Sustainable Livelihoods, Mobility and Access Needs in Urban and Peri-urban Areas

This paper will outline the objectives of an on-going Knowledge and Research study being undertaken by TRL on behalf of the Department for International Development [DFID/UK] which is investigating ‘Sustainable Livelihoods, Access and Mobility’ in Zimbabwe and Uganda. The paper begins by discussing the Livelihoods Approach concept in relation to transport, and continues with an overview of the methodology used for the study, as well as a brief summary of findings from Phase 1 of the project. The study being undertaken by TRL Limited, in collaboration with John Howe, Deborah Bryceson, the University of Zimbabwe and Makerere Institute for Social Research on behalf of the Department for International Development [DFID], intends to investigate the utility of the sustainable livelihoods approach in identifying the mobility and accessibility needs of the poor. The two year project is on-going and is being carried out in two transport corridors in Zimbabwe and Uganda, encompassing the capital city and a secondary city respectively, and spanning both rural and peri-urban settlements. The research will give specific reference to rural-urban linkages and the way in which the provision of transport supports or inhibits the livelihood outcomes of the poor, in relation to their movements within and outside of the corridor. The project comprises three distinct research phases incorporating a number of qualitative and quantitative research methods including focus group discussions, key informant interviews, household surveys and travel diaries. The methodology is designed to procure comprehensive data with a macro and micro dimension that will inform the sustainable livelihoods approach. The study will culminate in a report of research findings which will be disseminated to policy makers, development practitioners and academics in the immediate study areas, and throughout the developed and developing world. In addition, local workshops will be held for stakeholders in Zimbabwe and Uganda, and one specifically for DFID in London at the end of the project.