‘They’ll be the ones that’s looking after it’ – unravelling institutional factors that shape children’s participation in urban planning for informal settlements

ABSTRACT

Sustainable Development Goal target 11.3 calls for ‘inclusive and sustainable urbanisation and capacities for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries’, yet children are systematically excluded from decision-making in urban planning structures, particularly in vulnerable settings. This case study examines the factors that shape children’s participation in urban planning processes for the revitalisation of water infrastructure in the Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) program in Suva, Fiji. This study aims to answer the research question ‘What are the factors that shape how children participate in informal settlement revitalisation in Suva, Fiji?’ The study utilises a qualitative case study to investigate the factors that underpin and reinforce structural, political, and economic systems of children’s exclusion. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 32 RISE staff and supporters to examine the individual, organisational and societal factors that shape children’s participation in the revitalisation of water infrastructure across 12 informal settlements. First, a typology of children’s participation is identified using definitions of children’s participation as a foundation. An institutional logics framework is then used as a conceptual lens to develop a children’s participation logic for RISE. The findings contribute to discourse on children’s participation in the context of urban planning in informal settlements and critically examine the barriers that perpetuate exclusion of children from these processes.

KEYWORDS:

• Sustainable development
• SDG11
• children’s participation
• urban planning
• informal settlements
• water infrastructure

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the RISE project field teams in Fiji and Indonesia, and all the study participants.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics

This study has been approved by Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC), project numbers 9396 and 22726, and College Health Human Research Ethics Committee (CHHREC) Fiji ID 313.20.

Disclaimer

The funders of RISE have no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of manuscripts.

Notes

1 RISE is an action-research program. The program is underpinned by the discipline of ‘Planetary Health’ and has developed a randomised-control-trial for developing localised, water-sensitive approaches to revitalising informal settlements. The program is working with communities, governments, local leaders and partner institutions using a co-design inclusive approach across 24 informal settlements in Suva, Fiji and Makassar, Indonesia RISE. 2017b.

2 The RISE objectives as listed in the 2017 Annual Activity Report include:

“Objective 1 ‘design and engagement: implementation of the WSC [water-sensitive cities] revitalisation of urban informal settlements through co-design processes, reflecting community aspirations and site contexts’; Objective 2 ‘ecology and environment: environmental monitoring will determine the impact of the intervention on the prevalence and density of microbial communities and faecal pathogens, biodiversity, and vector abundance’; Objective 3 ‘human health: a crucial hypothesis is that the environmental benefits of the intervention are accompanied by health improvements. The impact of the altered environment on the health of residents is being assessed, prioritising biological evaluation of gastrointestinal health of children under five years of age’; Objective 4 ‘well-being: the physical environment is a significant structural determinant of well-being. Changes to this environment can affect how people live, how they feel about themselves and their lives, and how safe they feel. It can affect an individual’s capacity for paid work and to feel part of a community. Objective 4 will monitor the effects of the intervention on individual and community well-being’; and Objective 5 Policy and investment: Objective 5 will integrate evidence and outcomes from across RISE to facilitate the widespread adoption of a WSC approach to revitalisation of informal settlements. The aim is to facilitate transferability of program lessons learned and outcomes to end users, including government, NGOs, communities, professionals and the private sector who shape urban development and water management decisions and practices. – RISE 2017a. Laying Foundations – RISE Annual Activity Report 2017. RISE.

Additional information

Funding

The RISE program is funded by the Wellcome Trust [OPOH grant 205222/Z/16/Z], the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Asian Development Bank, the Government of Fiji, the City of Makassar and Monash University, and involves partnerships and in-kind contributions from the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, Fiji National University, Hasanuddin University, Southeast Water, Melbourne Water, Live and Learn Environmental Education, UN-Habitat, UNU-IIGH, Water Aid International and Oxfam. This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship.