A more inclusive, people-centered approach to projects and programs often eludes the financial and political flows of developmental institutions. Local, national, and international social movements are presenting new challenges to institutional arrangements at each of these scales. This panel is an attempt to understand what is significant about different types of social movements for the ways in which formal institutions engage with issues of urban development. What opportunities and challenges do these movements pose for ordinary poor people? What is leading institutions to build deeper engagements with social movements, especially those with a grassroots, community base? What potentials and pitfalls exist for these partnerships? How can these movements and partnerships be understood through academic research agendas? And can social movements develop alternative methods of development practice that can meet the extent of the challenges of urban poverty?

Moderator: Robert Buckley, The New School
Tim Campbell, The Urban Age Institute
Martha Chen, Harvard Kennedy School/ WIEGO
William Cobbett, Cities Alliance
Celine D’Cruz, Slum/Shack Dwellers International