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From:           Darren Saywell <[log in to unmask]>

URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: ELECTRONIC CONFERENCE

The conference on "urban public transport and sustainable livelihoods' is
planned to take place between 6 September - 20 October 2000.  The
conference will be based around the research findings from a Department for
International Development (DFID) sponsored project, details of which are
given at the end of this message.

Urban public transport
A significant percentage of the world's population is urbanised. It is not
just the growing proportion of urban dwellers, but also the rate at which
urbanisation is occurring that is creating an unprecedented demand on
access to and quality of urban services. The livelihood of the majority of
urban resident is linked to the provision of urban services, including
public transport. Urban public transport (including large and mini buses,
non-motorised vehicles, three wheelers and local urban railways) is of
particular importance to the urban poor as it is the only means available
to them to travel longer distances.

This electronic conference will aim to discuss issues related to the
linkages between urban public transport and 'sustainable livelihoods'.
Additionally, the conference will present experience gained from a DFID
research project, "Partnerships to Improve Access and Quality of Public
Transport for the Urban Poor", which was focused around the case study city
of Karachi, Pakistan

The conference will be divided into three phases:

1. Linkages between urban public transport and the sustainable livelihoods
approach;
2. Presentation and reflection on the project's key findings;
3. A discussion of the lessons learned and future direction of research.


WHY PARTICIPATE?
+ At the end of the e-conference a synthesis report will be produced and
circulated to all participants. This will summarise the key points arising
from the conferences' phases. On request, a copy of the project's main
outputs can be obtained;
+ The e-conference provides an opportunity to understand more about links
between urban transport and sustainable livelihoods and to share real life
experiences from the field.
+ The e-conference will bring together a wide range of stakeholders -
NGO's, researchers, government staff, consultants - to discuss practical
elements behind urban transport provision;
+ It will give you an opportunity to voice your comments on the subject of
urban public transport for the poor.


HOW TO PARTICIPATE?
If you want to join this e-conference, simply send a message asking to
subscribe to the list owner at: [log in to unmask]


WHAT NEXT?
Once you have subscribed to this list, you will (after a few days) receive
further information about the forthcoming conference. This will involve
details of the background paper on which the conference will focus,
conference phases and protocols governing participation.

Other information and resources about the e-conference can be found at:

[http://www.lboro.ac.uk/wedc/projects/ptup/index.htm].

We very much hope you will be able to join us in this important initiative.


With best wishes,
Dr. M.Sohail

Research Manger
Institute for Development Engineering, Water, Engineering and Development
Centre, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK Tel: +44 1509
222890; Fax: +44 1509 211079

a.

Purpose of the project
The purpose of the project is to identify, explore and document critical
issues in the provision of transport services for and in low-income
settlements in developing countries. The identified issues can be used at
policy and operational level for better provision of transport services to
low income communities in urban areas. In the methodology, a sustainable
livelihood framework was used to set the research framework.

The assumption of this research project is that transport services make a
significant contribution to the livelihood of the urban poor. The
contribution (both positive and negative) to livelihoods includes access to
employment and income generation opportunities, education, health, social
networks (such as extended families which can help in securing incomes) and
necessary goods and services.

The focus of the research was in Karachi, Pakistan, which is a city of
between 10-13 million in the south of Pakistan.  It is a city with a
diversity of economic activities and a wide mix of different social groups
including a substantive migrant community, drawn primarily from India and
other areas in Pakistan.

Context of the project
Alleviation of poverty is the key objective of any international
development policy. The strategy adopted by donors such as the Department
for International Development (DFID), can be summarised as follow (DFID
white paper on international development):

o Policies and actions which promote sustainable livelihoods;
o Better education, health and opportunities for poor people;
o Protection and better management of the natural and physical environment.

To translate policies into actions on the ground, understanding the ground
realities, historical and socio-economic context is necessary. A holistic
and integrated approach is proposed to be more beneficial as compared to
the purely sectoral approach to identify the key policies and practices to
improve the livelihoods of the poor. One such approach is 'sustainable
livelihoods' (SL). This study briefly reports on the findings of
applications of such an approach on the issue of urban public transport.



..........

Urban Services Unit
Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)
Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK
Tel: +44 1509 222890; Fax: +44  1509 211079

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/wedc/ (WEDC)
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/garnet/ (GARNET)




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