Poverty and economic growth are intrinsically related but are not always synonymous. Human wellbeing is as important to economic growth as growth is to wellbeing. Poverty is multi-dimensional, encompassing both income and non-income related factors. Mobility, aspiration, dignity, respect, knowledge, information and savvy feature importantly in our understanding of the dynamics of poverty. This book brings together a collection of essays from around the world on urban development and poverty. The book reviews current international research in respect to some of the major themes that contribute to improving the equity and efficiency of urban systems. Importantly, it explores and sets out methodologies for understanding qualitatively the dynamics of poverty and urban development. Organized into three parts, the book adopts as its principal theme poverty and the eradication of extreme poverty. Part 1 The Dynamics of Poverty and Urban Poverty Research offers a framework for understanding poverty and a methodology for research. Part 2 The Dynamics of Urban Systems includes a selection of country specific essays each focused on an aspect of urban development and its relation to poverty. Part 3 Urban Futures reviews the principal themes emerging from the chapters and offers a basis for future work.

Nabeel Hamdi
NABEEL HAMDI, architect and teacher. Specialist in housing, shelter and settlement, slum upgrading and in participatory planning and design. Director of the Centre for Development and Emergency Planning (CENDEP) at Oxford Brookes University. Research Affiliate, MIT Cambridge, USA.