6 CONCLUSION
173. Urban poverty is under-estimated and under-prioritised
both by developing country governments and by the international
community. National leaders and international institutions have
yet to recognise the enormity of the social, economic and spatial
changes taking place within their cities. This is one of many
reasons why key international donors such as DFID need to take
immediate action to push urban poverty back up both their own
and the international agendas. Without such action, the size and
the poverty of developing country cities—especially in Africa—will
continue to grow sharply. This could trigger crises in a number
of cities as overcrowding overwhelms weak infrastructure and deficient
public services. Delaying action will cost lives and money; it
is easier, safer and less costly to repair broken infrastructure
and build up basic services now than it will be to pick up the
pieces later. Otherwise, there could be crises and possible conflict
in some particularly vulnerable countries within just five years.
174. DFID has been a leading donor to urban development
within the past decade. This gives it the opportunity quickly
to re-establish the necessary staffing and policies. This can
be done without the need for substantial additional resources.
By re-prioritising urban poverty DFID would set an example which
could encourage other donors to do the same, thereby leveraging
considerable resources for only a modest cost. We urge DFID to
act quickly and give urban communities the support they deserve
in pulling themselves out of poverty. Then the positive forces
of urbanisation—economic growth, cleaner air, healthier
and more productive populations—can be unleashed worldwide.
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