Resources

The Habitat and Health Project was implemented in 1992 by IIED-Latin America in Barrio San Jorge, a poor squatter settlement in Buenos Aires. The article describes how three preliminary focus groups were piloted to test participatory methodologies on a small scale. The aim of the focus groups was to get to know local people's perspectives on the main health and habitat problems of the barrio, and to identify local facilitators with whom the project could work. Joint progress could then be made in the design and implementation of initiatives. The results of the pilot suggested that problems of low levels of community organisation and participation were not fully overcome. An evaluation of the experience has been used to revise the strategy for the second phase of the project.

This report presents the preliminary results of a participatory study of urban poverty and violence in Jamaica carried out during September - October 1995 using a Participatory Urban Appraisal (PUA) methodology. It describes findings from 5 poor urban communities in Jamaica on local perceptions of poverty and violence, and the causal relationships that produce and reproduce violence. The PUA began by eliciting local people's conceptions of poverty and vulnerability as an "entry-point" to discuss the sensitive theme of violence. The study clearly identified that violence in the selected communities erodes two key assets - labour and social capital - which are vital for reducing poverty, and ends with conclusions of specific relevance to the design of the Jamaican Social Investment Fund.

This article describes how mapping of local peoples perceptions of child malnutrition was used to improve the quality of focus group discussions. Time was taken at the beginning of the study to understand all the words related to malnutrition and ensure that all members of the group had the same definition, since in the urban setting there was no one single language which all members shared.

The Pollards Hill Building Connections Single Regeneration Budget Scheme will run for five years with a budget of ú5 million. It aims to improve access to education, training and employment, develop local enterprise, strengthen healthcare and improve the quality of life in the local community. This needs assessment was carried out as part of the "strengthening health care" theme and focused on residents views of life in Pollards HillI. Involving 550 people across a spectrum of ages, it captured their experiences, thoughts, ideas and suggestions for improving the quality of life for local people.

This report from DFID presents the findings from a review of 23 Participatory Poverty Assessments covering 14 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. The objective of the review was: To document the main findings and key messages from PPA's and complementary studies; To provide guidance on how poverty/environment links can be made more explicit in future PPA's. Three distinct aspects were addressed in the review; The messages of the poor; What the PPA's leave out; Areas where environmental causes and effects are alluded to but not elaborated upon. The report firstly provides an introduction to PPAs and the Environment, and is then divided into three key sections. The first section is entitled Conceptualising Environment - Poverty Links, and looks particularly at dispelling myths. The next is Poverty and Environment: Key Messages from the Poor which includes issues such as characteristics of well-being and ill-being, environmental trends, livelihood management activities, institutional influences, stresses related to poverty and the environment and an overview of key messages from the poor. The last section is entitled Lessons for the Future, and includes identifying gaps and partial analysis, and recommendations. Annexes detail references and a Matrix of Issues. Key points from this report are given in a 2-pager - Environment policy key sheet no. 1, available on-line - see below

Cowley Road Matters (CRM) is an innovative UK public consultation project in Oxford. It came about as a result of Oxfordshire County Council receiving funding for the improvement of Cowley Road, which runs through the heart of East Oxford. A busy arterial route, the road runs through a densely populated residential area and has a mix of local shops, pubs and restaurants. This paper describes how East Oxford Action carried out the consultation, involving and engaging the users of the area in redesigning it to suit their needs. The project involved a number of stages, giving people the opportunity to learn about the process, contribute their own knowledge, explore options and be involved in the design. The paper details the initial consultation process which took three months, and involved talking to businesses and groups, carrying out questionnaires, workshops and street interviews, and setting up a website. A shop was converted to a drop in centre and maps and models of the road were used in workshops and at the shop. Interactive design days followed and the final basic plan was exhibited at the annual carnival attended by 20,000 people. The paper goes on to describe what was successful about CRM, look at transparency in decision-making, discuss the role of the shop and the use of participatory video. Finally it looks at lessons learnt and what could be done differently.