This paper examines the changes to social networks of people living in seven informal settlements in Raipur, India, who, in line with the “Indian Alliance” model of community organizing, worked with NGO partners to form local associations in their settlements. These associations were meant to help the participants and their fellow settlement residents to access more secure housing through the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) policy. This paper presents findings from a quantitative social network analysis, demonstrating the impact of the organizing efforts in reshaping their relationship structures and strengthening their agency. These findings were tested for resonance and further fleshed out with qualitative details by going through the analysis with participants. Finally, this paper offers reflections on incorporating technical research methods into organizing and action research interventions, affirming the notion that people living in informal settlements are well placed to generate and make use of sophisticated data on their own communities and cities.

This brief distils best data practice recommendations through consideration of key issues involved in the use of technology for surveillance, fact-checking and coordinated control during crisis or emergency response in resource constrained urban contexts. We draw lessons from how data enabled technologies were used in urban COVID-19 response, as well as how standard implementation procedures were affected by the pandemic. Disease control is a long-standing consideration in building smart city architecture, while humanitarian actions are increasingly digitised. However, there are competing city visions being employed in COVID-19 response. This is symptomatic of a broader range of tech-based responses in other humanitarian contexts. These visions range from aspirations for technology driven, centralised and surveillance oriented urban regimes, to ‘frugal innovations’ by firms, consumers and city governments. Data ecosystems are not immune from gendered- and socio-political discrimination, and technology-based interventions can worsen existing inequalities, particularly in emergencies. Technology driven public health (PH) interventions thus raise concerns about 1) what types of technologies are appropriate, 2) whether they produce inclusive outcomes for economically and socially disadvantaged urban residents and 3) the balance between surveillance and control on one hand, and privacy and citizen autonomy on the other.

This paper presents an analysis of the role of decentralised institutions to understand the learning and challenges of the grass-roots-led pandemic response of Kerala. The study is based on interviews with experts and frontline workers to ensure the representation of all stakeholders dealing with the outbreak, from the state level to the household level, and a review of published government orders, health guidelines, and news articles. The outcome of the study shows that along with the decentralised system of governance, the strong grass-roots-level network of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers, volunteer groups, and Kudumbashree members played a pivotal role in pandemic management in the state. The efficient functioning of local bodies in the state, experience gained from successive disasters, and the Nipah outbreak naturally aided grass-roots-level actions. The lessons others can draw from Kerala are the importance of public expenditure on health, investment for building social capital, and developing the local self-delivery system.

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While the worst forms of child labour (WFCL) is not only an urban phenomenon, evidence suggests that WFCL emerges in cities in unique ways due to the complex structures and dynamics of urban systems. This report, therefore, develops a conceptual framework for WFCL in cities that integrates key understandings of urban systems and evidence about urban WFCL. This report reviews current literature on the complex systemic nature of cities – drawing on literature on the urban land nexus, urban complexity, informality, and inclusive urbanisation. It also reviews studies of child labour (focusing on the worst forms, where possible) in urban contexts. In this way, the report offers an innovative way of understanding the challenge of WFCL, and outlines the premises of a research agenda for responding to WFCL in cities. These contributions are made with the specific cities and neighbourhoods in mind where the CLARISSA programme is being implemented; however, they should be useful more generally.