Assignment Name: Preparing Ward Poverty Atlas and Urban Poverty Profile for 09 Cities for Livelihoods Improvement of Urban Poor Communities (LIUPC) Project

Country: Bangladesh

Client Name: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The Livelihoods Improvement of Urban Poor Communities Project (LIUPCP) was a six-year program aimed at achieving sustainable improvements in the livelihoods and living conditions of the urban poor across towns and cities in Bangladesh. Funded by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the project was implemented by the Local Government Division (LGD) of the Government of Bangladesh in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). At its core, LIUPCP was a governance program. It sought to address urban poverty not through the direct implementation of infrastructure improvements or charitable giving to selected urban poor beneficiaries but by influencing the environment in which poverty reduction policies and thinking took place, thereby having a potentially broader and more lasting impact.

To bring about improvements in living conditions and the livelihoods of the urban poor, LIUPCP worked in partnership with national and local governments, empowering urban poor communities to understand their challenges, advocate for their needs, and improve urban governance overall. The design and implementation of pro-poor policymaking and planning relied on the involvement of key stakeholders, including urban poor communities, civil society, the private sector, and local and national governments. The program aimed to develop tools, methods, and processes that would help build capacity, experience, and confidence at the community, city, and national levels.

The LIUPC project aimed to influence poverty reduction policies and improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations, particularly women, children, and other marginalized groups, by facilitating participatory planning and local governance.

As part of this initiative, a consultancy will produce Ward Poverty Atlases and Urban Poverty Profiles (UPP) for selected cities, providing detailed maps and data that illustrate poverty conditions at the ward and city levels. These tools provided a comprehensive analysis of the poverty situation at the ward level, using multi-dimensional poverty indicators such as infrastructure, housing conditions, access to basic services (e.g., water, sanitation, education), and economic opportunities.

The Ward Poverty Atlas provided a visual representation of poverty across the different wards in these cities, showcasing data on living conditions, resources, and socio-economic factors. The Urban Poverty Profile (UPP) offered an in-depth analysis of urban poverty at the city level, highlighting key poverty indicators and comparing conditions across various wards within the city. These profiles were critical in informing pro-poor planning and policy-making, and will help guide interventions for improving urban poor communities’ living standards.

The overall objective of the exercise was to produce ward-level poverty atlases and city-level poverty profiles in selected LIUPCP cities and municipalities. The specific objectives of the assignment included:

• To collect GIS files and databases related to Mahalla and Resource Mapping, as well as Urban Poor Settlements Mapping, for selected city corporations and municipalities.
• To carry out an analysis of the collected data in order to depict the poverty situation against certain variables.
• To produce poverty atlases for all the wards in every city corporation and municipality.
• To conduct pin-up sessions in every city corporation and municipality to gather more comprehensive information on the poverty situation.
• To prepare Urban Poverty Profiles for every city corporation and municipality.

This assessment supported local government and development partners in targeting resources effectively and creating evidence-based strategies to tackle urban poverty in these cities.

DM WATCH designed the comprehensive project plan, selected participants in consultation with project officials, and conducted training and other activities according to the provided Terms of Reference (ToR). DM WATCH managed the project administration, collected data digitally, processed the data, prepared the project completion report, and made presentations for the submission of both the draft and final reports. The following tasks were assigned to DM WATCH under the contract across the cities and municipalities, including Dhaka South City Corporation, Gazipur City Corporation, Cox’s Bazar Municipality, Cumilla City Corporation, Gopalganj Municipality, Noakhali Municipality, Rajshahi City Corporation, Rangpur City Corporation, and Syedpur Municipality:

Inception and Planning:

• Team Mobilization and Orientation: Mobilized the project team, consisting of GIS experts, researchers, and city coordinators. Conducted an in-house orientation session to familiarize the team with the project objectives, methodologies, and timeline.
• Inception Report: Developed and submitted an Inception Report, which outlined the detailed work plan, methodology, and data requirements for the preparation of the Ward Poverty Atlas and Urban Poverty Profile. This included identifying the data sources, tools, and formats required for the project.

Secondary Data Collection and Desk Review:

• GIS Data Collection: Collected essential GIS data and templates for the preparation of the Ward Poverty Atlas and Urban Poverty Profile from the UNDP and other stakeholders. This included shapefiles of Ward boundaries, Mahalla boundaries, and urban poor settlement locations.
• Template Design and Finalization: Designed and finalized the template for the Ward Poverty Atlas and Urban Poverty Profile in consultation with UNDP. Developed the visualization format for the Atlas and Profile, ensuring clarity and ease of understanding for stakeholders.
• Desk Review: Conducted a thorough desk review of secondary data related to poverty indicators and urban poor settlements. This helped understand the current urban poverty context and provided background data for the Atlas and Profile.

Primary Data Collection:

• Field Surveys and Community Engagement: Conducted community meetings and pin-up sessions with local stakeholders (e.g., city officials, community leaders, and LIUPCP town teams) in each of the nine cities. These sessions helped gather in-depth insights into poverty conditions, housing, access to services, and livelihood opportunities.
• Community Visits: Organized field visits to select Mahallas (neighborhoods) based on spatial analysis. Conducted observations to capture detailed socio-economic conditions, and collected qualitative data through informal discussions with community members. Photographed key features of poverty indicators (e.g., housing conditions, sanitation facilities, and access to clean water).
• Data Collection Tools: Utilized survey tools, community visit checklists, and photographs to capture relevant information. Collected data from both secondary sources (e.g., local government and BBS) and primary sources (e.g., community feedback and observations).

Data Analysis and Map and Profile Preparation:

• GIS Mapping and Analysis: Conducted overlay analysis in GIS to combine data from Mahalla maps, poor settlement data, and poverty indicators. This analysis helped create detailed Ward-level maps showing the distribution of poverty across different neighborhoods.
• Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis: Analyzed the multi-dimensional poverty data (e.g., housing quality, access to services, livelihood opportunities) using Excel. This involved both bivariate analysis and comparative analysis to identify patterns in the poverty conditions across different wards and cities.
• Preparation of Ward Poverty Atlas: Created Ward-level poverty maps using GIS tools and Excel charts to depict poverty conditions in each ward. Produced 6-10 thematic maps per city, highlighting key poverty indicators and their geographical distribution.
• Preparation of Urban Poverty Profile (UPP): Developed the Urban Poverty Profile for each of the nine cities, integrating both quantitative and qualitative data. This included the analysis of infrastructure, housing, sanitation, access to services, and livelihood conditions across the cities, presented through charts, maps, and photographs.

Reporting:

• Final Report and Deliverables: Compiled a comprehensive final report detailing the findings of the Ward Poverty Atlas and Urban Poverty Profile. The report included city-level poverty analysis, Ward-wise comparisons, thematic maps, and recommendations for addressing urban poverty.
• Design of Final Deliverables: Designed the final Ward Poverty Atlas and UPP using Adobe InDesign for professional presentation. The deliverables were provided in PDF and GIS formats, ensuring they were accessible for stakeholders.
• Submission of Raw Data: Submitted all raw maps, photographs, and GIS data files, along with the final reports to UNDP and other stakeholders for further use in planning and policy-making.

Through these services, our team ensured the comprehensive preparation of Ward Poverty Atlases and Urban Poverty Profiles, which will play a crucial role in shaping poverty reduction strategies and pro-poor urban planning for the LIUPCP project.