggle research will involve PHD and master climate change policy goals. 3) The most and politically-oriented resistance, in which students from both universities, research sustainable solution is to combine economic struggle for housing and against evictions seminars in Lisbon and London and a joint development (including poverty reduction) appears as a means to gain political strength research paper in 2010. with decarbonisation. 4), Both developed for societal change; (v) Building rights and and developing countries have important policies - despite rampant demolition and Governance for local development roles to play in mitigation. Developing very violent and forced evictions, the Urban in small urban centres in Mexico: countries should concentrate on making People’s Network in Dominican Republic, addressing the challenges and their production more energy and material closely linked with the International Alliance opportunities of increasing migration efficient, while developed countries should of Inhabitants, has always been active and mobility lead the search for low-carbon energy on the ground, struggling for pragmatic Yves Cabannes has been making inputs sources and technologies, and for more solutions, but at the same with a perspective into an IIED-coordinated, DANIDA- sustainable consumption patterns. Finally, of policy change. (vi) In some regions, such funded, research project which brings adaptation in developing countries should as the Arab world and particularly Palestine, together a small number of researchers include efforts to exploit the emerging innovative campaigning approaches have and practitioners from China, India, the global carbon market and the Clean attained some impact and slowed down , Pakistan, Western Africa Development Mechanism. evictions. and Latin America. Increasing migration, The research objectives of this project both internal and international, attracts Built-in resilience: Learning from urban are (i) to learn from people, and appreciate growing interest in policy debates. While grassroots coping strategies to climate their vision on how they face evictions and there are many potential benefits linked to variability (ii) to promote the exchange and mutual mobility, these remain purely theoretical This project is an exchange between BRAC learning between groups and networks, unless associated with governance that is University, and DPU on the strengthening their links through an inclusive, accountable and effective. The subject of adaptation to climate change in exchange seminar. The methods and tools DPU contribution focuses on Mexico, and cities. Running from 2008 to 2010, it is used are based on action research and the primarily on migrants’ collective remittances funded by the UK- Bangladesh Higher

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Education Link Programme, and includes IDPR 30th Anniversary Meeting. Urban Research for Development Program; DPU graduate Huraera Jabeen now from Caren Levy presented a paper entitled member of the UNESCO Technical BRAC University, and DPU staff Cassidy “Gender Justice in a Diversity Approach Committee on a social and human approach Johnson and Adriana Allen. to Development? The Challenge for for sustainable revitalization, “Historic In a general sense, the project’s purpose Development Planning” at the Anniversary Districts for all”; and as a member of the is two-fold: to consolidate and build Symposium celebrating thirty years of World Habitat Awards Advisory Group. knowledge on how cities, communities and the International Development Planning the built environment in Bangladesh can Review journal. The Symposium, entitled Symposium on Climate Change adapt to what are now devastating impacts “IDPR after thirty years – what has changed Adaptation: This symposium on “Climate from climate change; and to sensitize and in Development Planning”, was held in Change Adaptation: The Science, the Political expand the capacity of built environment Liverpool on the 7-8th April 2009. Keynote Process and some Preliminary Findings and planning professionals about the speakers were Professor John Friedmann on and Costings” was held by the DPU and realities of climate change and how to “Encounters with Development Planning” and the UCL Environment Institute on March respond to these challenges though urban Dr Arif Hasan on “Demographic Change and 17th 2009. It assembled leading experts policy, design and community development. its Socio-economic repercussions: the case on climate change, some of whom had Activities in the fi rst year have focused of Karachi, Pakistan”. participated in the elaboration of the last on exploring local coping strategies reports of the Intergovernmental Panel observable in the built environment, Launch of the Bloomsbury Gender on Climate Change (IPCC). Moderated by that is, how people have adapted their Network: International Women’s Day David Satterthwaite (DPU and International houses, living spaces, streets, open spaces 2009 was celebrated in a special way in Institute for Environment and Development and infrastructure to cope with existing Bloomsbury this year. At a colloquium on - IIED), the fi rst session was a discussion environmental hazards. Conceptually and 9th March 2009, a group of colleagues between Saleemul Huq (IIED) and Robert methodologically, the research comes across the Bloomsbury universities launched Nicholls (Tyndall Centre for Climate Change from the disaster management perspective, the new Bloomsbury Gender Network Research) on the political and technical drawing on a background of vulnerability (BGN), a network of staff and students processes of the elaboration of the IPCC and resilience literature and published working on gender who are interested in reports and the climate change negotiations case studies about coping mechanisms in sharing seminars, research and resources. in general. In the second session, Robert urban areas and/or coping mechanisms Caren Levy represents the DPU and UCL Nicholls, David Dodman (IIED) and Sari for the built environment. Empirically, the on the Steering Committee, along with Kovats (London School of Hygiene and work draws on primary data collected by colleagues from the Institute of Education, Tropical Medicine) examined the different BRAC University staff and students in the School of Oriental and African Studies areas of risk, in which adaptation is required Karail area - the largest slum settlement and Birkbeck College. to tackle xisting and future consequences in the Gulshan Thana of city in The theme of the colloquium was of climate change, such as coastal areas, Bangladesh - and observes household and “Gender: Theory and Action”. A high level urban centres and health systems. A lively collective adaptation strategies for existing discussion and debate followed the two discussion ensued. Held as a session of the environmental hazards such as fl ooding and challenging keynote addresses by Professor module Urban Environmental Planning and heat. Results of this work were presented Deniz Kandiyoti (SOAS) on “From Management in Development (ES2), the at the Third International Conference on Feminism to : Where is the symposium was open to the public and mre Community-Based Adaptation to Climate radical agenda?”, and Professor Maxine than 80 attended. Change workshop in Dhaka in February and Molyneux (Institute for the Study of the also at the World Bank 5th Urban Research Americas) on “Difference, Development and Gender and post confl ict reconstruction: Symposium on Cities and Climate Change in Feminism’s Other Others: Latin American UN HABITAT Expert Group Meeting Marseilles in June 2009. Perspectives”. The diverse range of in Geneva: Caren Levy was invited by participants indicated a wide interest in the UN-HABITAT’s Disaster Management new network. Programme to participate as a panel member in an Expert Group Meeting held Yves Cabannes has been working with a on 13-14 March 2008 to review the second number of international networks on issues volume of the Practitioner’s Handbook related to urban development and social Series, entitled ‘’A Practitioner’s Handbook justice. These include acting as: Chairperson on Gender and Governance in Post-crisis of the UN Advisory Group on Forced situations’’. Directed at fi eld staff and other Evictions; Advisor to the Municipality practitioners, the handbook introduces a of Porto Alegre for the program Inter- gendered account of how to integrate relief Municipal Training System for Participatory efforts with sustainable reconstruction and Planning and Budgeting; Member of the development. scientifi c commission of the French-funded

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Yves Cabannes and Adriana Allen participating in the UN HABITAT World Urban Forum IV in Nanjing, China, November 2008

Development from Disaster: reconstruction in particular, is conceived poor. Case studies of Bogotá-Soacha an Owner-Driven Reconstruction as a mono-dimensional and standardised and Medellín, Colombia’, a project for the Conference in London: On 19th and 20th physical artefact, constructed as a reactive, Colombian government funded by World March 2009, DPU staff participated in top-down, technology-driven and ‘end state’ Bank-Cities Alliance in 2005-6, for which a two day conference hosted in London product. Interventions at the conference by Julio led a team staffed by researchers South Bank University, co-organised by Caren Levy (DPU Director), Pat Wakely from SURP and the Universidad de los Practical Action and the International (DPU Associate), Camillo Boano and Eleni Andes in Bogotá. Federation of Red Cross under the Kyrou (DPU) build on a long history of In April 2008 Julio D Dávila was challenging title of “Development from DPU work in the arena of disaster risk a keynote speaker at an international Disasters: Scaling Up Owner Driven reduction and post-disaster reconstruction, conference on ‘Poverty reduction and Reconstruction”. whereby we introduce developmental and building capacity through public-private Through comparative analysis of spatial perspectives into the debate. partnerships’ organised by Kyung Hee cases from India, , , University in Seoul, South Korea. He also Bangladesh, Turkey, Pakistan, Peru and World Urban Forum. In November presented a paper on ‘Private foundations Colombia, the conference brought together 2008 Yves Cabannes and Adriana Allen and urban poverty reduction: Lessons from various donors, practitioners and academics participated in the UN HABITAT World Cali, Colombia’ and was kindly invited to debate the limitations and potentials Urban Forum IV in Nanjing on Harmonious by former DPU student Jun-Yeup Kim of effective people-centred approaches to Urbanization: The Challenge of Balanced (PhD 2002) to lecture to his post-graduate post-disaster reconstruction. Presentations Territorial Development. The DPU team students at the Graduate School of and working groups drew upon the rich made contributions on Urban Agriculture Pan-Pacific International Studies of Kyung experience of over a hundred participants, and food security, the Zero Evictions Hee University. enriched by well-known discussants. Campaign, Participatory Budgeting and In July 2008 Nabeel Hamdi and A central theme was the recently coined Sustainable Development. Julio D Dávila concluded their three- and hotly debated term, “owner-driven year collaboration with the University of reconstruction”. This is not a cohesive Global academic collaboration. Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, which and unified concept, rather an idea Julio D Dávila was awarded a UCL-Abbey involved teaching an intensive one-week encompassing a range of meanings with grant to support an academic exchange module on ‘community development and profound impact on housing reconstruction with the School of Urban and Regional urban infrastructure’ as part of an MPhil/ practice, which include many interpretations Planning (SURP) at the National University MSc programme run by UCT, as well of participation, decentralisation and of Colombia, Medellín campus. This as public lectures and close interaction effective decision-making by women as involved academic advice aimed in setting with local government departments well as men. The debate, grounded in up a PhD programme on urban and regional and consultants working in the field of the owner-driven approach’s application planning, the first specialised doctoral infrastructure and housing in low-income in different field realities, challenges the programme in this field in Colombia. This urban settlements. Caren Levy and Eleni dominant approach in which, all too often, was complemented with follow-up work on Kyrou will continue this collaboration on post-disaster reconstruction and housing research on ‘Housing and land for the urban behalf of the DPU in July 2009.

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Yves Cabannes 2007 – 2008. Urbanization sustainable conditions for this and future Cabannes Yves, 2009, 72 Preguntas and Municipalization in Mozambique. generations. This is a major challenge for Frequentes sobre Orçamento Research chapter on governance and the professionals of the building industry. Participativo, (72 Frequently asked Planning and coordination of the research. Through contributions by twelve leading questions on Participatory Budgeting), In Development Planning Unit, University experts, this book addresses this challenge, Loco, Equal, CES/University of Coimbra, UN College London. Funding: DANIDA focusing particularly on post-disaster Habitat Program, Lisbon. Portugal. (Danish Aid), World Bank, UN Habitat, SDC interventions in developing countries. (Swiss Development Corporation), GTZ and Camillo Boano (DPU staff) is one Cabannes Yves, 2009, Che cosa è ecomo Austrian Aid. contributor. si fa un bilancio Partecipativo? 72 The overall objective of this study was Risposte a domande fequenti sui Bilanci Johnson, Cassidy (2008). Strategies for to provide policy makers and municipal Partecipativi a livello Comunale, (72 the Reuse of Temporary Housing. In authorities in Mozambique with an analysis Frequently asked questions on Participatory Urban Transformation, Ilka and Andreas of the challenges and opportunities for Budgeting), Regione Lazio, Provincia de Ruby (Eds.). Ruby Press: Berlin. Paper municipal development in Mozambique, Milano, UN Habitat Program, Rome, . first presented at the Holcim Forum 2007 - based on the first 10 years of experience. “Urban_Trans_Formation” in Shangai. Cabannes Yves, 2009, Green Mapping, This research specifically focused on: Providing sustainable temporary housing, manual for urban agriculture, DPU, Urban (a) planning and coordination for municipal notably in the disaster/crisis situation, Buzz Research Project, 2009. services and (b) urban governance. Its depends on the ability to reuse units in a specific objectives were to present an Cabannes Yves and Pasquini, M., 2009, ‘second life’ since 1) units are often still in overview of the municipal governance Cities Farming for the Future, Mid Term good condition after the few months or and planning constraints and achievements Review Report. RUAF Foundation and few years they are needed to house affected of the municipalities of Mozambique by ETC for IDRC and DGIS. families; 2) on the whole, large investments analyzing both (i) the engagement of the in temporary housing make it very Cabannes, Y, 2009, Instruments and community in the planning process and the expensive in relation to its lifespan; 3) there Mechanisms Linking Physical Planning coordination with the public sector for local is generally a scarcity of building resources and Participatory Budgeting . A synthesis service delivery, and (ii) the relationship in developing countries and disaster affected based on the experiences of Ariccia between municipal citizens and the local areas. Case studies in Turkey after the 1999 (Italia), Belo Horizonte and Guarulhos government in terms of voice, transparency, earthquakes show that there are several (Brazil), Bella Vista (Argentina) and accountability, equity, participation in patterns for temporary housing projects, Cordoba (). CIGU, URB-AL. Final planning, implementation and monitoring, i.e., rental housing, refurbishment/storage, Research Paper. (available in 3 languages). including the relationship with the private recycling whole/part into new buildings/ www.pbh.gov.br/noticias/redeurbal9/ sector and civil society. On the basis of the uses. The research reveals living patterns produtos.htm analysis, the study identifies key challenges and design considerations for reuse of in municipal governance and planning Dávila, Julio D, 2009, “Being a mayor: temporary housing, which can be integrated and points out a number of areas that The view from four Colombian cities”, into strategic planning. must be addressed both at the municipal Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 21, and the national levels in order to increase No. 2, pp. 37-57. Johnson, Cassidy and Dignard-Bailey, the capacity of municipalities to face the Lisa (2008). Implementation Strategies for Dávila, Julio D, 2008, “Poverty reduction challenges of urbanization. Solar Communities: Prospects for and capacity building: Challenges for New Book for publication in 2010: Canada. Open House International, special public-private partnerships”, Proceedings Rebuilding after disaster: from emergency issue on Zero Carbon Housing Solutions, of the International Conference on Poverty to sustainability. Editors, Gonzalo 33 (3): 26-37. reduction and building capacity through Lizarralde, Cassidy Johnson and Colin Work on the design and implementation public-private partnerships, Kyung Hee Davidson. London: Spon Press, pp 304. for solar homes has been expanded to the University, Seoul, South Korea, pp. 3-14. Sadly, we can be fairly assured that - in community scale in several international the next few years - a disaster will occur projects. If low-carbon emission housing Dávila, Julio D, 2008, “Private foundations in somewhere like the Andean region of is to make an impact on citywide and urban poverty reduction: Lessons Latin America, the Pacific coast of Central consumption of energy, we must move from Cali, Colombia”, Proceedings of America, Europe, Southern Asia in Central towards community-scale implementation the International Conference on Poverty Africa. The majority will occur in cities of of solar technologies, both in new housing reduction and building capacity through low and middle income nations. Houses, developments and in existing ones. This public-private partnerships, Kyung Hee community centres, infrastructure and requires new policies to promote innovation University, Seoul, South Korea, pp. 38-59. public facilities will probably have to be in the building industry, for energy subsidies, Le-yin Zhang, 2008 “Changing Lanes built quickly and in a state of emergency, and community-scale design guidelines. The in China: Foreign Direct Investment, in a weakened environment and with research surveys selected solar community Local Governments, and Auto Sector limited resources. Hopefully, they will projects in , and Developments” (a book review), The China be built in a way which will provide Canada, and identifies five main actor groups. Journal, No.60, pp. 182-183.

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5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 13 03/07/2009 10:28 Le-yin Zhang, 2008, “Formation of FDI Clustering – A new path to local economic development?” (with Kim, J), Regional Studies , Vol. 42, No.2 , pp. Staff News 265-280.

Michael Whitbread, an urban economist, joined the DPU in 2008 to teach the UE1 module on the MSc Urban Economic Development. As well as teaching at the DPU, Michael works widely as a consultant. He is currently completing the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) for an air quality strategy study, commissioned by the Government’s Environmental Protection Department in 2007 (working with Ove Arup consultants), with the objective of using a WHO air quality objectives framework to compare strategies for air pollution reduction. Examples include conversion of power stations to Liquid Natural Gas, hybrid vehicles in place of conventional petrol and diesel engines, and promotion of cycling. The cost benefit analysis is designed to answer the question “Is the additional cost of the policy action worth it?” By far the most important benefit is improved health and hence lower costs of illness and reduced risks of premature death. UN-HABITAT Report State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009: Harmonious Cities, Earthscan, London Pushpa Arabindoo, an urban geographer, has recently joined UCL, working with (ISBN 9781844076963). the UCL Urban Laboratory and the DPU in a teaching and research capacity. In Section 4.4 on ‘Addressing Rural-Urban the DPU she was part of the team to run the joint MSc’s workshop at Windsor in Disparities for Harmonious Regional Development’ the first term, and she made teaching inputs into the BUDD course. She will also is based on a special report prepared by Adriana develop joint urban research projects in the future. Pushpa has a background in Allen in collaboration with Pascale Hofmann and architecture and urban development, and undertook her doctoral research into the Hannah Griffiths. This report was the result of a social justice of access to water resources in the city of Chennai, India. three-month desk study commisioned by the Urban Poverty and Environment Programme (UPE), Alexandre Frediani, was appointed as the PGTA for the Development International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Administration and Planning (DAP) course in 2008, and over the last year has and the UN-Habitat Global Urban Observatory also contributed to the development of research and teaching on various MSC (GUO). The report examines the potential role programmes and capacity building abroad. of reciprocal rural-urban linkages as a means to reduce poverty in both rural and urban areas whilst Camillo Boano took over the Directorship of the MSc Building and Urban Design promoting more balanced and inclusive regional in Developing Countries whilst Cassidy Johnson was on maternity leave. He also development. teaches on the MSc Urban Development Planning. For more information visit: www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getPage.asp?page All Change for PGTAs. Hannah Griffiths will be leaving the DPU after working as =bookView&book=2562 the PGTA for ESD for a number of years, to enrol on a PhD course in Singapore. Sonia Roitman, after completing her PhD at the DPU has gone to work on a Adriana Allen, Pascal Hofmann and Hannah research project at the Bartlett School of Planning, and is no longer PGTA for the Griffiths (2008) “Moving down the ladder: Urban Development planning (UDP) and Social Development Practice (SDP) governance and sanitation that works for the courses – she has been replaced by Elena Bessusi (UDP) and Saba Hussain urban poor”. International Water and Sanitation (SDP) respectively. Gabby Grajales has returned home to Mexico to complete her Centre (IRC), Delf. (Accessible at: www.irc.nl/ PhD and has been replaced by Rosalina Babourkova as the PGTA for UED. page/42652). This paper was commissioned by the Population explosion! A new generation of the DPU network has been appearing International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) over the past year. In spring 2009 Sara Feys had a baby son, Simon, and during with the purpose of mapping out the current her maternity leave her work as the PGTA for the Building and Urban Design in debate on the governance of urban sanitation for Developing Countries (BUDD) MSc is being covered by former BUDD graduate the poor and to stimulate discussion at the IRC Isis Nunez Ferrera. Cassidy Johnson, Course Director for BUDD, will return to Symposium on Urban Sanitation held in Delft, the DPU after maternity leave for her new baby James. Pascale Hoffman is back The Netherlands, 19-21 November 2008. The as co-director of the Environmentally Sustainable Development MSc after taking essay contrasts a so-called ‘rationalist perspective’ maternity leave for new baby Jonathon, dominated by the public-private controversy with an ‘empirical perspective’ concerned with gaining a Congratulations to Pascale Hoffman for her marriage to Thomas, to better grasp of the multiple – and often neglected Sharon Cooney for her marriage to Liam and to Hannah Griffiths who – practices and arrangements by which the urban will marry Ben in July. poor effectively access sanitation on the ground. The discussion examines how to ‘move down the sanitation ladder’ in order to acknowledge and to support the actual options by which the urban poor effectively access sanitation.

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Yves Cabannes is working on a range of Yves has also pursued his contribution Planning and Governance) is a signifi cant projects relating to urban agriculture. In as a world leading authority on Participatory and ambitious attempt at addressing two July 2009 Yves, with the assistance of Rita Budgeting, including inputs to the National key challenges of contemporary India: Perez (MSc Development Administration Seminar Training on Participatory Budgeting transforming urban areas and regions over and Planning, 2006/2007) will deliver a in Stockholm, in 2008 and to a the next two generations, and responding workshop in Beijing on Urban and Peri- Francophone African Regional Workshop to the exploding demand for practitioners Urban Agriculture to Face the Urban Food on Strengthening Budget Transparency, dealing with human settlements. This could Crisis, with the RUAF Foundation and Participation, and Independent Oversight: help substantially improve the living and China Academy of Social Sciences. This From Decentralizations Policy Reforms working conditions of 500 million new workshop will be one of 45 workshops of to Local Governance Innovations, in Saly, urban dwellers, the condition of hundreds delivered through the China-Europa Forum, Senegal, organised by ENDA Tiers Monde, of thousands of villages and possibly a long-term, innovative dialogue process also in 2008. mitigate potential disruption to India’s between European and Chinese societies. future economic growth, governance and During 2008, Yves conducted the mid Partnership in the Development of an environmental sustainability. term review of RUAF’s “cities farming for Integrated Curriculum for the Indian Its primary vehicle will be a broad the future” programme. This required travel Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS). interdisciplinary curriculum bridging to different continents and assembling The DPU/UCL, led by Yves Cabannes the design, technology, management, and processing a huge range of data. This and Caren Levy, will assist the Indian social science and governance disciplines, evaluation will be of historic importance, Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) through a close engagement with praxis given the immense contribution required with curriculum development and related , practitioners and real-life situations. It from urban agriculture to help humanity educational initiatives, focusing on the is expected to reach out to over 1,000 face its ecological crisis, and the fact that development of master’s and doctoral-level residential students, 25,000 engaged in serious analytical work has so far lagged instruction. distance learning and 10,000 participants of behind this challenge. The IIHPG (Indian Institute for Habitat continuing education programmes.

State-Building and Presidential seven years: the fi rst began at the end of Elections in Somaliland 1990, as the Siyaad Barre government lost While Somalia continues to make headlines control of the northern areas bounded for its humanitarian crisis associated with by the borders of the former British years of violence (and today, piracy), the Protectorate of Somaliland. A series north-western territory of Somaliland is of meetings concluded with a national grappling with the process of consolidating conference in May 1991 in the town of a functioning system of government. Since Burao, at which agreement was reached on the collapse of the Siyaad Barre regime in ceasefi re and the formation of an interim 1991 and Somaliland’s unilateral declaration government led by the victorious Somali of independence, the internationally National Movement (SNM). The second unrecognised country has taken a series of phase followed this, and saw the outbreak of notable steps towards establishment of a fi ghting amongst groups who had previously system of government based on popular been allies in the SNM. The confl ict was democracy. resolved with a successful mediation That system is gradually being fashioned process, culminating in another national through debate and dispute, and is conference in Borama in 1993. While this founded on a series of some 39 confl ict- phase was itself followed by an outbreak of resolving and peace-building meetings and fi ghting, it nonetheless laid the foundation conferences held throughout the territory for the sustained peace that eventually between 1991 and 1997. A joint DPU/ followed. Somaliland Focus (UK) meeting held on The third phase occurred in parallel 3 March at UCL presented a 45 minute to the fi rst two, and took place in Sanaag, documentary on the period. The fi lm was the largest and eastern-most region in the made to accompany a research project old British protectorate. Involving a fi nely undertaken by the Hargeisa-based Academy balanced distribution of power between for Research and Development, in which four dominant sub-clans, two of whom DPU’s Michael Walls was one of three Top: Rural voters face particular challenges. had been identifi ed with the SNM, while Bottom: Women are often excluded from public decision researchers. The fi lm and research focused the other two had been associated with the making forums particularly on three phases within those Siyaad Barre regime, peace-building assumed

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a dynamic of its own. Nevertheless, a similar researched, plus Michael Walls. effort to assess the effect this is likely to pattern is discernible to the extent that Michael’s work in Somaliland, and have on election observation, Michael spent issues were fi rst dealt with at a community that of DPU, continues today with his a week in Hargeisa over Easter, talking to level, before higher level problems were role as one of three Coordinators (two the key stakeholders and gaining a better tackled, with the process culminating in a in London; one in Hargeisa) of the understanding of the differing perspectives large and inclusive conference in the town International Election Observers to the of each. of Erigavo. presidential elections which are scheduled Somaliland has made remarkable The research identifi ed a number of for the end of September, 2009. DPU progress in the past 18 years, and there is features of these peace-building efforts is working as a partner with the NGO hope that it will continue to consolidate a that were considered to be of particular Progressio on the observer coordination. just peace in the years to come. There are interest. Amongst these was the use and Having worked as part of a similar team nevertheless a great many challenges ahead. often fl exibility of traditional institutions, on observation for the 2005 elections to It is a moot point whether those challenges including the application of principles the Somaliland House of Representatives, will be easier or more diffi cult to address which guided negotiation and settlement. as well as visiting the country in different while the international spotlight remains One such principle was the conception capacities on a number of occasions, fi xated on securing external interests that many of the most complex tangles of Michael is aware of the challenges likely and alleviating a disastrous humanitarian grievance between groups should be set to lie ahead. Signifi cant political decisions situation created in part by precisely those aside and ‘forgotten’ rather than dissected in must be made before the real logistical international interests in the south. There the manner of a truth commission. The role preparation can take place. Somaliland has can be little doubt though, that the external played by women in both confl ict and peace held elections for the presidency, as well community needs to learn a great deal about was also a focus, although the researchers as the House of Representatives and local Somali culture and aspirations if it is to did not always feel they were able to gain the councils before, so the experience is not avoid the monumental mistakes of the past. depth of insight available through much of new. However, the scheduled presidential While far from the perfect solution to the the rest of the programme. election is pivotal if progress in designing Somali state-building dilemma, Somaliland The documentary was followed with and implementing a partially indigenously- unquestionably offers a great many valuable a panel discussion, chaired by Sally Healy based popular democracy is to continue. insights, while Somalilanders themselves of Chatham House, and involving Rashid The Somaliland Constitution is silent on have shown a tenacity and patience in Gadhweyne and Rhoda Ibrahim, who a number of key issues, and the political pursuit of their peace that deserves cautious, were both involved in the processes being situation at the moment is tense. In an informed and constructive engagement.

In November 2008 Alexandre Frediani rural villages become totally isolated due was contracted by the UNDP – Brazil to to the poor condition of their streets and undertake research in the 10 municipalities lack of bridges. Residents argued that poor with lowest human development indices communications restrict children’s access to in Brazil. The objective was to contribute schools. to the identifi cation of the topic for the Another topic frequently addressed was forthcoming Brazilian Human Development the exploitative working conditions which Report by hearing the opinions of those were accepted due to lack of alternatives. living in the most deprived area of those 10 Without equipment and irrigation facilities, municipalities. agriculture is an uncertain and unsustainable The question posed by the UNDP was: source of income. In the municipality of What needs to change in Brazil to improve Caraúbas (Piauí, northeast Brazil), we met your life? To address this question, we a group of workers collecting the leaves developed a semi-structured questionnaire of the Carnauba, a local palm tree. The and a focus group activity which also aimed Alexandre Frediani in Brazil work looked exhausting, and the payment at supporting the mobilization capacity of extremely low. But workers argued that communities visited. The photographer this was the only source of secure and Gustavo Pellizzan joined the 35 day trip to alongside the river São Francisco, the immediate income during the three months generate visual material to complement the residents complained that there is no water of the year in which the leaves are collected. information gathered. connection and they waste hours every In Araioses, in the state of Maranhão, Inadequate access to basic infrastructure day collecting water by the river bank. In we visited the mangrove forest where was the fi rst issue that people normally Santana do Maranhão, also in the northeast, crab-pickers overcome the adversities of raised in most of the locations; namely people told us that, due to lack of access the rough environment to sustain their access to water to drink and for irrigation. to electricity, the day lasts as long as there livelihoods. The same crabs sold there for Even in Traipu municipality in the state of is natural light. In Lagoa Grande, also in US$ 0,25, are sold for up to US$ 3,00 in the Alagoas, in the northeast of Brazil, located the state of Maranhão, in the rainy season fancy beach bars of the large cities in the

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5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 16 03/07/2009 10:28 northeast cost of Brazil, such as Fortaleza ing official from EC in Brussels, in order to coordinated by Yves Cabannes to examine and Recife, less than 24 hours after being produce a formulation report so that this urban poverty in the context of decentralisa- bought in Araioses. project can be initiated. Over two million tion in Mozambique. A summary of the Even in such conditions, we were needy people, 30% of which will be women project reports will be published by the surprised by the level of critical awareness headed households, will benefit from the World Bank in 2009. of the people we met, who find ways to programme over the next six years. overcome these processes of exclusion. In Ghana capacity building. the municipality of Jordão, of the state of In spring 2008 Julian Walker worked on a The Commonwealth Secretariat funded Acre, in the Amazon region, we met indig- Social Impact Assessment for the upgrad- a one-week training programme on enous populations politicised by the struggle ing of an oil refinery for the Egyptian ‘Local governance and water & sanitation for the preservation of the rain forest, and Refinery Company in Mostorod, a peri- services: Challenges and lessons in rapidly seeking ways to live sustainably there. We urban district in North-West of Cairo, with urbanising countries’ in Accra, Ghana, in saw collective mechanisms to strengthen former DPU Chevening Course participant June 2008. This was attended by 32 national local potentials, such as in the village of Arwa El Boraie. The project, which is now and local government officials from 15 Uruçu in Traipu, where women exchange under construction, should have significant Commonwealth countries in Africa and days of work with each other to peel their benefits, including impacts on airbourne Asia. The training was jointly delivered by maniocs together. That is the reason why, pollution in Cairo (by reducing S02 Julio D Dávila and Alex Frediani from the in localities thousands of kilometres apart, emissions from the use of the low grade fuel DPU in collaboration with colleagues from we heard the same Brazilian popular saying: that is currently produced), local employ- the Centre for African Wetlands, University “One daffodil alone does not make a ment opportunities, and reduced depend- of Ghana (Legon), and included a day visit summer”. ence of the Egyptian economy on imported to the Old Fadama slum in central Accra, as high grade fuels. However undertaking an well as to Accra’s largest water Capacity for Environmental Planning SIA for the project was not a straightfor- treatment plant. in Vietnam ward process. The expansion of Cairo since Hannah Griffiths (ESD PGTA) and the original refinery was built in the 1960s Rosalina Babourkova (UED PGTA) both means that the site is now surrounded by completed internships with the Urban dense, low income housing, which is unusual Environmental Planning Programme in for industrial infrastructure of this type and Vietnam (UEPP-VN) between June 2008 means that the potential and perceived social and January 2009. As part of the Capac- impacts of the project were unusually great. ity Building and Training component, they In addition, the fact that the IFC Social assisted with the development of and and Environmental policies applied by the implementation of undergraduate taught project are relatively new and unfamiliar in modules on the Urban Planning degree Egypt, and the impact of the government’s course at the Ho Chi Minh City University security measures on the possibilities for of Architecture (HCMUARC) Department normal public consultation processes, meant of Urban Planning. This is part of a larger that this was a challenging piece of work, EC-funded programme implemented in highlighting many of the hurdles to be faced collaboration with the Ministry of Construc- in working with the private sector to ensure tion of Vietnam. The main purpose of that their projects do not have a negative the UEPP-VN is to provide conditions impact on the urban poor. for stakeholders in provincial cities in the Mekong Delta Region (MDR) to plan Mozambique urban poverty project. Old Fadama slum in central Accra, Ghana and manage their environment in a more Julio D Dávila and Eleni Kyrou were part sustainable way. Link to UEPP-VN website: of a DPU-led international research team http://www.uepp.org on a project entitled ‘Urbanisation and Municipaldevelopment in Mozambique: In spring 2009 Zeremariam Fre acted as Urban poverty and rural-urban linkages’. senior consultant on food security and The project sought to examine the extent governance for an Eritrean Ministry of to which the urban and peri-urban poor Agriculture project to be financed by the have benefited from the economic growth European Development Fund (EDF). the country has seen in recent years, while Zeremariam worked with a team of two documenting the capacity of municipal other consultants to hold a series of stake- authorities to contribute to poverty reduc- holder workshops, undertake document tion in the context of their new responsi- review and field visits to regional officials bilities following a decentralisation process. and beneficiary communities, and meetings This was part of a broader donor-funded with the EC Delegation in Eritrea and visit- effort initiated by the World Bank and

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5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 17 03/07/2009 10:28 PHD Programme OTTO KOENIGSBERGER CENTENARY

Reflections on his Influence and Impact

On the centenary of his birth, the life and work of Otto Koenigsberger, the founder of the DPU, was celebrated by the Unit on 6 October 2008 (World The past year has been a period of Habitat Day). extraordinarily rich achievement in terms Otto Koenigsberger was a polymath, whose contributions to urban of the number, and quality, of successfully development and planning ranged from building physics and design in tropical completed PhDs. Together, these constitute climates to the formulation of self-help policies for the improvement of urban an immense contribution to development research, and a credit to the DPU’s ; from the planning and building of new towns to the development of traditions. The DPU warmly congratulates national urban policies in the context of rapid growth and change; from advising the following. on professional and technical training to the establishment of university institutions. Ali Haidar AHMAD March 2008 Otto was one of the founders of modern urban development planning in Private Housing Development: Refining the rapidly growing cities of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Rational Choice He played a major part in the establishment of the United Nations Centre Nasser YASSIN April 2008 for Planning, Building and Housing, which later became the UN Human The role that the ‘urbanization process’ Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and the first UN Conference on Human and ‘urban space’ played in triggering the Settlements (Vancouver 1976). He started the School of Tropical Architecture communal conflict in Lebanon at the Architectural Association (1954) and later the Development Planning Unit UCL (1971) where he was the first Professor of Development Planning. Karen S. BUCHANAN April 2008 The celebration opened with short presentations by Caren Levy, Contested Copper Mining and Biodiversity Director of DPU and Yves Cabannes, Professor of Development Conservation Planning, and two of Otto’s colleagues, Professor Patrick Wakely (DPU Director Hieu NGYUYEN NGOC April 2008 1989-2003), and Michael Safier (DPU staff 1971-2006). These were followed The performance of housing development by contributions from an audience of colleagues and friends of Otto, including control in political and economic transition: Renate Koenigsberger, together with current DPU and other UCL staff and the case of Hanoi, Vietnam students, who related fond memories of Otto and explored his ideas in the light of current development and planning debates. The discussion was followed by Sonia ROITMAN November 2008 a special gathering of his colleagues and friends at the DPU. It was an evening Urban social group segregation: a gated filled with warmth, good stories and many happy reminiscences. community in Mendoza, Argentina

Karen R. LEVY December 2008 Ethnicity matters: Ethnic identity and economic inequality in Lamu town

Soumaya IBRAHIM February 2009 Gender and Class in Welfare Sector Organizations: The Case of Egyptian Private Voluntary Organizations

Reza MASOUDI NEJAD March 2009 The Rite of Urban Passage: the Spatial Transformation of Ashura Ritual in Iranian Cities during Iranian Modernisation

Guowu ZHANG March 2009 An Examination of Changes in Housing Submarkets: The Case of Shanghai, 1994-2005

Mayra Ruiz April 2009: Empowerment and Gender in the Workplace: Experiences in Accounting and IT Firms in Mexico Le-Yin Zhang and Nigel Harris at the celebration event

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5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 18 03/07/2009 10:28 Connections News from former DPU Students and friends

Stefan Feuerstein (DAP 2006-2007) Development especially the training to be at the Corporación Andina de Fomento is Deputy Director of NGO Nuestros ‘critical’ and ‘analytical’”. (CAF), a financial corporation aimed at Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, http:// improving the development and integration Hieu Nguyen Ngoc (PhD 2009) is now www.nph.org/ ), based in Honduras and of Latin American countries. working for the National Academy of responsible for the everyday activities that Public Administration in Hanoi. Katherine Quinteros (SDP 2002-2003), serve 550 orphaned and abandoned children as part of her post with the UK’s as well as many poor and excluded people Diana Giambiagi (UDP 2000-2001), has just Department for Environment, Food and in the nearby rural areas. He writes: “We returned to Buenos Aires with her husband Rural Affairs (Defra) has recently assumed produce most of our own food (having a and two children, to take up a post with responsibilities for EU and international dairy farm, pigs, and a large chicken farm consultancy firm Halcrows. trade, and specifically as UK representative as well as vegetable gardens), have two on the WTO’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary clinics (one for the kids and one that serves Maha Abusamra (DAP 2002-2003) Committee. thousands of people in the surrounding is now working for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as region every year), our own school, a social Siri Mittet (ESD 2002-2003) is working work department and a small old people’s project manger for their project on at the University of Oslo, as Project home, as well as another home in the city capacity building for the Personnel General Coordinator for a four-year Climate Change for severely handicapped kids. It’s pretty Council of the Palestinian Authority. research project (PLAN), focusing on the crazy, but altogether I am responsible Hizrah Muchtar (BUDD 2002-2003) potentials and limits of adaptation. for about 180 employees and around 25 has since graduation been working for volunteers.” Suchitra Muangnil (ESD 2006-2007) has UN HABITAT Indonesia. She writes: taken up a post with the International Ayman I.K. El-Hefnawi (UDP 1997-1998), “everything I got from my DPU year is Organisation Department (Development having completed a long consultancy with very useful”. Affairs Division) at the MInistry of UN Habitat in Southern Egypt, has joined Igor Nemghirov (DAP 1998-1999) currently Foreign Affairs, dealing with Thai policy Egypt’s General Organization for Physical works as Development and Construction on international agreements such as the Planning (GOPP) as its vice chairman. Management Director for an Austrian Convention on biodiversity, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and Chemical Claudia Schneider (UDP 2001-2002) development corporation in . safety Protocol. works in post-disaster reconstruction for Joedi Brown (DAP 2006-2007) has taken SKAT, the Swiss Centre for Appropriate up a post as product manager with a US Victoria Forster-Jones (DAP 2003-2004) has Technology (www.skat.ch ). She has recently company working on construction projects left her post with Sunseed Tanzania Trust compiled “After the Tsunami - Sustainable in emerging markets. to join the African Union in Ethiopia as a building guidelines for South-East Asia” policy officer. (downloadable from the website). Guayana Páez (ESD 2003-2004) has completed a consultancy for UNESCO’s Christoph Woiwode (PHD 2007) has taken Eric Lampertz (DAP 2007) and Mariana South-south Cooperation and Sustainable up a post as lecturer at the University in Infante (UED 2007) got married in Bogota Development Program, and presented a Dortmund, teaching in the international in December last year. They’re now in paper at the Human Development and MSc. Programme SPRING (Spatial Planning Cambodia, where Eric has a two-year Capability Association Conference in New for Regions in Growing Economies), a two renewable contract with UNDP to work on York, addressing the concern of how year course jointly organized by Dortmund governance issues; he’s currently assessing developmental/environmental projects University and four partner Universities in two projects, one on decentralisation within implementers may better respond to the Chile, Ghana, Tanzania and the Philippines urban communes/districts and another at a challenges of bringing together sustainable (www.raumplanung.uni-dortmund.de/geo/ regional scale. and human development through their typo3/index.php?id=24 )

Frederick Wamalwa (DAP 2006-2007) strategies. has been working since his graduation as Pablo López (UED 2002-2003),worked research associate at the African Centre for for four years at the Ministry of Federal Economic Growth in Nairobi (www.aceg. Planning, Argentina, on the formulation of org/). the Territorial Strategic Plan. He writes: “It Franklin Obeng-Odoom (UED 2006-7) is was a very good experience and we ended currently studying for a PhD in Political up the job with an important book which Economy at the University of Sydney and was presented by the Argentinean President has had paper accepted by the Journal of last March. There are many expectation Housing and the Built Environment. He about the future of the plan as it is the main writes to Ley-yin Zhang, “I have benefitted planning experience in Argentina after 50 fully from my MSc Urban Economic years.” He recently moved to a new post

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5375_UCL DPUNEWS_V3.indd 19 03/07/2009 10:28 Obituary

Nathaniel Lichfi eld (1916-2009) Cho Padamsee & Bob Satin By Patrick Wakely (1932-2009)

It is with great regret that DPUNEWS the 1950s. In 1962 he set up the fi rm As we go to press, DPUNEWS is sad to records the death of Professor Nathaniel of Nathaniel Lichfi eld and Associates hear of the passing away of two former members of DPU staff. Lichfi eld at the age of 92 on 27 February (now NLP) and in 1992, a new practice, Lichfi eld Planning, which he established Cho Padamsee was Deputy Head of 2009. in partnership with his wife Dalia. He the Unit from 1965-73. He then joined Nat Lichfi eld, Professor of the was elected President of the Royal Town the Institute of Housing and Urban Economics of Environmental Planning at Planning Institute (RTPI) in 1966 and has Development Studies (HIS) Rotterdam as UCL (1966-78), had an important role in the held several other national appointments. Director of Studies. He worked with the negotiations that led to the establishment To many the most important of Nat United Nations in the run-up to the 1976 of the DPU in UCL in 1971 and remained Lichfi eld’s many contributions to planning Habitat Conference in Vancouver and was a close friend of the Unit ever since, last was his role in bringing the economic and for many years Head of the Hull School of visiting in October 2008 for the Otto social sciences into urban planning, which Architecture in the UK before joining the Koenigsberger Centenary celebrations. until the early 1960s had been the domain Bartlett where he was Dean of the Faculty. Nat was the ‘originator’ of cost-benefi t of architects, engineers and surveyors; to Bob Satin was a senior lecturer at the analysis as a generic set of planning tools others it will be his contributions to the DPU from 1976-79 when he joined the that stemmed form research published in economics of regional development; to the World Bank as a senior urban advisor. his fi rst book ‘The Economics of Planned DPU it is both. A fuller appreciation of their lives will Development’ (1956) and subsequently appear in the next issue of DPUNEWS. developed the concept of Community Impact Evaluation that continues to have currency internationally. But he was not only an academic and researcher. He was employed as an economist and planner in local and national government (the Ministry of Housing and Local Government) in

DPUNEWS is published by the Development Planning Unit Development Planning Unit, UCL. University College London 34 Tavistock Square The Development Planning Unit is an London WC1H 9EZ international centre specialising in aca- demic teaching, practical training, research and consultancy in sustainable urban and Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 1111 regional development policy, planning and Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 1112 management. Email: [email protected] www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu Editors: Robert Biel and Julian Walker Design: www.wpb.co.uk

Planning for socially just and sustainable development in the global south

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