Empowering the urban poor through participatory planning process: a case from Jhenaidah, Bangladesh

Abstract

The paper analyses a community development project based in Jhenaidah, Bangladesh, which evolved through broadening social capital among slum communities and formal institutions in order to bring positive socio-spatial changes in the neighborhoods. Till date, nine disadvantaged communities have formed a network for city-wide community development, have started to build and manage their own funds, built better houses for themselves, and through this process have managed to draw attention and support from the local government. Started by a small group of architects and a local NGO in 2015, and still broadening its scopes, this project can be regarded as a successful example of people-led development initiative, especially in a context where most development projects exercise limited participatory values and are dominated by unequal power dynamics. Hence issues like scaling up and economic sustainability still concern those, who can see the community-driven development process with an unbiased attitude. The overarching goal of this article is to sketch out these issues with the help of empirical understandings from the field and theoretical findings from literature on social innovation and power in planning in order to understand how to work balance between local and institutional management of projects in order to avoid perceiving bottomup and top-down initiatives in a dualistic manner.

Adaptive project management model for the international development and aid projects

“…The complete agreement on the validity and importance of adaptations was highly relevant to the scattered literature of the aspects addressed by the adaptations. Adaptation-1 has confirmed the advocacy of Saleh et al (2017), Ika andDonnelly (2017), andMahmoud et al (2019); Adaptation-2 has supported the advocacy of CHS (2014), Sweis et al (2016), and Alam and Baidya (2019). Adaptation-3 has provided validated PM processes for MEAL functions as a key irreplaceable industry-specific discipline for INGOs and IDAPs (Ika et al, 2010;Mkutano & Sang, 2018;Sweis et al, 2016).…”

Concept of Co-Production and the Urban Poor's Housing Challenge in Bangladesh

“…A case from Jhenaidah that evolved through the participation of the slum community to bring positive changes in the neighborhood by managing their funds to build better houses for themselves with support from the local government. This successful example of co-production, started by a small set of architects and a resident NGO, led to prove a work balance between local power and institutional administration, eliminating the domination of unequal power dynamics (ALAM & BAIDYA, 2019).…”

Limits to and opportunities for scaling participation: lessons from three city-wide urban poor networks in Dhaka, Bangladesh

“…Further research is required into participatory action among bosti residents in smaller towns in Bangladesh, as seen in Comilla and Jhenaidah, where proactive mayors and community architects appear to have played an enabling role in the provision of low-cost housing. For details, see Alam and Baidya (2019 funded programmes, including paid positions for (especially female) leaders, group savings, and exchange visits to smaller towns (69) and cities in Bangladesh, as well as neighbouring countries.…”

“… 69. Further research is required into participatory action among bosti residents in smaller towns in Bangladesh, as seen in Comilla and Jhenaidah, where proactive mayors and community architects appear to have played an enabling role in the provision of low-cost housing. For details, see Alam and Baidya (2019). …”