PALM in slum improvement projects: a training experience from India

Slum improvement projects (SIPs) are integrated urban development projects which incorporate physical improvements with community development programmes. The article describes the use of PALM (Participatory Learning Method) to increase community participation in slum improvement projects in urban slums in India. Methods which have been found useful in this context include resource mapping, seasonal calendars and activity schedules, focus group discussions, wealth and well-being ranking, trend analyses, venn diagrams and matrices. Experience has shown that while PALM can help to enhance the process of people's participation, it needs to be accompanied by attitudinal and organisational change to be really effective.