Excluding the Poor in Urban Developments

Abstract

Many cities in the global south are experiencing rapid and unprecedented urban expansion, while they are not being built to be inclusive and equitable places where all citizens can thrive. The result is often further disenfranchisement of the poor from the urban spaces which they call home. Compounding the problem, cities are struggling to understand and respond to the needs of their populations and particularly the poor. Informality is often the only way the poor can afford to live and often their best source of livelihood. Informality is a vital component of the social and economic life of the city, yet the urban poor who drive this sector often have no political voice and little access to basic services. Without political voice, the urban poor frequently has little leverage to influence urban planning decisions, particularly for basic service delivery and economic development, and the result is often increased corruption and social unrest. The social unrests are fanned by overtones of the paucity of opportunities to succeed by a growing share of the urban population. The urban poor population groups are being kept out of jobs, schools and opportunities they need to move up the social ladder, leaving them stuck in poverty for years or even for generations. From the outlook, new approaches to urban development like smart cities are promising very little for the benefit of the poor and posing a high risk of excluding the urban poor and exacerbate the already well-defined social inequalities. It is therefore imperative for cities to come up inclusive solutions and innovative new approaches, and rethink the ways to govern around issues of exclusion.