Urban Development in India and Ghana 

The Slum Communities Achieving Livable Environments with Urban Partners (SCALE-UP) Program, which is being funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is enabling the urban poor in India and Ghana to have a meaningful voice in the planning and implementation of slum improvement programs.

In many developing countries around the world, insufficient access to basic municipal services has resulted in low quality and inadequate housing, water, sanitation and transportation for the urban poor living in slums, who account for nearly one-third of the world’s total urban population.

SCALE-UP was designed with the understanding that close coordination of local intermediaries – such as nongovernmental organizations, local governments, academic institutions and microfinance institutions – is critical to bridging the gap between the growing needs of urban slum dwellers and the services provided by municipal governments.