There is growing interest in the integration of new technology and community development, particularly on the value that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can add to community voices in setting ...development agendas. In the digital age, youth are emerging as leaders in capturing, packaging, and sharing information about their communities. Yet, there remains little documentation of the connection between in-depth field work with youth, new technology, and community development. To that end, this field report documents experiences of working with youth to map their community in the informal settlement of Mathare in Nairobi, Kenya. These youth created the first open data map of Mathare. The initiative—referred to locally as Map Mathare—offers key insights into how youth from urban informal settlements can utilize GIS technology to further their own development agendas. These youth can be engaged to work with community leaders and development practitioners to create valuable information to inform community development efforts.
This chapter presents insights from practitioners with over three years of experience in the digital mapping of informal settlements in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. Nairobi’s informal settlements are ...poorly documented and the state has limited reach in these areas. The projects reviewed here are initiatives intended to improve the provision of information and services in the informal economy, even when the state is absent. The chapter concludes that community-led geographical information systems (GIS) and open data can provide an alternative governance modality both in Nairobi’s informal settlements and in remote rural areas. A practical guide is offered for sustaining collaboration between citizens and state actors. Citizens, empowered with information communication technology (ICT) tools and methods, can fill in the information void found in “areas of limited statehood.”
This thesis considers the role of technology in community mobilization in collective action initiatives in an urban slum. We are specifically interested in how new information and communication ...technology (ICT), specifically mobile phones and the Internet, changes the way groups organize for the purpose of providing public goods in the areas of limited statehood. The focus of the thesis is on waste management activities in Mathare, Kenya’s second largest slum. We look at a household survey to determine that Mathare is as information rich environment as the rest of the country in terms of mobile and Internet coverage and use. Further, we identify 33 youth groups that provide public service of waste management in Mathare. These groups constitute an “alternative governance modality” in the absence of the state in the informal settlement. The data collected on these groups’ shows that they use available technologies, mainly mobile phones and the Internet, to coordinate activities between members, communicate to their customers and the city council, and to promote their activities online. We conclude that ICTs are being used as an alternative governance modality in the informal settlements.
