Assignment Name: Urban Poor Settlement Mapping in 04 Cities under the 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.

This specific assignment, Urban Poor Settlement Mapping, was commissioned under the LIUPC project in four cities: Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Gazipur City Corporation, Noakhali Municipality, and Gopalganj Municipality. The main objective was to map urban poor settlements based on various socio-economic, physical, and demographic indicators to assist in the identification of priority areas for intervention. The mapping aimed to demarcate boundaries of urban poor settlements, including slums and squatter areas, and collect data on 16 different poverty indicators. This baseline data will inform future livelihood interventions and community development strategies to address urban poverty.

The mapping exercise also aimed to increase community engagement and participation, ensuring that the residents of these settlements played an active role in defining their needs and identifying available resources. By involving local stakeholders, including community-based organizations (CBOs), local government representatives, and NGOs, the project sought to strengthen the local governance framework and foster a more inclusive approach to urban poverty alleviation.

Objectives of the assignment included:

• To establish a baseline of the urban poor settlements and contribute in strategizing the investments to improve the livelihood conditions of urban poor community of the cities following objectives are specified.
• Collect multi-dimensional poverty data from urban poor settlements;
• Promote a participatory and inclusive approach to the poverty assessment;
• Mobilise community, policy makers and civil society to participate in collecting, understanding, validating and using maps and data to promote community development;
• Strengthen the capacity of Community Organizations like CDC Town Federations to conduct participatory urban poor settlement mapping and data collection; and
• Strengthen LIUPCP intervention in the program cities and towns.

DM WATCH designed the comprehensive project plan, selected participants in consultation with project officials, and conducted training and other activities in accordance with the provided Terms of Reference (ToR).

The study adopted a comprehensive methodology for each of its activities, including field mobilization for data collection, desk-based reviews, and participatory consultations with local-level stakeholders. The field-level surveys collected data on Mahalla mapping, resource mapping, and poor settlement mapping at Mahalla, Ward, and City levels. The entire process employed a participatory approach, placing Mahalla and community members at the center of the process. This approach included not only community members and Mahalla representatives but also City Corporation/Municipality authorities, such as Mayors, Ward Councillors, senior-level officials, and CDC CBO representatives.

The following services were provided:

Planning Phase:

• Consultation and Stakeholder Engagement: Conducted consultations with key stakeholders including local government authorities, NGOs, and community leaders to discuss the scope of the mapping, objectives, and methodologies. These meetings helped align the project’s goals with local needs and secured the necessary permissions and support.
• Defining Mapping Criteria: Collaborated with stakeholders to define the criteria for identifying urban poor settlements, focusing on income levels, housing conditions, infrastructure, and access to services.

Design Phase:

• Data Collection Tools Preparation: Designed survey tools, including scorecards and resource identification checklists for the community-based survey. These tools were tailored to gather data on the socio-economic conditions, physical infrastructure, and land tenure in urban poor settlements.
• Base Map Preparation: Collected satellite images and GIS shapefiles to create base maps for the targeted settlements, which were used to define the boundaries of Mahallas (neighborhoods) and to overlay resource locations such as schools, hospitals, markets, and other community services.

Data Collection and Fieldwork:

• Workshops and Training: Organized city-level consultation meetings to inform and engage ward-level councils, community leaders, and local authorities about the project. Facilitated Mahalla and resource mapping workshops, where community members actively participated in defining settlement boundaries and identifying local resources.
• Community Surveyors Training: Recruited and trained community surveyors from each Ward, providing orientation on mapping methodologies and data collection techniques. Surveyors used scorecards and base maps to collect socio-economic and infrastructural data within the urban poor settlements.
• Field Survey and Mapping: Led the field survey teams in conducting settlement mapping in all four cities, demarcating boundaries of poor settlements and collecting data on 16 poverty-related indicators. 8-10 photos were taken during each survey to capture social conditions, housing quality, and local economic conditions.

Data Management and Analysis:

• GIS Mapping: Digitized the settlement boundaries and resource locations using GIS tools, ensuring accurate spatial representation of urban poor areas. Prepared GIS shapefiles that combined settlement boundaries with socio-economic data for future analysis and intervention planning.
• Data Entry and Verification: Entered data collected from scorecards into a central database, ensuring data integrity through continuous verification with Ward Councils and local stakeholders. Conducted error-checking and validation processes to ensure the accuracy of the final settlement maps.

Reporting and Deliverables:

• Mahalla and Poor Settlement Maps: Produced Mahalla-level and Ward-level maps that visualized the boundaries of urban poor settlements and identified resources within each area. Printed high-resolution maps for stakeholder validation.
• Final Reports: Compiled detailed field survey reports, workshop reports, and mapping datasets, ensuring all maps and data were properly validated and ready for dissemination. These reports were designed in InDesign for professional presentation and dissemination.
• Result-Sharing Workshops: Conducted city-level workshops to share findings, present final maps, and discuss next steps with local authorities and stakeholders. Incorporated feedback and finalized the maps and databases for all four cities.
• Data Submission: Submitted raw data, GIS shapefiles, Mahalla maps, and Ward-level maps to LIUPCP and local authorities for further use in programmatic interventions and urban poverty alleviation strategies.

Through these services, our team helped create a comprehensive baseline dataset that will guide future interventions to improve the livelihoods of urban poor communities in Dhaka, Gazipur, Noakhali, and Gopalganj. The participatory approach ensured that the data collected reflects the real needs and priorities of the communities themselves.