Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Urban poor'

The world is becoming increasingly urbanised, bringing the potential for more sustainable and equitable distribution of resources. However, at present urban contexts are often poorly managed, with the negative impacts unevenly distributed towards the poor. This study supports the integration of organisations of the poor as key actors in civil society to advocate for equity in urban environments. However, it also highlights the need for a better understanding of how these organisations develop in different contexts, how they are supported and what they mean for the social capital of the communities they are part of; in particular, how they support marginalised groups to engage in processes of collective action and representation. This study uses a comparison of two types of large-scale organisation of the urban poor operating in Kisumu, Kenya to investigate their role in transforming social capital and how this is affected by their relationship with external partners. It explores what makes a context more enabling for large-scale organisations to form and engage in decision-making, and how the collective action processes they encompass may inhibit or support less dominant groups. Ethnographic, participatory and qualitative methods were used in the field with members of the organisations and key informants to explore the structure of the organisations, how they are viewed and their value for those internal and external to them. Data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively and contrasted against secondary data to give a rich understanding of the context and the organisations studied. The study finds evidence that organisations of the poor can play an important role in social capital development in urban environments. However, it also proposes a new role for development partners in relatively non-enabling urban contexts, such as Kisumu. The findings suggest that this approach should seek to transform existing, rather than build new, social capital. Furthermore, greater attention to the structures and processes of collective action could encourage change in systems to increase valuable social capital for marginalised groups.

The aim of the research was to examine redevelopment strategies and policies attempting to elevate the identity of the urban poor by reinforcing their socio-cultural characteristics through their built environment. The study also attempted to create a dialogue between identity and built environment and questioned whether a re-designed and re-developed environment can socially empower the urban poor; and, if so, what redevelopment strategies and approaches can be adopted to re-create identity and remove stigma over urban poor? Identity is the crest in the development of both people and place and cannot be viewed as an abstract or as a subject exterior to a human. But often, questions of ‘who we are’ (self-identity) are intimately related to questions of ‘where we are’ (place-identity) (Dixon and Durrheim 2000), creating a gap between structure and agency. This thesis not only analysed this gap but also measured the impact of poverty on the urban poor prevailing over their stigmatized identity linked to their built environment.It was important to understand an individual’s meaning of self, wherein ‘self’ is not just characterised and outlined by one’s association to the community, but also by an individual’s linkage to the diverse physical-setting that describe and construct their everyday life (Proshansky 1978, cited in Hillier 2002). It was also seen that individuals mostly describe ‘who’ and ‘what’ they are in the context of an intense sentimental connection to ‘house and home’ and/or ‘neighbourhood and community’. Thus, in relation to this research, an individual’s description of the physical world is limited to home and built environment.Additionally, this study explored strategies to overcome the multifaceted issues faced by the poor specifically linked to their built environment which contributes to their stigmatised identity (Davis 2006). Thereby, this thesis compared urban poverty in developed and developing countries within the built environment framework. The purpose was to identify the common aspects of built environment in both the contexts influencing the socio-cultural characteristics as well as well-being of the urban poor. The research thus searched for some common ground, where synergies were visible for future improvement works, globally.The process of examining built environment and measuring well-being of the urban poor, involved an analysis of Phillips and Pittman’s (2003) “Triarchic Model of Poverty” and Sen’s theory on “Capability and Well-being”(1993, cited in Fukuda-Parr 2003). This analysis helped define the evaluative factors for built environment and the indicators of well-being. The usage of this analytical framework was an iterative process which further assisted in auditing the redevelopment strategies of the urban poor applied during the case studies and in identifying those methodological and rational elements of the case studies that may be responsible for significant variations in the findings.In addition to theoretical literature reviews, four literature and two field case studies were conducted for the research. The literature case studies were focused on urban renewal examples providing an initial understanding of the concepts whereas the field case studies involving observations, discussions and surveys provided crucial insights to the intensity of the issue. Additionally, participation in the project provided valuable knowledge and better understanding of life in marginalised communities, their everyday practices, and of their socio-cultural and physical boundaries. Thus contact and dialogue with the stakeholders and reflection were the key tools performed during field trips to Victoria (Australia) and Ahmedabad (India).These field works were conducted with the main objective of studying the influence of redevelopment strategies on the well-being of urban poor. These redevelopment strategies were assessed using the analytical framework to identify the key built environment aspects having the maximum impact on identity renewal. Consequently, the three key aspects of built environment intervention identified were – housing and environment, pride and participation and government responsiveness.Through the assessment of the redevelopment strategies, it was deduced that development of housing and environment can bring a sense of stability and security, but ownership and belonging could be achieved only when there were signs of people’s participation and smooth efforts of the stakeholders for a holistic development. Similarly, it was recognised that urban renewal practices are not mere efforts towards renewing the built environment of the urban poor, but are also efforts to equip the people psychologically, socially, culturally and economically for the future in their own re-developed environment. Thus, within the framework of key built environment aspects, this thesis has proposed an identity renewal model promoting participatory approaches that collaborates with and incorporates not only citizens, but also organised interests, profit and non-profit organisations, planners and local administrators in a common frame. Such an integrated approach would ensure community interests, active citizenship and public-service delivery, where communication, learning, action and community welfare would co-evolve. Therefore, a model as projected for this research adopting joint planning and participatory approaches would help liberate the urban poor, permitting them to define and develop their own values and lead to their empowerment and identity creation.This thesis has thus proposed a positive course of action for future interventions to assist professionals and practitioners in conjunction with the barriers in the process in addition to a new model looking at identity issues of urban poor linked to their built environment.

This thesis explores urban poverty and the adaptations of the urban poor in the slums of the megacity of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It seeks to make a contribution to understanding and analysis of the phenomenon of rapid mass urbanisation in the Third World and its social consequences, the formation of huge urban slums and new forms of urban poverty. Its focus is the analysis of poverty which has been overwhelmingly dominated by economic approaches to the neglect of the social questions arising from poverty. This thesis approaches these social questions through an ???urban livelihood framework???, arguing that this provides a more comprehensive framework to conceptualise poverty through its inclusion of both material and non-material dimensions. The study is based on primary data collected from slums in Dhaka City. Five hundred poor households were surveyed using a structured questionnaire to investigate the economic activities, expenditure and consumption, access to housing and land, family and social networking and cultural and political integration. The survey data was supplemented by qualitative data collected through fifteen in-depth interviews with poor households. The thesis found that poverty in the slums of Dhaka City was most strongly influenced by recent migration from rural areas, household organisation, participation in the ???informal??? sector of the economy and access to housing and land. Almost half of the poor households in the study locations were identified as ???hardcore poor???, that is having insufficient income for their physical needs. The remainder were found to be ???absolute poor???, those who experienced poverty and vulnerability but varied in their levels of income and consumption. This level of poverty was also characterised by their social, cultural and political marginalisation. In summary, the urban poor remain very much dependent on their household and social networking, the main social capital they use to adapt to life in Dhaka City. Overall, the urban poor in this study experience the highest level of poverty and vulnerability in their everyday life. The thesis argues that the experience of poverty in the megacity of Dhaka for these households follows the pattern of urbanisation without development, the very opposite to their expectations and aspirations.

Much of the earlier writing on this subject has depicted the expansion in the proportion of illegitimate births in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century England as one component of a more widespread change in the demographic regime of the period. In particular, historians have attempted to account for the rise in illegitimacy using various simplistic socio-economic and cultural interpretations; this is particularly true in the context of metropolitan illegitimacy. This thesis demonstrates the multiplicity of causes and archetypal illustrations of illegitimacy in eighteenth-century London. The initial starting point for this thesis has been to give equal emphasis to the various economic, social, and demographic characterisations of both the mothers and putative fathers of illegitimate children. Within the historiography of illegitimacy the latter group have often had scant, if any, attention paid to their role in the illegitimacy process. From this beginning it has become obvious that there was no one pan-metropolitan cause or representation of illegitimacy. It was dependant on the socio-economic, cultural and demographic mix within each individual community that coexisted within the greater London area. Intense examination of the social settings of illegitimacy reinforces the diversity of causation and multiplicity of forms sociosexual encounter. The thesis gives an account of the social, economic, demographic and cultural identities of those parents whose illegitimate children were born or conceived within pseudo-marital relationships. Recusant marriage, bigamy, cohabitation and more informal, long-term, illicit relationships feature conspicuously in this study. The comparative and contrasting characters of both maternal and paternal attitudes towards illegitimate children are traced and grounded within the attitudinal regime of the extended paternal families, and that of the wider plebeian communities.

Urban poverty, a prominent issue in the rapidly urbanising developing world, consists of many interrelated aspects in poor people’s lives. One such aspect is accessibility, which determines the crucial links between housing, labour markets and other amenities. Relatively little is known about how poor people negotiate the complexities of their daily lives in relation to their mobility choices with respect to existing transport systems, especially in Indian cities. This thesis argues that the poor should be viewed as ‘disadvantaged citizen’ rather than ‘disadvantaged commuters’ or ‘vulnerable road users’ as often described in the transportation studies in India and elsewhere. It is important to ask why the poor make certain mobility-related choices and how these choices shape their own efforts to deal with poverty. This thesis develops a conceptual model linking poverty and mobility debates by employing social practice theory for understanding and structuring mobility related practices of the poor. Further, the conceptual model is pitched in the larger international debates of informality, poverty alleviation and sustainable mobility. To situate the mobility practices of the poor, Ahmedabad is selected as a case-study which represents the dynamics of poverty, informality and intraurban relocation and displacement coupled with some innovative urban projects which, at least in terms of rhetoric, are engaged in developing more sustainable mobility and with poverty alleviation. This study adopts an inductive research strategy based around ‘building theory’ where the focus is on understanding the poor’s own efforts to deal with their mobility and poverty. A mixed methods approach is followed involving qualitative narratives of individuals and a quantitative household survey, supported by secondary documentary analysis. This thesis extensively uses the qualitative narratives of the poor to build empirical knowledge about the differential sub-groups within the poor and to understand the dynamics of poverty in their mobility related decision-making. A range of social practices was identified by the research, which have developed around the low affordability of transport. The poor people are largely dependent on the human-powered transport modes like cycling and walking. The poor are found to seek shelter-livelihood-mobility balance variably across their locations, and differing based on their livelihoods and other social categories like gender. The prevailing informality in housing or job markets is often helpful for poor households to not only minimise transport but to also move out of poverty over a period of time, at least, in some cases. However, the current mobility practices of the poor based on walking, cycling and use of shared or public transport, in spite of their low energy consumption, are being marginalised in the official urban and transport planning in Ahmedabad. The poor face an intrinsic paradox in their mobility to access the various facets of the city; on one side, they resist motorised trips due to low-affordability and on the other side, even if some of them want to travel longer distances to access better opportunities, they are constrained in the absence of an affordable and reliable transport service in the city. Finally, this thesis makes a case for more inclusive and integrated policies around shelter-security, livelihood protections and sustainable transport linked infrastructure provision for the poor people in the cities of India. It is crucial that improved articulation and understanding of the social dimensions of transport should attract greater research and policy attention in India in future years.

Cities attract large numbers of people because of economic opportunity. Inner city housing demands increases and the lack of affordable housing leaves the urban poor to live in slums on the periphery of the city, contributing to urban sprawl. Settlement patterns often indicate that the poorest inhabitants have to travel the longest distances. According to the Tshwane Metropolitan Spatial Development Framework (2012), the aim is to achieve compaction through infill development that promotes high residential density and mixed land uses. Marabastad, situated to the North West of Pretoria, is a vibrant place with a diversity of people joining the daily commute to and from the city and surrounding areas. A once close-knit community was crushed due to forced removals in 1940-1970 and Marabastad lost its residential component. Despite this devastating past, the daily flux of feet in and out of Marabastad has resulted in a vibrant place that is dominated by retail and transport networks. However a number of damaged structures, vacant lots and abandoned areas throughout Marabastad threatens the safety of the precinct and has left the urban fabric of Marabastad in a state of decay. The project investigates the potential the strong heritage character of Marabastad holds for an architectural intervention that demonstrates a truly integrated and sensitive urban infill¬. This dissertation proposes a mixed-use residential development to increase density and re-establish a permanent community in Marabastad. The project will consist of a variety of housing models to accommodate the diversity of people identified in Marabastad. The existing activities on site are integrated in the design proposal to maintain the vibrancy and sense of place. The theory of Open Builidng is explored in search for an alternative approach to the current state provided housing model. The dissertation s aim is to revitalise the dilapidated area of Marabastad. The architectural language explores the expression of the new that exists harmoniously within the heritage context of Marabastad.<br>Mini Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2015.<br>tm2016<br>Architecture<br>MArch(Prof)<br>Unrestricted

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2009.<br>Title from file title page. Holley Wilkin, committee chair; Jeff Bennett, Jaye Atkinson, committee members. Description based on contents viewed July 22, 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-97).

Bibliography: pages 191-199.<br>Black people in South Africa have been the targets - or victims - of massive development intervention by successive South African governments. And in more recent years urbanised Africans in particular have been the targets of increasing levels of development intervention, much of which has been funded and directed through bilateral aid programmes initiated by western governments. It is with those kinds of development intervention that this thesis is concerned. Research, conducted during 1989 and 1990, examined a slice of development activity occurring in an African urban area during what is becoming a period of transition from South Africa's effective isolation to the beginning of its reincorporation into the world "development system".

This thesis examines women's treatment seeking behaviour for their own illnesses and that of children underfive in Kamwokya . The focus is on the extent to which women's access to money and time use patterns affect treatment seeking. It has been argued that women's treatment seeking behaviour is influenced more by their time use than their access to and availability of money.The findings obtained through the use of case histories and in-depth interviews indicate that though women in Kamwokya have access to their own money, mainly through participation in income generating activities (business), illness management for children under-five and even more for the women themselves, remains problematic. Women are overworked and manage fragile businesses that require their personal attention and presence. Hence, treatment seeking is done in a manner that will ensure minimal disruption of businesses. Consequently children's health, and even more so, that of women , is compromised for the sake of other family needs.This thesis demonstrates that illness management is not context free, and that no one factor can explain the whole process ; it both affects and is affected by other things happening in the family. Due to the multiple roles women have to fulfil, "time use "is found to be the organising and central factor in illness management for both women and children in Kamwokya, whether from rich or poor households.The thesis concludes by suggesting that policy makers, health care providers and professionals ought to take into account the daily routines of family life in their plans and programmes. Strengthening of private sector health providers, health education programmes and increased awareness raising of male responsibilities towards their families are recommended as a way of improving the health of women and children in Uganda.

This thesis examines practices of the Informal Settlements Network (ISN), part of the South African Slum Dwellers International (SA SDI) Alliance, as initiators of civic participation in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The SA SDI Alliance is made up of four organisations namely the Community Organization Resource Centre (CORC), Utshani Fund, the Informal Settlement Network (ISN) and the Federation of the Urban Poor (FEDUP). Through the thesis, I aim to provide an understanding of the nature of civic participation and the formation of "responsible" citizens amongst the urban poor in Khayelitsha, South Africa (Brown, 2015, p. 133). Critical in developing this understanding are the tools of the SA SDI Alliance through which the urban poor of Khayelitsha, Cape Town are allowed to participate in civic affairs. Drawing on theories of neoliberal governmentality the study traces how civic participation facilitated by the SA SDI Alliance manifests nationally through policy and at the provincial and local government level. The ultimate objective of the thesis centres on how participation under neoliberalism affects the lives of people in urban settlements through the activities of self-help organisations such as ISN. Using semi-structured interviews and shadowing three community mediators, the study unpacks the life trajectories and lived experiences of community mediators who are members of ISN. Whilst, describing these community mediators' lived experiences, the thesis examines the tension points relating to how ISN members navigate personal, community and institutions of participations that we do not see in the public discourse. The closer examination of these tension points enhances our understanding of the theoretical discourse surrounding the challenges and contradictions that participants face under neoliberalism. These challenges include the interface with fluid community dynamics. Furthermore, the thesis provides insights into the mutability of roles assumed by the community mediators and how it practically manifests on the ground.

A multitude of transitional water supply and distribution interventions are continually piloted in Kenya’s fast-growing urban settlements to meet national and global MDG targets, yet visible problems persist regardless of the investments made. This research evaluates the performance of four interventions led by public utilities and non- governmental organisations in the low-income settlements of Nairobi, Kisumu and Nakuru counties. To understand the service improvement received by the residents, this study used qualitative data from interviews and focus group discussions and quantitative data from 1,168 household surveys. Service level analysis results showed making water more affordable using pre-paid technology reduced the effective price by 75% and increased consumption per household by 20 litres per day, resulting in the highest service progress. Improving water accessibility for the very poor via hosepipe door-step delivery reduced the burden on women carrying water by 43% although efforts failed to reduce the pricing structure, limiting the progress. Subsidised ‘first-time’ metered plot connections to increase the utility customer base experienced shortages in water supply and reluctance from landlords, restricting development. Despite showing no positive change, 81% of residents continued to rely on expensive self-supplied boreholes which were all contaminated. Although the utilities have made positive strides in service improvement, in the context of universal service this study has shown that the very poor remain the most difficult to access, forming the target of discrete interventions that experience difficulties in influencing a reliable supply, sustained price reduction and/or good water quality – essentially what is needed most. In investigating the longer term supply and demand shortfall, this study concludes that the equitable supply and innovative distribution of point source groundwater, with a bias for the poorest, could be the most resilient transitional solution for the utility to promote in the foreseeable future, out of necessity rather than desire.

The premise of the thesis is that the developmental use of urban land should be ethical, fair and promote social justice. Using multiple research approaches and mixed methods this thesis examines the urban land question in South Africa and particularly Cape Town where land distribution and ownership are inequitable. The thesis unpacks land redistribution, land tenure reform and land restitution within this context. It is argued that the South African Constitution commits government to protect the property rights of those who currently own property and at the same time redistribute land to those who have been dispossessed and explores what this tension means for urban land redistribution and reform using the freedoms approach developed by Amartya Sen as a conceptual framework and as alternative to the neo-classical model. The main findings of the thesis can be summarized as follows. a) The thesis demonstrates that there is no logical reason why the freedoms approach cannot be extended to include urban land. b) The entitlements and endowments that urban land could bestow on the urban poor are shaped by how the State invests in land through the instruments of land planning and land use management which call for a significant role for the State as custodian of public land to not only make explicit the land asset register under public ownership but also instill trust in the poorer sectors of urban society. c) A two track system of land planning and land use management may be more appropriate in the post apartheid South African city, one stream for market driven land and one for targeted public land programmes that directly address urban poverty provided that the State is able to make strong connections between the philosophical and the technical aspects of land and land use management systems. d) As a two track system is suggested the land use management system requires to be reframed. To facilitate land redistribution and reform in urban areas of South Africa therefore, the thesis suggests that a deliberative and systemic planning approach needs to be adopted that is intervention focused. Only when the State assumes a more critical interventionist role in public land programmes would it be possible to obtain social justice and the principles of the good city in the South African urban context. e) Gaining access to and control over land resources beyond the market is possible but limiting for the majority of the urban poor when land and housing debates are conflated. This conflation results in other land debates being silenced yet these have the potential to offer alternatives to the neo-classical model of land and land use management as well as promote a wider role for public land than just housing.

ABSTRACT A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF WORKING URBAN POOR IN ISTANBUL AND GAZiANTEP Neriman A&ccedil<br>ikalin PhD, Department of Sociology Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sibel Kalaycioglu Eyl&uuml<br>l, 2004, 242 pages In this study, the aim is to find some indications about urban poverty in Turkey, which recently became a major topic in sociological studies. In order to study this topic, the thesis focuses on working urban poor to be able to examine the effects of the changing labor market. Urban poverty in general, and more specifically the working urban poor, are analysed in three levels, namely macro, mezzo and micro. In the macro level, the effects of great transformations after the 1980&rsquo<br>s and the new international division of labor, on the emergence of new urban poor is discussed. In the mezzo level, &ldquo<br>Structural Adjusment Policies&rdquo<br>as one of the significant impacts of this transformation, which mostly have affected the underdeveleped countries like Turkey is understood. The thesis, however, will mostly focus on the micro aspects of poverty. In the micro level, family and kinship reciprocal relations and mutual ties of solidarity<br>values and customs about social and economic life<br>survival strategies<br>the effects of culture of poverty<br>and factors of disempowerment are examined. Furthermore, the starting definitions of the urban poor are based on Peter Lloyd&rsquo<br>s study, which was carried out in Peru. In this context, a field study was carried out in Istanbul and Gaziantep to find out some indications to understand the regional differences of the working urban poor in Turkey. Turkey has also been affected by the conjunctural changes in the world and a new urban poor has been also emerging. In terms of regional differences of working urban poor istanbul labor market reflects the effects of new international division of labour and the structural adjustment policies more than Gaziantep. istanbul has an urban labour market which mainly performs as the periphery of international capital. Urban labour market in Gaziantep however, includes rural and local elements of causal labour as well, besides its links to the new international division of labour. In the micro level, istanbul working urban poor represent more western and urban values, more literacy and higher level of education and more positive attributes to the role of education, better working conditions of casual labour, more feelings of isolation but also more hopeful for future prospects and more motivated for initiating coping mechanisms. On the other hand, Gaziantep working urban poor represent a very complicated and multi-step migration process compared to istanbul migrants and migrant women in Gaziantep tend to work more in pieceworking jobs due to agro-industry. Hence, the thesis argues that to designate urban poverty and more specifically working urban poor in Turkey, regional, cultural factors and dynamics of migration are significant.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1991.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-78).<br>by Gilberto Enrique Chona Quiñónez.<br>M.C.P.

The study discusses sustainable development related to the urban poor in informal settlements. It includes also a case study of how the Municipality of Taboão da Serra, a city in the periphery area to SaoPaulo, work for upgrading the favelas. It discusses issues such as which strategies for slum upgrading that are used and which philosophical theories the upgrading projects are related to. The study is based on literature studies and a two and a half month long field study at the municipal office at Taboão da Serra. During the field studies, a number of interviews and informal conversationswere held. Also visits to favelas and participation observations were made. The municipality has many projects aimed at upgrading the favelas. Many measures are about a better infrastructure and physical environment, for example waste management, land regularization andbetter roads. There are also measures both at municipal and national level to promote primary education. The municipality also runs programs to reduce unemployment. The upgrading projects have connectionsto both different kinds of utilitarianism and Rawls theory of justice.

Childhood is a critical period of the life of human beings, and experiencing poverty at this stage can seriously hinder children’s development. A reliable measure of child poverty is the essential prerequisite for monitoring children’s living situations and for providing government with sound evidence for policy making. Despite the importance of the issue of child poverty, to date there has been no effective measure of child poverty in urban China. This study is an effort to fill this gap. In contrast to the conventional income-based approach to poverty, the deprivation approach initiated by Peter Townsend in the 1970s is able to offer a direct, non-monetary, and multidimensional lens through which to examine child poverty. On the basis of international definition of child poverty and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in this current study the author constructed a child poverty measure — Child Deprivation Indicators (CDIs) — in China’s urban context. A quantitative approach was used and a survey called Child Poverty in Urban China was carried out in Beijing from October 2011 to March 2012. Employing a multistage sampling method, 1,000 households with children were selected to participate in the survey, and the response rate was 91%. After a process of indicator selection, survey, and threshold setting, 34 indicators covering six dimensions of children’s basic needs were chosen to constitute the CDIs. The six dimensions are diet, clothing, housing conditions, household facilities, education, and social interaction. Children lacking five or more indicators because of economic constraint would be identified as being deprived. According to the study findings, 12.7% of children were living in deprivation at the time of survey. The 34 items showed differing degrees of deprivation, ranging from 0.4% to 14.0%. Education and social interaction were the two dimensions demonstrating the widest deprivation. Significant and considerable differences were found between local and migrant children both in terms of deprivation rate and severity. Migrant children are seriously disadvantaged compared with their urban peers but they are not entitled to social assistance in cities. To further examine the newly constructed child poverty measure, the author compared the CDIs with two conventional poverty measures which are based on social assistance recipient status and on family income. Findings showed that they identified different groups of poor children with moderate degrees of overlap. In spite of this, the deprivation severities of children receiving social assistance or living in low-income families were significantly higher than those of non-recipient children and children from normal-income families, implying that these three different child poverty measures are closely related to each other. Several suggestions were generated to inform policy making and practice. First, government should raise the standards of social assistance and introduce child-specific assistance programmes. Second, migrant children should be treated equally to urban children and be entitled to social assistance. Third, in practice different child poverty measures should be utilized in conjunction with each other. Finally, with minor adjustments the CDIs can be utilized in other cities.<br>published_or_final_version<br>Social Work and Social Administration<br>Doctoral<br>Doctor of Philosophy

Thesis (S.M. in Urban Studies and Planning; and, S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2000.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-57).<br>This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.<br>A methodology in determining the financial values (business values) of physical infrastructure projects is presented from the public point of view. The business valuation model in this thesis adopts three concepts of financial modeling, Monte Carlo simulation (probability-generated cash flow), Capital Asset Pricing Model, and Adjusted Present Value. Using this model, the business values of a hypothetical infrastructure project are simulated 1,000 times and the mean business value is analyzed in terms of patterns and magnitudes of the simulation. The results from the 1,000 simulations showed large differences between the value derived by this model and those by the traditional net present value method. Also, this model elucidated qualitative information on how levels of government’s financial support such as subsidies, tax incentives and revenue guarantees will affect the project’s business value by components. The model elucidated, as well, the qualitative information on how project’s contractual framework may affect the business value when private contractors bear key uncertain risks, such as demand changes and construction cost overruns.<br>by Nobuhide Watanabe.<br>S.M.in Urban Studies and Planning; and, S.M.in Real Estate Development

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, 2007.<br>A thesis submitted to the University of Western Sydney, College of Health and Science, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Includes bibliography.

Thesis (DTh)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation develops a theory for doing Malawian urban ministry called "Holistic hermeneutical practical theology." The effects of urbanization: secularization, disorientation, poverty and pollution in Malawi's urban centers make it difficult for the CCAP to implement successful ministry that deals with the shantytowns' circumstances. Chapter one: The first chapter describes the Malawian urban context. It defines the five components of the researcher's topic of study: "Urban poverty as a challenge for ministry within the Malawian (African) context" and the three components of the methodology: "Holistic hermeneutical practical theology." Four relational hypotheses are formulated to guide the study. Different research methods applied to gathering information for chapters of this dissertation are documented at the end of this chapter. Chapter two: The second chapter examines the CCAP's existing ministry practice and addresses the first hypothesis: "Its rural background and theory of ministry prevent the CCAP from developing an effective urban ministry that adequately addresses the problems of the poor." The missionaries introduced a comprehensive ministry approach to the early leaders of the CCAP Nkhoma Synod. In the process of blending the missionary approach to ministry in the local Chewa context, a philosophy of ministry that emphasizes spiritual salvation (neglecting the physical needs) was developed in the CCAP Nkhoma Synod. This approach poses a problem for the Church to adequately address the physical needs and realities of Malawians in the cities. Chapter three: The third chapter discusses the poverty situations of Malawian and South African shantytowns and slums and is the result of research conducted in order to examine the validity of the four hypotheses. The responses of the groups interviewed were helpful for an understanding of the current congregational challenges and ministry opportunities in urban areas. This chapter addresses issues of this thesis positively: research objectives, the population growth data of urban inter-censal, a brief historical description of Malawian cities, the government efforts to address urban challenges and problems, the CCAP ministry approach to urban ministry, and a brief description of two South African poverty scenarios. The research reveals that the church and the government work independently of each other. In this way the validity of the third hypothesis: "A holistic approach to urban ministry with joint forums for development is needed to address urban poverty problems," is confirmed. Chapter four: This chapter describes the extent of poverty in Malawi, which is most disturbing. The recent studies on Malawian poverty indicate that the poverty scenario is a pervasive problem affecting approximately 60% of the population; urban poverty, in particular, is 65%. Furthermore, chapter four discusses a number of issues, some of which are: a description and Christian views of the poor, an overview definition of urban poverty, the causes of poverty and the vocation of the urban church. The cities' informal economies can make a huge difference in the lives of the poor. All of the four hypotheses form the background to this chapter. Chapter five: Chapter five examines four different approaches of the urban ministry in poverty areas. The purpose of this chapter is to understand the approaches of current work in poverty areas. Various approaches are discussed: community organization, effective congregationally based advocacy ministries, a liberation model, and a church in solidarity with the poor and oppressed. This chapter repeatedly confirms the first and the fourth hypotheses. Chapter six: In this chapter the theory of a holistic, hermeneutical practical theology is applied to a number of activities called pillars, juxtapositioning it with the four hypotheses. This is presented as a model for doing urban ministry in Malawian (African) cities. In the process of describing or developing the model, the four hypotheses - that have already been thoroughly proved and discussed - now serve as orientation markers pointing the CCAP towards its future role in urban ministry. The model emphasizes a hermeneutic-communicative praxis, which makes it constantly concerned with understanding the Christian meaning produced in the past, and relating it to interaction with the present-day faith community. Thus, the church in urban Malawi will address the challenges presented by the effects of urbanization and industrialization. The model's ten pillars are discussed: i) ministry in a new era and context, ii) urban ministry among the poor requires community participation, iii) proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed, iv) Christian faith development, v) urban evangelism, vi) effective pastoral care, vii) the need to build faith communities, viii) the need to equip the urban mission, ix) moving towards ecumenical alliances in African cities, and x) the importance of congregational studies. Chapter seven is a summary and conclusion of the dissertation. It discusses issues of this thesis positively: orientation of the study hypotheses, congregational study methods used in each chapter, the study's path and results, the contribution the study has made to the existing knowledge, and the conclusion of the whole dissertation. Urbanization is Africa's new missionary challenge for this century. The Christian task in Africa is the mission of the continent, which is in the process of rapid urbanization. If the church delays its adaptation to the urban context (the theories of which are changing constantly) it will forsake her strategic mission of being a foreign body in the world, where the old and new overlap in her, rendering her too early for heaven and too late for the earth.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif ontwikkel 'n teorie vir die Malawiese stadsbediening wat beskryf word as 'n "Holistiese hermeneutiese praktiese teologie." Die invloed van verstedeliking, sekularisasie, disorientasie, armoede en besoedeling in Malawi se stedelike sentra maak dit moeilik vir die CCAP om suksesvolle bediening, onder plakkersdorp-omstandighede, te implementeer. Hoofstuk een: Die eerste hoofstuk beskryf die Malawiese stedelike konteks. Dit omskryf die vyf komponente van die navorser se studie-onderwerp, "Stedelike armoede as 'n uitdaging vir die bediening binne die Malawiese (Afrika) konteks" en die drie komponente van die metodologie, "Holistiese hermeneutiese praktiese teologie." Vier verwante hipoteses is geformuleer om as riglyn vir die studie te dien. Verskillende navorsingsmetodes, toegepas vir die inwin van inligting vir hierdie tesis se hoofstukke, word aan die einde van hierdie hoofstuk beskryf. Hoofstuk twee: Die tweede hoofstuk ondersoek die CCAP se huidige bedieningspraktyk en is gerig tot die eerste hipotese: "Die CCAP se landelike agtergrond en teorie van bediening verhinder die kerk om 'n doeltreffende stedelike bediening te ontwikkel wat die armes se probleme toereikend kan aanspreek." Die sendelinge het 'n omvattende bedieningsbenadering vir die vroee leiers van die CCAP Nkhoma Sinode ingestel. In die proses om die sendingbenadering tot die bediening in die plaaslike Chewa konteks in te voer, is 'n filosofie van bediening wat die geestelike verlossing beklemtoon (terwyl fisieke behoeftes verwaarloos word) in die CCAP Nkhoma Sinode ontwikkel. Hierdie benadering veroorsaak 'n probleem vir die Kerk om die fisieke behoeftes en realiteite van stedelike Malawiers toereikend aan te spreek. Hoofstuk drie: Die derde hoofstuk bespreek die Malawiese en Suid-Afrikaanse plakkersdorpe en agterbuurtes se toestande van armoede. Die hoofstuk is die produk van navorsing wat die geldigheid van die vier hipoteses ondersoek het. Die reaksies van die groepe met wie onderhoude gevoer is, het bygedra tot 'n begrip van die huidige gemeentelike uitdagings en bedieningsgeleenthede in stedelike gebiede. Die proefskrif spreek die volgende kwessies in hierdie hoofstuk aan: navorsingsdoelstellings, die tussentydse data van die bevolkingsgroei van stedelike gebiede, 'n kort historiese beskrywing van Malawiese stede, die regering se pogings om stedelike uitdagings en probleme aan te spreek, die benadering van die CCAP tot stedelike bediening en 'n kort beskrywing van twee Suid-Afrikaanse armoede-tonele. Die navorsing toon dat die kerk en die regering onafhanklik van mekaar werk. Dus, die geldigheid van die derde hipotesis: "'n Holistiese benadering tot die stedelike bediening met gemeenskaplike forums vir ontwikkeling is nodig om stedelike armoedeprobleme aan te spreek" is hiermee bevestig. Hoofstuk vier: Hierdie hoofstuk beskryf die ontstellende impak van armoede in Malawi. Die onlangse studies, met betrekking tot Malawiese armoede, toon dat die armoede-toneel 'n deurdringende probleem is wat ongeveer 60% van die bevolking raak; stedelike armoede, in die besonder, is 65%. Hoofstuk vier bespreek 'n aantal kwessies, sommige hiervan is: 'n beskrywing en Christelike perspektief op armoede, 'n oorsigtelike definisie van stedelike armoede, die oorsake van armoede en die roeping van die stedelike kerk. Die stede se informele ekonomiee kan 'n baie groot verskil in die lewens van die armes maak. Al vier hipoteses vorm die agtergrond van hierdie hoofstuk. Hoofstuk vyf: Hierdie hoofstuk ondersoek vier verskillende benaderinge tot stedelike bediening in areas van armoede. Die doel van hierdie hoofstuk is om die benaderinge in arm dele te verstaan. Verskeie benaderinge word bespreek: gemeenskapsorganisasie, doeltreffende gemeentelik-gebaseerde voorspraakbedienings, 'n bevrydingsmodel en 'n kerk in solidariteit met die armes en verdruktes. Hierdie hoofstuk bevestig herhaaldelik die eerste en die vierde hipoteses. Hoofstuk ses: In hierdie hoofstuk word die teorie van 'n holisties-hermeneutiese praktiese teologie toegepas op 'n aantal aktiwiteite, wat pillare genoem word, en stel dit naas die vier hipoteses. Dit word voorgestel as 'n model vir stedelike bediening in Malawiese (Afrika) stede. In die proses om die model te beskryf of ontwikkel, dien die vier hipoteses (wat reeds deeglik bewys en bespreek is) nou as orientasie merkers wat die pad vir die CCAP vir sy toekomstige rol in die stedelike bediening aanwys. Die model beklemtoon 'n hermeneuties-kommunikatiewe praktyk, wat gedurig in verband gebring word met die verstaan van die Christelike betekenis wat in die verlede teweeggebring is en wat dit, deur interaksie met die huidige geloofsgemeenskap, in verband bring. Dus, die kerk in stedelike Malawi sal die uitdagings wat deur die uitwerking van verstedeliking en industrialisasie gebied word, aanspreek. Die model se tien pilare word bespreek: i) bediening in 'n nuwe era en konteks, ii) stedelike bediening onder die armes benodig gemeenskapsdeelname, iii) die verkondiging van die Evangelie in woord en daad, iv) Christelike geloofsontwikkeling, v) stedelike evangelisasie, vi) doeltreffende pastorale sorg, vii) die behoefte vir die opbou van geloofsgemeenskappe, viii) die behoefte om die stedelike sending toe te rus, ix) die vorm van ekurneniese alliansies in die stede van Afrika, en x) die belangrikheid van gemeentelike studies. Hoofstuk sewe is 'n opsomming en afsluiting van die proefskrif. Dit bespreek hierdie proefskrif se hoofpunte: die orientasie en die hipoteses van die studie, die navorsingsmetodes geimplementeer in elke hoofstuk, die studie se ontwikkeling en resultate, die bydrae van die studie tot die bestaande kennis, en die afsluiting van die werk. Afrika se stede is die nuwe sendinguitdaging. Die Christelike taak in Afrika is die evangelisasie van die vasteland wat tans in die proses van snelle verstedeliking is. Indien die kerk in gebreke bly om in die stedelike konteks aan te pas, sal die kerk sy strategiese missie versaak om lig in die wereld te wees.

In this study similarities and differences in health experiences among urban poor in relation to the forms of capital they possess: economic, social, cultural, and health capital and the different positions they hold in the urban field, are analyzed. The research was conducted in two poor gecekondu neighborhoods in Altindag, Baraj and G&uuml<br>ltepe, via face to face interviews with 40 individuals. A main finding has been that the different forms of capital, in volume as well as in composition, had an influence on the urban poor&rsquo<br>s health perceptions, health care access, health seeking strategies and experiences in health institutions. The rural-urban migrants refer to a habitus in relation to health which still strongly relies on their rural practices. Major differences among men and women have been observed, where men seem to be more open to integrate into the urban dispositions. Economic capital plays a crucial role. Regular income earners do tend to emphasize that they have a certain autonomy and control over their health. On the other hand, benefit dependent poor mention that they have less control over their health. Economic capital can be seen as very much the same among the group studied, but the differences in health experiences rely strongly on Cultural capital is understood as their different identities: villager/non-villager<br>illiterate/ non-illiterate<br>women/men<br>healthy/non-healthy. Social capital (formal and informal solidarity networks) is studied as the role in health experiences, access to health care and strategies to use the existing health system<br>as well as how individuals support each other materially and immaterially. Social capital is important because it converts into economic capital, not as exchange but as use value. An analysis of the different forms of capital allows us to address at the interrelationship of structural conditions in the field and the practices actors experience through their internalized habitus. Health experiences therefore differ even among a socio-economic homogenous group. In addition to the above mentioned forms of capital, it is also argued that health itself should be considered as a form of capital. Health capital (self perceived health/illness and medically diagnosed disease) influences and is influenced by the other forms of capital.

This dissertation addresses critically the role that land tenure plays in housing the poor in rapidly urbanising medium–sized cities in the Global South and in particular, Aguascalientes, Mexico, a city with one of the highest growth rates in the country. Urban sprawl, industrial development, and the increasing impoverished population in these sorts of cities are key variables that demand the attention of scholars and policy makers who have traditionally focused on the largest Mexican cities, i.e., Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. The urban poor struggle to achieve consolidated housing by means of creative agency strategies operating within restrictive environments, or structures. Thus, this study engages with the implications of poverty, informality, and security of tenure as the starting points to understand the problems of housing the poor. Their experiences and voice were incorporated by following a behavioural approach and contesting the arguments that assert the need for a Western–like legal land and housing system as the only path for such cities to overcome poverty as promoted by influential international bodies. In order to gain the in–depth knowledge required for this research, a qualitative case study methodology was employed, interviewing formal and informal poor settlers, policy makers, and experts. The results showed that more questions are raised by the structure than by the agency strategies utilised by the urban poor, as the latter proved to be more part of the solution than of the problem. Besides the evident overlapping of formal and informal housing mechanisms, institutions must learn from their experiences. Approaching the role played by land tenure in home choices from a behavioural approach enriched this research by assessing it from the perspectives of the main actors involved in the process. It helped understand the problem from a perspective that is rich in experience as settlers provided an honest insight into their problems within the sampled areas by incorporating their voice into the housing equation. Yet, there was still an evident mismatch between the settlers’ and public bodies’ approaches to housing that will probably endure for some time.

Cambodia is a predominantly rural country with only 20 per cent of the population (3.2 million), living in urban areas. Of this 3.2 million however, over 50 per cent live in overcrowded, poorly constructed dwellings lacking basic infrastructure such as running water, electricity or sanitation. However due to the dominance of aid and assistance to rural areas and the expectation that those living in urban areas share in the wealth of the city, urban poverty is overlooked in Cambodia. This belief is reinforced as agricultural produce has been over taken by the services and manufacturing industries in the Cambodian economy; industries concentrated in urban areas. This thesis addresses the deficit in urban poverty research by using a political economy perspective to investigate livelihoods and housing concerns of the urban poor, in the context of neoliberal development. Research undertaken for this thesis was guided by two research questions; first, who are the urban poor and what resources do they rely upon? And second, does development policy address the needs of the urban poor? Doctoral fieldwork was conducted in Phnom Penh 2011- 2012. Key informant interviews with tuktuk drivers and stakeholders were conducted alongside life history interviews and a household survey in three urban poor settlements facing forced eviction and four resettlement sites. Assumptions concerning the informal economy underpinning urban poverty and urban poor livelihoods are deconstructed. Following mixed methods analysis; a more nuanced understanding of urban poor livelihoods is argued for and reinforced through two new terms, the urban poor economy and horizontal regulation. It is proposed that policy makers have failed to recognise the reality of urban poverty in which the relationship between where one lives and where one works is of the utmost importance. This failure exposes development plans as little more than rhetoric to attract foreign aid and investment. Combined with the exploitation of the urban poor by corrupt government officials more concerned with the accumulation of personal wealth, urban poverty alleviation efforts are undermined from their conception through to implementation.