DAWN MONDAY, MAY 18, 1998
BOOKS
18. 1998 DAWN, MAY Monday 18, 1998
I n the last two decades, major changes Asia. However, these changes have no set change in brought about ant policist these men in political social levelopment policies… Whial and hence developmental sem, has not yet been below. punagradiowth has dimie
In percentage tamus, urban growth has imi increased by about 20 million in the la 10 were terms of 10 years mees-cities tharring a few countries, as is often Teived, but in intermediate cities or agricaltar markét 10ms fior other countries are countries palteras in chissimilar). Thus factor is int when formulating pol because of the political power of the mega cities and the comparatively meagre financial and technical res avaliable in the interme diase cities. In the more populous Asian coun the growils of intermediate and smaller cities is much higher than that of the
In spite of numerous constraints and the dew demographic changes which have been described, the capacity of state agencies and the Formal private sector to provide housing and related credit and physical inbattructure has Increased considerably. However, it has been able to keep pace with the demands placed on it by the increase in popu lation the demand suppl gap and and an ha number of squatter Guments, homeless
proaches in a ban housing pol and appreachas in percentages anchanging Asian pantert
põe and those residing in marginulised area less mimb in Asis’s urban areas fin below the “poverty line” day theo 20 they represent the and third generation of low incor ende fue India dwellers. The trend Thailand and Bangladesh three very diflurent countries are almi far for othee countries in the region These city dwellers are not like their parents, and/or grandparents, whu were pioneers and as such willing to put up with deprivation. The new generation has claims
the city and are increasingly deteritung not only is soculogical eructure, haut also its poltti cal culture. a result, a populie urban culture Just developed but has not yet heen articulated politically in a safficiendy Forret reeful mannan tu bring about any meaningful shange in the atti rudes of the “powers that be. It is important to nota Chat 40 per cent of the total шап рор ulation of Anu burn of 20. What this will maan terms Acharning in the nest
Chinthough NGOs and concerned citius contio, wously emphasise the need for effective local the sell government in most cases they have yet
New urban scene
Arif Hasan writes about the state of the Asian cities today
develop a blueprint for such a government and identify the process through which it can be can only come about if a consensus on the blue the nuclear acquired. The politicisation of such a demand print can arrived at between citizens groups. NGOs and polan
In addition in the above factors, other socio in addition to the abstraken place. The axtended family is giving wat cribal links and family in most cities, and tribal and result, there is a grouted seed for station organisations and we a and nighthooded seed for making use of Hat can replace the functions of the rural clan or tribal ones. However, this is not happening, Many social scientists believe that this is one of the most important ressons for the growing the moon of the younger generation, not only in more low income affluent settlements, rows. Thus alienation, but also in it relatively is argued, vely is responsible for political cxtremism, crime, drug addiction and increase in Third World cite
have grown GDP in substantially Factions the invest aban facin ably and continues Land for These clearly in the aditition, Asian currencies, housing realisation among all
There is also the actor and infrast rama that government is a pr relopment an appropriate ring theme in all ande Tong-giving waenc Ho revenue generarion fall in per capita their non-s tare continues per capita tor anal atton NGO citie krupt. Their them are increasingly in debt subservient to bureau many
cmes) they ecially поста red potential rivals of cational Provincial legislative bodies and National level politicians. Thes These factors pre-vent them from exercising even the limited ees chat they possess. In spite of all the fantaze in favour of “empowerment of people and Incal councils, no serious attempts other than some
legislative measures in stain countries have been made in remove the hortlutuks that pre vem this “empowering” from wing roo In the smallas towns (except in rare cases), he local bodies da not even have ve the capacity to sur vey and map conditions and keep accounts. They are often intrastructure and винансe ond of
not nemurily mean an improvement in ens Experience tells us that does roemennditions and city management. In many cases in the abses bsence of proper political cal and technical support and community nity ment, decentralisation has simply meem that a lot of small ineffective organisations replace a larger larger ineffective ineffective body. bedformatives and ont of help
Asian governments hirve accepted Informa ing as a fait accompli, eve it involves squatting and illegal sub-division and, as long that is coveted developers or is government “developme schemes which aim at increasing. the state This was not so 20 уката идо However, no m tutionalise to t infrastruct support few projects projects proemises that informal secto (which provide land credit, technical 1 into the pla plann support them has except in the case of s the result of the “ercentricity of indi vidual government officials Whe the officials are mansferred, these projects are
all bow abandoned. ovider of The informal sector in almost all cities has now expanded to become she major provid jobs to low income groups. It has also become a support syste formal sector industry and commerce. Given inflation and recession in many countri 1 has developed to become the main provider of ces and consumer goods to low income and groups, who can mally producud expand. Unlike of the informal although nothing lower middle income ger afford the cost of for ontinu cades, this rolu echni rial and marketing capacity and institutions pecal, manageria capability. Academic and
seldom study its manner operation or the processes involved rioning, However, from the figures that emerge, 75 per cent of the juba generated in Karachi ore is the Bombay, ever 65 per yours ago lu cent of all jobs are punerated by the informal sector, Although no official figures am availalile that 60 per cars of juba in urban danesia and about the same percentage in urban Thailand are generated by the informal sector. The for mal job market caters almost to Inw inerma and lower middle income groups. This has a direct
And lasan studied archi tectare at Oxford and has frech a consultant to various community action groups, NGOs, government instit international development agencies. Hi the peincipal conssitant to the Orangi Pilot Project since 1982.
impact on low income housing as almost all infonnal sector workers are oncluded from gow sity programmes, exploser supplied pluta part ernment housing schemes related to social sach built housing, the varione financial wappact natives for informal actor employees as well and saving schemes promoted by the fontial sec to well Many Asian coumsies have NGO programmes that provide cre credit to small informal sector busi involves untergeisus. Some of of these are supported by government agencies. Sinch credit programmes xtra earnings lity. The extr generate employment, increase incomes and Hectoped as a resu vcloped as a result are invariably invested in improving housing. It is true that most of these
initiatives are wo far minuscule in scale, but if they can lead up ahstantially, they will go a long way in supporting solutions to the housing prololem
In countries wiwes infamal a de facto rity (fo kated sons), the upgrading and regular honal agent encies have failed exсерt to pay what dents ses substandard developmen ogether and facili rough years of ties they have already lubbying security which offers them scthing, In additio dejure dition, to achieve that dejure security, they have to tol catse to corruption viewed with hostility low backbreaking bureaucratic procedures, and suspicion by government functionaries. The
tion and with the libemlisation of Asian economies, this inability is increasing Land is 3d to be speculated ups. “It has replaced this co be expleited commercially rovides the largza ma easiest way of and big time finone, ated in result, power werful lobbies, backed by politicians getting returns in the shorten period of t As ad ventures generted from this activity tund unds the election campuits of individual can didates unil polit olitical parties, thus consolidating the process ess of land speculation atal commercial sons of land exploitation speculation the exploitation. There are number of repercus political support that is provided to it. Zosing and land-use rules, cegularises and plans are vio
the hunefit of the city, lated with unmity Governant owned lam land, traffic iry, is 17 and sold for commercial explotation et fras that could be used ercially important fucations increase colocation sites for the evictees city. Lower cream and weekend cot ges) and this in turn pushes rundt in dial cus of city crew developments ons; and most creasingly farth way from the city. Lowem middle income settlements also move away Land the city contre or from places hunger promotes demand (wuch as weekend te locations outside scenic beauty result of theen developme nspurt is massive environmental degrad radation, transport problems resulting wise and fair politi failure of city governations and services at appropriate locations; and mad important of all, the division of the city into two distinct worlds that of the rich and the pour a manner unknown in the seventies and cighties fa Increasingly, the tive in “ghettos” eur rounded by armed gult wards and computerised
result is that enremous revolving funds, raken by evelopment, fail to revolve cise for this kind of develo and the “huekloy” accumulatus. Howeva, in the few caten where trust has hean axtablished ational and socialin thest settlements. Thus glut between government agencies and communities, for the most the expulsion of the The pusitive aspects of the developments pour from the dry, hay led, in many cases, to the described above are overshadowed by the death of the inner niet as centres of culture, Increasing unability of Inwer income and tainment and recrowsian, except for thuse middle e income groupe to seeses land Asian law areas which have been “o cities. With the current emphasis on petrato coat, a co that in lamariabily liurne by the Teil (92 arably burne by the
security systems. Their catertal ure provided,
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Dr Hafizullah Emadi holds doctoral degrou from the University of Hawaii et Manca. He joined the Eas West Center’s International Relations Programme in 1990. He is the author of se eral books on Afghanistan
context, Caroline Moser of the Urban poor. The recent structural adjustment pro granane promoted be international agendes their governments will intensity these trends, Development Division of the World Bank has The association betroen macro осол distortions been quot quoted in a recent study “Thure is a clear in urhun arvan today. They find that there are ishment taking place differential impacts on various categories unbran poor. The rise in food prices that rypically the vulnerability of the borderline accompany structural adjustment has changes in the labour market and enre have led to impormeroshament clars giving rise to the erbated by the changes in pri ages and public expenditure The
poor dividi numb this pencass is promunting a consumer cul are ham sate velacies in Asian cities and the problems of traffic management and the noise and air pollution that they create. In kangkok, traffic rotume on the main roads increases at the rate of 15 to 20 per cent every year. This doubles the valume uvury 5 to fi sears. According to une estimate, 300 new cars are added to the city daily in Karathi, official figures show an insruise of 10. put cent in volume every you. Unofficial figures are per cent. In India, 1.7 million vehicles to the traffic stock annually,
added The development of miss trait and multi management systems that could help low income communities in overcoming some of the prob lems that the situation dessiben almeu is crean ing, have been a low priority for wonents. The emphasis has been on develop expressways and capital intensive trafitc muring projects. Many professiona onals teel thes this is simply another form of corruptis Recently, however, a number of Asian chiesa mass wansit projects on a Build-Operate-socals who believe that many of these projeen in the process of planning or building light rail Transfer (BOT) basis. Again, there are profes will be environmentally unfriendly, unat in sole for the poor and, hence, fancially цени fatale. They put the blame for these shortcom ing on the BOT concept wherele omracines and
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These are excerpts from Urban Housing press are proches in a Changing Ure Asian Context by Arif Hasan. 61 pp. Re 50. Published by City Press, A-16, Safari Heights, Publis Block 15, Gulistan-Jauhar, Karachi-75290 Tea (92 021) 8113474 har