The poor dictate Asia's future, experts say<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The future of Asia's cities lies in their poor
\npeople who provide cheap goods and services, an international
\nconference was told yesterday.<\/p>\n
But cities have yet to pay attention to their needs, as they
\ncater more to the consumptive needs of better-off residents, Ela
\nR. Bhatt and Adi Sasono said.<\/p>\n
\"The future of Asia's cities lies with poor, hard-working
\npeople and particularly the poor women,\" said Bhatt, founder and
\ngeneral secretary of a 220,000-strong trade union in India called
\nthe Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA).<\/p>\n
But she said concerns over urban employment and the wealth the
\nso-called informal sector generates, trails far behind worries
\nabout urban population explosions.<\/p>\n
When it comes to urban investment, Bhatt said it is often
\nforgotten that the private sector also includes small-scale
\nindustries and firms.<\/p>\n
\"If the cities of Asia are to prosper, it is this private
\nsector which is going to make it happen,\" Bhatt said.<\/p>\n
The trade union based in Ahmedabad now has its own bank. Many
\nof the women, who include incense stick rollers living in slums,
\nare the sole supporters of their families, Bhatt said.<\/p>\n
Bhatt and Adi, the director of the Center for Information and
\nDevelopment Studies (CIDES), were addressing a three-day seminar
\ntitled: The Future of Asia's Cities.<\/p>\n
The international event is organized by CIDES with the New
\nYork-based Asia Society. It ends today.<\/p>\n
Many speakers at earlier sessions raised the need for the
\ndevelopment of cities to be sensitive to the aspirations of the
\npoor.<\/p>\n
Governments and the private sector need to agree on a common
\nvision for urban development, which includes the aspirations of
\nthe common people who are actually the city's income generators,
\naccording to one speaker.<\/p>\n
Adi said cities are a continuous battleground \"of economic
\nneeds and wants.\"<\/p>\n
He said the question is how to accommodate both the needs of
\npeople working only to survive, and those who have disposable
\nincomes. The urban poor working in the informal sector often
\nexceed 70 percent of the population of Indonesia's large cities,
\nAdi said.<\/p>\n
He told of a project in which he was involved in Samarinda,
\nEast Kalimantan. The Citra Niaga commercial center which
\naccommodates small scale traders, developed a slum area which was
\nhit by fires three times.<\/p>\n
It received the Aga Khan award in 1989 as an exemplary model
\nof community and private sector partnership.<\/p>\n
Other speakers in a session on residents' participation in
\ncity planning included Osborn Elliot, the chairman of the
\nCitizens Committee of New York City, and Masafumi Nagao of the
\nTokyo-based Sasakawa Peace Foundation. (anr\/swa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-poor-dictate-asias-future-experts-say-1447893297",
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