OUR WORK

Community-led Data Collection

What is Community-led Data Collection

In informal settlement communities, activities like profiling (rapid assessment of a settlement), enumeration (household level socio-economic surveys) and mapping create space for communities to: identify development priorities, organise leadership, expose and mediate grievances between segments of the community, and cohere around future planning.

Such activities serve as a platform for engaging government and other actors involved in planning and setting policy for development in urban centres. A key aspect of community planning activities is that communities own the information they collect. When they share the data with government, they are able to create new relationships — and even institutions — that make the poor integral role players in the decisions that affect their lives.

“When you have information in your hand, you feel so proud; you feel dignified because you have something that belongs to you.”

Melanie JohnsonISN
Stories about Data

What does it mean to “Know Your City” in South Africa?

| Community-led Data Collection, News | No Comments
By Yolande Hendler and Kwanda Lande (on behalf of CORC) “What’s the difference when we collect data on our own informal settlements?” – a question that Melanie and Nozuko asked…

A Photo Story: Community-led Enumeration in Action

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By Ava Rose Hoffman and Yolande Hendler (on behalf of CORC) A variety of methodologies exist for gathering data on informal settlements.  The SA SDI Alliance follows the practice of…

Know Your City: Why we need community collected data on informal settlements

| Community-led Data Collection, CORC, FEDUP, ISN | One Comment
By Charlton Ziervogel (on behalf of CORC) Urbanization and the growth of informal settlements Urbanization in South Africa has not followed the usual patterns as witnessed in many other developing countries…

Community-led data collection includes:

Informal settlement profile

Collection of community data through focus group discussions, guided by a standard questionnaire. Usually used for a settlement to gain an overview of

Household enumeration

Community-driven census that generates a detailed, household-level socio-economic and demographic profile of the community. Only conducted when the community is considering a particular project. Usually follows a settlement profile.

Boundary and service mapping

GPS mapping of the settlement boundaries, as perceived by the community, as well as availability and functionality of services within the community.

Publications: