Report on a baseline assessment for future impact evaluation of informal settlements targeted for upgrading: summary report

This study reveals that informal settlements cannot be considered as temporary transit settlements of individuals seeking opportunities in urban areas. They are home to the urban poor who neither have access to subsidised housing nor to the private rental market, which remains beyond their reach. While the UISP has been valuable, there is a need for a policy on the upgrading of informal settlements. As international and local experience suggests, effective upgrading programmes are those where communities are involved from the planning to the implementation of the programme. The current design of the UISP does not provide an indication of stakeholder involvement in its design. The ex post design of the Theory of Change (TOC) and the logical framework reinforce the low level of stakeholder participation in the design of the UISP. Revisions to the UISP need to ensure that a wide range of stakeholders are involved in its formulation because when targeted beneficiaries can identify with the programme, then participation in its implementation and success becomes easier to achieve.