Inclusive Cities Work Better: Lessons and Evidences from 10 Cities

This event launches the forthcoming WIEGO publication "Inclusive Cities Work Better" and provides a unique platform to bring together important findings and recommendations for policymakers, urban activists and city planners on engaging with organizations of urban informal workers.  In most cities in the global South, the majority of workers work in the informal economy. Cities that recognize informal workers and involve them in planning help create cleaner, greener, more socially responsive (i.e. inclusive) cities. Reducing urban poverty requires fundamental rethinking and reshaping of urban spatial planning and zoning, urban regulations and laws, and urban policies to incorporate the working poor. To achieve this, representatives of the working poor must have a voice in urban planning processes. Starting in 2008, WIEGO coordinated a five-year project that operated in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The project supported membership-based organizations (MBOs) of the urban working poor in their efforts to help build inclusive cities. The project strengthened MBOs in organizing, policy analysis, and advocacy so that urban informal workers had the tools necessary to make themselves heard in urban planning processes. The book "Inclusive Cities Work Better" pulls together project highlights of 12 case studies from 10 cities in order to discern lessons for both grassroots organizations and municipal authorities in best practices for building Inclusive Cities. This event will include research presentations and informal workers’ presentations sharing lessons learned on how to build more inclusive cities based on WIEGO and partners' collaborative five-year project. Representatives of both local and national governments interested in how to create and manage participatory processes will find this a very useful event. Event attendees will receive a sample booklet highlighting a handful of the most compelling case studies.