1000-word essay on how I can contribute to the solution of one of the following environmental challenges that the United

Nations has identified in its Millennium Development Goals.

Knowledge as a Key to Achieving Improvement in the Lives of 100 Million Slum Dwellers by 2020

The Philippines has one of the highest population growth rates in Asia. The country is beset by a rapidly growing population, growing urbanization, increasing urban poverty and worsening economic inequity. Inequity in economic development is manifested by the geographical distribution of urban poverty. To illustrate, an estimated 10 percent of families in Metro Manila lived in poverty compared to about 40 percent and 64 percent of the urban populations in Central Mindanao and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, respectively (NSO, as cited in NAPGUGST, 2003). As of 2002, more than half of Metro Manilas estimated 11 million population lived in slums (Manila Standard, Section B, p16, Oct. 15, 2002). In 2004, the housing backlog including slum housing was estimated by the National Shelter Program at 4.5 million units - 44 percent of which was in the National Capital Region (ADB, 1999). According to the World Bank, more than 30 percent of the countrys urban population lives in squatters and slum areas and that about half of the 1.4 million urban poor households reside in the Metro Manila (WB, 2001). To make things worse, these areas have very limited or in most cases, no access to basic services such as clean water, health services, among others. The deficiency of proper housing for the poor is mainly a problem of supply rather than cost (NAPGUGST, 2003). Upgrading slums are affected by affordability issue. This, in turn, is closely related to housing quality and tenure that match the incomes especially of the poor. The challenge, thus, lies not in just raising the money to finance a comprehensive housing program for the poor, but in looking at innovations that will give us the most cost-effective and pragmatic option that in the end will provide the most benefit for every peso that is spent. This means that we need to scan the whole body of knowledge on the subject so that for every peso spent, the stream of benefits multiplies, thus accruing to increased supply. This entails moving knowledge around so that it can be a key tool for scanning and innovating practical solutions for housing the poor and improving slum dwellings in a local context. There are already success stories in this especially at the local government level, albeit on a very limited scale. These lessons from should not be taken for granted but should be shared so that others may learn from it, and build on it. Knowledge is information that is useful for effective action, producing results, or creating value (Talisayon, 2004). Information and knowledge may seem the same, but Knowledge Management practitioners make the distinction by saying

that information is know what, while knowledge is know how; Information is what is while knowledge is what works (Talisayon 2004). To find innovative solutions you need to know what works. To be able to innovate, you need to see the whole spectrum of experiences and body of knowledge so that you know what went right and what are missing that could have made the difference. Innovation fills the gaps in what has already been proven to work in other situations to localize solutions. Thus, the need to share knowledge is critical. The concerned sectors must share knowledge to form a common resource that will help speed up the search for practical solutions for housing the urban poor and improve the lives of millions of slum dwellers. We have with us today the benefit of the most outstanding innovation of the century, the Internet, that enables people to share knowledge in the most efficient, cost-effective and timely manner. The Internet has brought forth the information revolution. Knowledge Management is getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time and more importantly, helping people share and put information into action in ways that strive to improve organizational performance (ODell, 2004). Clearly, we need an interface to bring together the solutions that work to the key actors/stakeholders that need it. These solutions or best practices in housing the urban poor and improving the lives of slum dwellers will become the key in generating new innovative solutions and spreading the information in action to all regions of the country. As a 4th year architecture student, with adequate background knowledge in housing for the poor and superior skills in website development, I propose to develop an Internet portal for the sharing of these best practices and providing a venue for discussion on housing for the poor. This portal will become a shortcut for all who intend to find solutions for housing the poor and upgrading the lives of slum dwellers. It will have the following features: (1) a searchable database of best practices; (2) contact persons for each best practice to facilitate the knowledge acquisition; and (3) a forum for discussion and eventual discovery of new practical solutions, for networking and synergy. The database allows users to input their own practices or new technologies. In this case, candidate bestpractices are available online and these might just provide the gap that makes all the difference. It will be also be a capacity building tool. Examples of best practices that can be included initially will be the Gawad Kalinga, the different experiences of different cities such as the SHOPCOM approach of Muntinlupa City and the City and Church Partnership in Housing the Urban Poor of Calapan City. Another example is the EDSA Shrine project of resettling street dwellers under the EDSA flyover.

Cooperative agreements with the United Architects of the Philippines as well as from architecture schools to help build-up the content of the website will be explored. Revenue from sponsorships and advertising within the portal from architectural firms and related businesses can generate income for sustainability. In time, knowledge will prove to be an important tool to help improve the lives of slum dwellers in every city in the country. With the help of the Internet and the proposed portal, the right information can be available to the right people at the right time.

References: ADB (April 1999), Appendix E, Table 4, p. A-20. Manila Standard, Section B, p16, Oct. 15, 2002 National Action Plan on Good Urban Governance and Secure Tenure, August 2003. National Statistics Office, 2003. ODell, Carla and Grayson, C. Jackson Jr., If Only We Knew What We Know. 2004 Talisayon, Apin. What is Knowledge Management? 2004. NOTE: This 1000-word essay does not include the title and the references in its word count.