Researching the Urban Dilemma: Urbanization, Poverty and Violence

Abstract

The following summary highlights the key findings of the baseline study Researching the Urban Dilemma: Urbanization, Poverty and Violence. The study’s goal was to review the state of evidence and theory on the connection between urban violence and poverty reduction, and on the impact and effectiveness of different interventions. The study finds that there is considerable engagement with issues of urbanization, urban poverty and urban violence by social scientists. Much is known on the scale and distribution of urban growth, as well as on the character of urban impoverishment and inequality. There is also considerable research being conducted on the real and perceived costs and consequences of urban violence across an array of lowand medium-income settings. However, the study also reveals that much of the research and debate continues to be segmented and compartmentalized within certain disciplines and geographic settings, and that there are major silences in relation to the interaction between urban poverty and urban violence. The summary highlights a sample of interventions designed to prevent and reduce urban violence, but notes that the effectiveness of many interventions designed to mitigate and reduce insecurity and poverty in mediumand lower-income cities has yet to be tested. The summary concludes with a review of key knowledge gaps and questions for future research. i n t e r n at i o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t r e s e a r c h c e n t r e