Best resources on urban programming?

[Zehra Rizvi]

Whose got suggestions?  Would love to hear it, across sectors.  There is stuff out there now and would be good to know what people are using or developing.

Thanks

Z

[Michael Keizer]

You might know that I used to lecture Urban Health, so you can imagine that I have a hefty amount of literature in my bookcase (metaphorically, that is -- most of it is electronic). Any specific issues that you would be interested in?

[Zehra Rizvi]

Displaced populations....and what their main issues are.  Especially refugees....

[Michael Keizer]

One of the most interesting publications on urban refugees is actually 'just' a dissertation from a then NY Uni doctoral student, now an a/prof at Georgetown: Campbell, Elizabeth H. “Refugee protection challenges in the era of globalization: The case of Nairobi”. Dissertation, State University of New York at Binghamton, 2005. http://gradworks.umi.com/31/64/3164737.html.

Of course Corsellis & Vitale's Transitional Settlement is a must-read. Corsellis, Tom, and Antonella Vitale. Transitional Settlement: Displaced Populations. Oxfam, 2005.

I have more, but this might already be a good start and their bibliographies will point you to more.

[Zehra Rizvi]

I am working for the Women's Refugee Commission now and we've been looking at urban livelihoods over the last two years...have some GREAT documents...you can find the guidance on this page.  Practical guidance on urban livelihoods programming.  What works, what doesn't and what more needs to be done!

I am also working on urban refugee YOUTH livelihoods stuff....started a separate thread on it.

I know that Oxfam has a person dedicated to Urban stuff (within livelihoods, I think).  British Red Cross is trying to come up with a handbook as well around this. 

I want to dig deeper on the urban livelihoods (and displaced) angle more...any suggestions for research/pilot projects?  That's my job now :)  Applied research.  Open to suggestions...AND collaboration!

[Michael Keizer]

I don't have much on urban lovelihoods as I am more into urban health and I have never really delved into the lovelihoods issue -- even though there are (of course) a lot of cross-links between the two.

[Zehra Rizvi]

Interventions should be a package---our lives are a package after all...not such distinct areas but rather overlapped ones...when I look at 'livelihoods', i look at health education shelter watsan etc as well...it doesnt make sense to me otherwise.  if you aren't healthy, you can do an income generating activity normally...if you dont have the education, you can't invest in yourself and move forward...if you are sick and don't have access to health/water services then most of your income might go towards that and you might start missing meals or pull kids out of school as a result/early marriage etc etc etc and the combinations go on! 

thanks for the resources....will take a look though i suspect we used them in our studies already...we do a pretty through environmental scan on a topic before delving into it (we find the gaps not being addressed).  tom and anotella went onto to found the shelter centre (antonella no longer there, actually)---they do cool work..(why do I feel like i'm name dropping? LOL!)

keep them coming...other people got stuff?

[Michael Keizer]

I would and even vehemently agree with you that we need to act in an integrated way... but having said that, we also need to keep in mind our own human limitations; sadly, the time of the 'uomo universale' is long gone and you will have to make a choice: get to know your own specialised bailiwick well enough to to be really expert, or be a generalist and only know the bare basics about a lot of things. I have made the choice to be a specialist (although I am daring enough to have a primary specialty, logistics for global health and aid, and a secondary one, global urban health), lending my expertise to the generalists who need to manage the programmes.

Which, I realise, is a whole subject for discussion by itself.

[Zehra Rizvi]

And i have attached three recent reports from the WRC.  The global guidance I mentioned below AND, two of the city reports that fed into the global guidance...would love to get feedback from people/practioners on how they like the products....practioners are our target market....want to make your jobs easier :)

[Michael Keizer]

You must have had some inside goss, because the latest issue of Disasters is dedicated to 'urban vulnerability and humanitarian response'. Some good reading in there.

[Michael Keizer]

...and... I just came across this resource:Building Livelihoods: A Field Manual for Practitioners in Humanitar.... More in general: you might want to have a look through the resources on urban programming at ALNAP.