Knowledge is power – informal communities assert their right to the city through SDI and community-led enumerations

This paper provides an introduction to the practice of community-led enumerations as conducted by Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI). It sets out the historical context for enumerations, which came out of a need in India in 1975 to find a more long-term solution to evictions, and charts its sub...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environment and urbanization 2012-04, Vol.24 (1), p.13-26
Main Authors: Patel, Sheela, Baptist, Carrie, D’Cruz, Celine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bargaining
Censuses
Cities
Community development
Development Policy
Eviction
Graphs
Group Identity
India
Informal sector
Knowledge
Methodological Problems
Rights
Self-help
Shack/Slum Dwellers International
Slums
Social surveys
Urban anthropology
Urban housing
Urban Poverty
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Summary:This paper provides an introduction to the practice of community-led enumerations as conducted by Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI). It sets out the historical context for enumerations, which came out of a need in India in 1975 to find a more long-term solution to evictions, and charts its subsequent evolution and spread throughout other countries. Enumerations can help to build a community, define a collective identity, facilitate development priority setting and provide a basis for engagement between communities and government on planning and development. This process allows communities of the urban poor to assert their rights to the city, to secure tenure, livelihoods and adequate infrastructure. The paper discusses some of the specific methodological issues, including the challenges of legitimizing community data, and the use of technology by slum(1) or shack dweller federations when appropriate.
ISSN:0956-2478
1746-0301
DOI:10.1177/0956247812438366