Gender Mainstreaming Case Study

India—Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project

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• Publisher: Asian Development Bank
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9789292549718
• eBook ISBN: 9789292549725
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Gender Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

The Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project sought to improve the urban environment, economy, and living conditions of the residents of Kochi, Kollam, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, and Thrissur. Improvements in access to safe water and sanitation facilities have reduced the workloads of women and girls. Women's and girls' mobility is also now safer, and family hygiene practices are healthier. The project also offered vocational training in a number of areas supporting women's business initiatives. The project contributed to several important advances that had strong gender equality dimensions, including an improved quality of life, increased opportunities for employment and income generation for men and women, and enhanced participation, leadership, and decision making by women---in the community and within households.

India: Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project

Summary

DEVELOPMENT AIMS AND IMPACTS. The Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project sought to: (i) improve and expand urban infrastructure and services; (ii) enhance livelihoods; and (iii) strengthen urban management, planning, and the financing capacity of institutions for sustainable provision of urban infrastructure and services in five cities (Kochi, Kollam, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, and Thrissur). With the project interventions, improvements in urban infrastructure (water supply, sewerage and sanitation, solid waste management, and road transportation) have enhanced the quality of life in these five cities. Improvements in access to safe water and sanitation facilities have reduced the workloads of women and girls. Women’s and girls’ mobility is also now safer, and family hygiene practices are healthier. The project offered vocational training in a number of areas supporting women’s business initiatives. Thus, women and men have more opportunities for employment and to initiate income-generating activities. Women’s participation in the project initiatives has enhanced their self-esteem and nurtured their leadership abilities.

ADB PROCESSES AND MANAGEMENT TOOLS. A gender action plan was prepared during project design, highlighting the importance of women’s participation in all project activity components. Community participation initiatives took specific measures to ensure women’s participation and the inclusion of women’s perspectives.

Main Aims and Approaches of the Project

The objective of the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) was to improve the urban environment, economy, and living conditions of the residents of Kochi, Kollam, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, and Thrissur. The aims of the project were to support Kerala in (i) improving urban infrastructure services; (ii) enhancing livelihoods; and (iii) improving urban management, planning, and the financial capacity of the sector institutions, especially the municipal corporations, for sustainable provision of infrastructure services in the five project cities. The project aimed at improving the income and employment opportunities along with providing increased access to entrepreneurial activities for women, who were the primary focus of the poverty reduction initiatives. See Box 1 for basic facts on the project.

Box 1: Project Basic Facts

Loan approval number:	2226
Loan approval:	December 2005
Closing date:	June 2016
Executing agency:	Local Self-Government (Urban) Department
Overall project cost:	$221.2 million
Gender classification:	Effective gender mainstreaming

Note: In this report, “$” refers to US dollars.

Source: Project records, Project Management Unit.

The KSUDP had four parts:

• Part A. Urban Infrastructure Services Improvement, which involved the rehabilitation, improvement, and expansion of municipal infrastructure services, including (i) water supply, (ii) sewerage and sanitation, (iii) drainage, (iv) solid waste management, and (v) roads and transport.

• Part B. Urban Community Upgrading, which combined improvements in basic infrastructure and services with livelihood promotion for poor communities.

• Part C. Local Government Inf...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• India: Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project
• Back Cover