Rapid Assessments In Urban Areas: Lessons From Bangladesh And Tanzania

An understanding of urban issues is extremely important for programming, especially for organizations that have traditionally focused on assisting poor households and communities in rural areas. Development organizations and governments frequently use rapid assessment methods because they have limited resources and little time to devote to longer-term, more complex research projects. Generally these methods employ qualitative techniques to solicit information from relatively small numbers of people. The size and diversity of the urban environment complicate the ability of these methods to generate a reliable, representative picture of urban livelihoods and the needs and constraints facing the urban poor. CARE’s experiences in Bangladesh and Tanzania suggest a number of ways that rapid assessment procedures can be strengthened to address these concerns. The experiences in Bangladesh and Tanzania suggest that the principal challenges to the validity of rapid assessments in urban areas, when used for exploratory purposes, can be met through use of representative samples; use of a number of qualitative and quantitative approaches; incorporation of team members who represent a variety of perspectives, knowledge areas, and professions; and linkages with local organizations and community members who are familiar with the economic, political, social, and cultural context of the city, to ensure local involvement and a local perspective.