Communicating for Development : Experience from the Urban Environment

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.