Going to Scale 2 : One Project to Change A City

Summary

When community members, local government, practitioners and academics collaborate on one urban development project, they build relationships and a knowledge base that can inform and energize numerous other projects throughout the city. In this way, one project can change the city.

Discussion questions

In what ways does your local government function in the same way as national government? In what ways does it not? What are the pros and cons of each?
What could it mean for local government to “lead city development working with the people?”
Why invite representatives from many neighborhoods, and local academics, to perform a citywide survey of possible locations for a project, when you only have money for one project?
What is the downside of having more people involved in planning one project, and what could be the upside long term? Do you agree that it may increase the chances that one project is the beginning of a larger set of projects and not a stand alone, one-off?

Bio

Somsook Boonyabancha, is Chairperson, Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), a regional network of grassroots community organizations, NGO’s and professionals actively involved with urban poor development processes in Asian cities; former Director of the Community Organization Development Institute (CODI); Chairperson, of the Baan Mankong Program Committee.

Boonyabancha has been working and facilitating sustainable, equitable collective housing development and slum upgrading in Thailand and other Asian countries for 30 years – specializing in community-led initiatives. As director of CODI, she fostered a “city-wide” approach to community upgrading that has been replicated in cities across Thailand. She is based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Master Class 1 — Community-Driven Partnerships with Government that Enable Citywide Change

Partnering Community and Government