This presentation will outline the scale of the challenge in relation to how many urban dwellers are unserved or very inadequately served – and how the scale of this is so often understated in official statistics. Then it will consider where local governments and local civil organizations have delivered at scale for the underserved – through ‘slum’ upgrading, improved provision for water and sanitation, land for housing, health care, policing and the information base for serving informal settlements.

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Speakers: David Satterthwaite

David Satterthwaite is a Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and editor of the international journal Environment and Urbanization. He is also a visiting Professor at University College London. Most of his work has been on poverty reduction in urban areas in Africa, Asia and Latin America, undertaken with local teams. He has a particular interest in the work and influence of organizations and federations of slum/shack dwellers. He has written and edited various books on urban issues, including Squatter Citizen (with Jorge E. Hardoy) and Environmental Problems in an Urbanizing World (with Jorge E. Hardoy and Diana Mitlin). He also co-authored two books recently published by Routledge on urban poverty with Diana Mitlin. He also has an interest in how climate change is adding to or will add to the stresses and shocks faced by low-income urban dwellers. He contributed to the IPCC’s Third and Fourth Assessments and was a coordinating lead author in the Fifth Assessment. His latest book, Cities in a Finite Planet, published by Routledge, was produced with IPCC colleagues on how cities can address development issues, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and mitigation. He was awarded the Volvo Environment Prize in 2004 and was a member of the IPCC team that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.