By 2006, 50% of the earth's population will live in urban areas. The fastest growth rate of urban populations is in developing countries where there is estimated to be more than 150,000 new urban residents per day. By 2015, for the first time in history, more people in developing countries will live in urban than in rural areas.

Because of the speed of the increase of urban populations, along with lack of resources at local level, urban local governments have not been able to provide services such as water, shelter or sanitation for the expanding urban population. As a result, urban poverty is also rapidly increasing, with between 30 and 70% of the residents of cities in developing countries living in informal settlements.

ASIST's focus on employment and infrastructure provision means that it is in a unique position to fight urban poverty. ASIST Africa's strategy for the urban sector is to focus on increased employment opportunities and improved infrastructure and services through using labour-based approaches to community managed infrastructure investments. The urban poor need better services and more opportunities for income. Constructing and maintaining infrastructure by hand, with the full participation of the communities, can be a tool for providing both.

Labour-based technologies and community participation

Labour-based and community managed approaches are particularly applicable in urban low- income settlements, as people are reliant on cash incomes and the congestion often makes equipment based approaches impractical. By involving communities in the planning, design, implementation, operation and maintenance of services, they become more cost effective and sustainable.

Most urban infrastructure in low-income settlements can be built and maintained using employment-intensive and labour-based technologies, such as:

Governments and City councils often lack the capacity to provide adequate services to poor settlements. Communities, on the other hand, know the problems and can provide solutions, but often lack organisation and know-how, funding and contacts. Communities can however be assisted to organise themselves into community based organisations (CBOs) representing the interest of the wider community.

ASIST Africa has been promoting the concept of community contracting, whereby simple forms of contracts between the local authority and the community (represented by the CBO) are introduced, enabling communities to upgrade their own environment. This promotes local initiative and participation when linked with capacity building initiatives in managing contracts and in the construction and maintenance of infrastructure.

Key activities of the ASIST urban infrastructure programme include:

• Providing policy guidance and awareness creation on the use of employment-intensive, labour-based and community managed approaches in urban upgrading
• Developing and disseminating best practices (guidelines) on labour-based community managed urban construction, operation and maintenance
• Mainstreaming the current experiences and integrating the approach in large-scale investment programmes and establishing support units at the country level
• Developing demonstration projects in countries that are not yet familiar with labour-based urban upgrading works
• Networking with other organizations such as UNCHS, WEDC, ITDG, CARE, IHS, IHE, World Bank and consultancy firms
• Developing appropriate technology related to drainage, drinking water supply, sanitation, solid waste management, street pavement etc.
• Developing and facilitating training for urban planners, engineers, site supervisors and communities
• Developing contracting and maintenance guidelines
• Conducting and publishing poverty impact studies
• Developing and disseminating labour policies and practices in community works.