Communicating for Development (Urban Management Series): Experience from the Urban Environment

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Much research on urban development is supply-led -- generated by the interests of donors and researchers in the North rather than the needs of poor households in the growing cities of the South. Communicating for Development focuses attention on the most fundamental of questions about development: how can the lessons of good practice and innovation and the results of research benefit the poor? The book offers in-depth discussion about how the communication process works -- or doesn't work. It questions and challenges: who are the stakeholders; what are the best vehicles for transferring knowledge; why are local networks and intermediaries so important; what can hinder the communication process; and how may these gaps and barriers be overcome? Moreover, the book challenges traditional participatory methods of relating to the needs of poor urban communities and proposes instead the application of new communication and knowledge management methods currently used in business management.

The contributors examine communication from a variety of perspectives, offering critical analysis and new ideas in relation to communication methods. Part I considers the theoretical issues relating to communication and development. Part II comprises seven case studies which illustrate the application of the concepts discussed, with chapters on Internet-based research, electronic conferencing, multi-media communication and experience from countries as diverse as India and Vietnam. Communicating about development depends on dialogue, humility and respect for the differences between people, whether they be residents in Southern cities or the policy makers, urban managers, NGOs, researchers and communicators who work with them.

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