Research into the applicability of the healthy cities movement in Dakar district (Senegal): methodology and results

This paper reports on the findings of participatory research undertaken in three settlements within Dakar which sought to develop concrete actions for achieving "healthy towns and villages" and which also identified the const raints on such action. It begins by describing the key healthy city princip les local authority involvement, dialogue anti coordination between sectors , and community participation It then outlines the range of participatory t echniques used in diagnosing problems and developing proposals, and discuss es the potentials and constraints on their successful implementation. This highlights the potential contradictions between the "healthy cities" philos ophy and conventional local authority management culture. But it also point s to the more favourable conditions provided by decentralization and by new models of urban management which rely on the increased use of partnerships between neighbourhood associations, NGOs and local authorities.