Photo credit: Tathabrata Bhattacharya (Roshnila Gurung and Tathabrata Bhattacharya, 2015, p. 7) “Street meeting with women groups in Jorapara, Raipur”
A new collection of studies examining the urban development experiences of people living in poverty around the world is now available for free online. Shauna MacKinnon of UWinnipeg’s Department of Urban and Inner-City Studies co-edited the April Issue of the journal, Universitas Forum, Volume 4, No. 2 (2015), “Innovative Practices of Inclusive Urban Development and Poverty Reduction”. The collection of studies examines both challenges and solutions so that others may draw from the lessons learned by those working to reduce poverty across the globe.
“…Whether in the inner city of Winnipeg or the slums of Delhi, the experiences show that residents of poor, spatially concentrated areas of cities experience similar challenges – low income, low levels of employment, lack of housing and access to services, violence, low rates of education,” Mackinnon writes in her blog post summarizing the issue. “They also show that poor communities have valuable knowledge about their problems and potential solutions.”
The issue is part of a large-scale collaborative project, funded with a grant from the International Development Research Centre of Canada, drawing from local community practitioners, government representatives and academics working to make life better for people living in poverty. It features papers and videos that outline successful projects undertaken in urban centres in Africa (Zimbabwe, Uganda), Asia (India, Senegal), South America (Columbia, Peru), and here at home: MacKinnon and her colleague Jim Silver contribute a case study featuring the intergenerational education model on Selkirk Avenue, including UWinnipegs Department of Urban and Inner City Studies.
MEDIA CONTACT
Megan Benedictson
me.benedictson@uwinnipeg.ca — 204.988.7129
