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Enacting participatory, gender-sensitive slum redevelopment? Urban governance, power and participation in Trivandrum, Kerala

Williams, Glyn LU orcid ; Omankuttan, Umesh ; Devika, J. and Aasen, Berit (2018) In Geoforum 96. p.150-159
Abstract

This paper looks at two governance challenges that sit behind global commitments to deliver ‘cities without slums’: under what conditions can participatory ideals be successfully transferred to housing redevelopment programmes, and under what conditions can participatory slum redevelopment trigger wider shifts towards inclusive urban governance? It does so by examining Indian national slum redevelopment policy and its implementation in Kerala's capital city, Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). Kerala's track-record of participatory governance and the lead role given to its women-focused poverty alleviation mission, Kudumbashree, in implementing housing projects make it an ideal place in which to examine these questions, and their gender... (More)

This paper looks at two governance challenges that sit behind global commitments to deliver ‘cities without slums’: under what conditions can participatory ideals be successfully transferred to housing redevelopment programmes, and under what conditions can participatory slum redevelopment trigger wider shifts towards inclusive urban governance? It does so by examining Indian national slum redevelopment policy and its implementation in Kerala's capital city, Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). Kerala's track-record of participatory governance and the lead role given to its women-focused poverty alleviation mission, Kudumbashree, in implementing housing projects make it an ideal place in which to examine these questions, and their gender implications. Primary data focusing on two housing projects are used to contrast intended governance changes featuring female-centred community participation with their actual operation on the ground. Despite moves to foreground women's engagement, both projects suffered from shortfalls in institutional design, the inevitable administrative complexity of housing delivery, and resistance from local power brokers. Given Kerala's favourable starting conditions, these outcomes highlight the need for slum redevelopment to be based around a deeper analysis of power dynamics and the explicit articulation of an agenda for inclusion at a city-level if participation is to realise its transformative potential.

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author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Gender, Kerala (South Asia), Participatory development, Slum redevelopment, Urban governance
in
Geoforum
volume
96
pages
10 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85051562278
ISSN
0016-7185
DOI
10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.07.021
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2018 Elsevier Ltd
id
a8505664-9e71-403e-b19c-86b1b09729f6
date added to LUP
2025-05-29 21:40:48
date last changed
2025-06-10 03:33:14
@article{a8505664-9e71-403e-b19c-86b1b09729f6,
  abstract     = {{<p>This paper looks at two governance challenges that sit behind global commitments to deliver ‘cities without slums’: under what conditions can participatory ideals be successfully transferred to housing redevelopment programmes, and under what conditions can participatory slum redevelopment trigger wider shifts towards inclusive urban governance? It does so by examining Indian national slum redevelopment policy and its implementation in Kerala's capital city, Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). Kerala's track-record of participatory governance and the lead role given to its women-focused poverty alleviation mission, Kudumbashree, in implementing housing projects make it an ideal place in which to examine these questions, and their gender implications. Primary data focusing on two housing projects are used to contrast intended governance changes featuring female-centred community participation with their actual operation on the ground. Despite moves to foreground women's engagement, both projects suffered from shortfalls in institutional design, the inevitable administrative complexity of housing delivery, and resistance from local power brokers. Given Kerala's favourable starting conditions, these outcomes highlight the need for slum redevelopment to be based around a deeper analysis of power dynamics and the explicit articulation of an agenda for inclusion at a city-level if participation is to realise its transformative potential.</p>}},
  author       = {{Williams, Glyn and Omankuttan, Umesh and Devika, J. and Aasen, Berit}},
  issn         = {{0016-7185}},
  keywords     = {{Gender; Kerala (South Asia); Participatory development; Slum redevelopment; Urban governance}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{150--159}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Geoforum}},
  title        = {{Enacting participatory, gender-sensitive slum redevelopment? Urban governance, power and participation in Trivandrum, Kerala}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.07.021}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.07.021}},
  volume       = {{96}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}