Lalith Lankatilleke’s Book on The Way to Address Poverty & Underdevelopment
Bio-Data on Back Page
Lalith Lankatilleke (75), trained as an architect and planner in Sri Lanka, embarks on an epic journey at the age of twenty-six into the heart of Africa, following his passion to contribute to the advancement of humanity. In his mission to transform the lives of poor, marginalised people, he encounters a stark dichotomy between how people think and how professionals and bureaucrats define ‘development’. Throughout his endeavours, he observes this contrast across various societies and cultures, yet the underlying message remains the same: true development must be realised from within the people themselves. Development imposed from the outside cannot address the diverse needs of communities and invariably fails. His journey of unlearning and relearning from the people is vividly chronicled from 1976 to 2014, covering twelve countries across Africa and Asia.
Apart from four years in Sri Lanka, he worked for UN-Habitat in the fields of housing, post-conflict recovery, and post-disaster reconstruction. In every context, women play a leading role in the process of reconstruction and development. Lalith also illustrates the socio-political context of each country during the relevant periods, as governments are involved in every situation. His anecdotes of learning from the people are, at times, hilarious—though the book centres around the philosophy of the People’s Process of Development.
Dr. Ms. Somsook Boonyabancha, Chairperson, Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, Chairperson, Baan Mankong Housing Committee, Community Organisation Development Institute. (CODI) Thailand: “This book stands as a testament to the resilience and determination of marginalized communities striving for progress. Lalith eloquently contrasts the perspectives of professionals with those of the communities themselves, shedding light on the disparities in how problems are identified and addressed. His critique underscores the need for a more inclusive, grassroots approach to development—one that places the voices of the people at its core.”
Mitsuhiko Hosaka, Professor Emeritus, Nagoya University. Former UN Habitat Chief Technical Advisor: “For half a century, Lalith has continued his efforts for introducing what he calls “people’s process” of housing and settlement improvement, as typically represented by such sequential elements as community mobilization, community mapping, community action planning, community contracts, and community monitoring, in very diverse contexts.”
Dr.-Ing. Reinhard Goethert , Head, SIGUS – Special Interest Group in Urban Settlement. Dept. of Architecture, MIT: His study is a combination of several layers, with each contributing different but inter-related and reinforcing of his ‘people first’ principles. It is an attractive combination of a travelogues, history, and practical tools, for student, historian and practitioners.
