In November 2010, representatives of AAPS and Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to promote collaboration between these two networks and their affiliated institutions. SDI is a network of community-based organizations of the urban poor that operates in 33 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding followed the highly acclaimed success of the AAPS 2010 conference in Dar es Salaam. Several SDI representatives attended and provided invaluable input to that conference. Furthermore, conference proceedings featured a presentation by Jane Weru and Lamech Nyariki (both representing SDI affiliates) that highlighted the practical and experiential benefits enabled by a collaborative agreement previously forged between the Kenyan SDI affiliate and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Nairobi. At the Dar es Salaam conference, AAPS member schools decided to investigate the willingness of SDI to forge a partnership with AAPS and its members.
The following extract from the Memorandum of Understanding document outlines the purpose of the agreement and partnership:
To promote the collaboration of SDI and SDI country-based affiliates with members of the AAPS in order to promote initiatives, plans and policies which encourage pro-poor and inclusive cities and towns in Africa. The Partnership recognizes that planners play an important role in either facilitating or hindering the inclusion and improvement of informal settlements and slums, and that the education of planners has a fundamental impact on both their values and understanding, responses and practices, in relation to urban informality. The Partnership recognizes that one of the most effective ways to change the mindsets of student planners is to offer them direct experiential exposure to, and interaction with, the conditions and residents of informal settlements and slums.
As part of the agreement, the AAPS undertook to encourage its member schools to establish collaborative relationships with SDI affiliates active in their respective countries. Such relationships could potentially include the arrangement of student internships with SDI affiliates, inviting SDI staff to give inputs and lectures to planning students, as well as the conduction of research and/or teaching projects (particularly in informal settlements) in partnership with SDI affiliates.
The AAPS-SDI Memorandum of Understanding has laid down an important foundation for devising institutional partnerships capable of fostering collaboration and learning between practitioners, educators, researchers, studentsand informal community members.
Prof Peter Ngau signs the AAPS-SDI Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of SDI