About the Authors

Habiba Al Marashi is Chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group in the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Award (UN-Habitat Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment), and a member of the Board of Directors of Global Urban Development. In 2003 she won the Emirates Professional Businesswoman Award.

Charles J. Billand is President of TCG International in Washington, DC, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. His article is adapted from a background paper prepared in 2005 for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and is reprinted by permission of the author.

Nancy Birdsall is President of the Center for Global Development in Washington, DC, and previously served as Executive Vice President of the Inter-American Development Bank. Her books include Population Matters, New Markets/New Opportunities, Distributive Justice and Economic Development, and Beyond Tradeoffs. She recently served as a Coordinator of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality and as a Lead Author of Toward Universal Primary Education: Investments, Incentives, and Institutions. Her article is adapted from this report, and is reprinted by permission of the UN Millennium Project.

Gabriella Y. Carolini is a Ph.D. Student in Urban Planning at Columbia University in New York City. She recently served as a Senior Associate for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers, and as a Lead Author of the final report, A Home in the City. Her article, the Executive Summary of A Home in the City, is reprinted by permission of the UN Millennium Project.

Sam Daley-Harris is Director of the international Microcredit Summit Campaign in Washington, DC, founder and President of the RESULTS Educational Fund, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. He is the author of Pathways Out Of Poverty, and Reclaiming Our Democracy. His article is adapted from the 2005 Microcredit Summit Campaign Report, and is reprinted by permission of the author.

Celine d’Cruz is Associate Director of the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers (SPARC) in Mumbai, India, a leader of the National Slum Dwellers Federation and Mahila Milan in India, and a Global Coordinator of Shack/Slum Dwellers International. She served as a Visiting Fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development in London, UK. Her article is adapted from a background paper originally prepared for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers.

Alain Durand-Lasserve is a Senior Researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris, France, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. He is the author of Holding Their Ground and other books. His article is adapted from a background paper originally prepared for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers.

Thomas L. Friedman is a Foreign Affairs Columnist for the New York Times. He is the author of four best-selling books: From Beirut to Jerusalem, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Longitudes and Attitudes, and The World is Flat, and he is the recipient of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. His article is adapted from Chapter Nine of The World is Flat, and is reprinted by permission of the author.

Pietro Garau is Director of the Urban Studies Center for Developing Countries in the Department of Territorial and Urban Planning at the University of Rome, Italy. He recently served as a Coordinator of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers, and as a Lead Author of the final report, A Home in the City. His article, the Executive Summary of A Home in the City, is reprinted by permission of the UN Millennium Project.

Luigi Fusco Girard is a Professor of Economy and Environmental Evaluation and Director of the Department of Conservation of Cultural and Environmental Heritage in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Napoli Federico II in Naples, Italy. Dr. Fusco Girard is a member of the Board of Directors of Global Urban Development, serving as Co-Chair of the GUD Program Committee on Celebrating Our Urban Heritage. He is co-author of The Human Sustainable City, and Economic and Financial Aspects of the Conservation of Monuments and Historic City Centers.

Caren Grown is a Senior Scholar and Co-Director of the Gender Equality and the Economy Program at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. She is co-author of Development, Crises, and Alternative Visions. She recently served as a Lead Author of Taking Action: Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering Women, a report of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality. Her article is adapted from this report, and is reprinted by permission of the UN Millennium Project.

Geeta Rao Gupta is President of the International Center for Research on Women in Washington, DC, and Co-Chair of the United Nations Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Youth Employment. She is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of InterAction, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Moriah Fund. She recently served as a Coordinator of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality and as a Lead Author of Taking Action: Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering Women. Her article is adapted from this report, and is reprinted by permission of the UN Millennium Project.

Walter Hook is Executive Director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy in New York City, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. He is the author of Counting on Cars, Counting out People.

Amina Ibrahim is National Coordinator of Education for All in the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, Nigeria. She recently served as a Coordinator of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality and as a Lead Author of Toward Universal Primary Education; Investments, Incentives, and Institutions. Her article is adapted from this report, and is reprinted by permission of the UN Millennium Project.

Monika Jaeckel is a Senior Researcher at the German Youth Institute in Munich, Germany, founder and Chair of the Mother Centers International Network for Empowerment (MINE) and the Grassroots Women’s International Academy (GWIA), Chair of the Our Best Practices Campaign for the Huairou Commission, and a member of the Board of Directors of Global Urban Development, serving as Co-Chair of the GUD Program Committee on Building Gender Equality in Urban Life. Her books include The Learning City, The GWIA Handbook, Engendering Governance and Development, Challenging Development, and Not the Chicken, Not the Egg, But the Nest!

Bianca Jagger is an independent journalist and international human rights advocate based in London, UK, and a member of the Board of Directors of Global Urban Development. She is a member of the Leadership Council of Amnesty International, the Board of Directors of the People For the American Way Foundation, and the Human Rights Watch Americas Advisory Committee. She has received the United Nations Earth Day International Award, the Green Globe Award, the Right Livelihood Award, and many other honors. Her article originally appeared in The Guardian, and is reprinted by permission of the author.

Curtis Johnson is President of the Citistates Group in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. He served as Chairman of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council and as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Minnesota. He is co-author of Citistates and Boundary Crossers.

Sam Kaplan is Vice President of the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle.

Aslihan Kes is a Program Associate in Poverty Reduction and Economic Governance at the International Center for Research on Women in Washington, DC. She recently served as a Lead Author of Taking Action: Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering Women, a report of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality. Her article is adapted from this report, and is reprinted by permission of the UN Millennium Project.

Marja Kuiper is a writer and consultant for the Job Creation and Enterprise Development Program of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Her article is adapted from a background paper originally prepared for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers.

Ruth Levine is a Senior Fellow and Director of Programs at the Center for Global Development in Washington, DC. Her books include The Health of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, Millions Saved, Making Markets for Vaccines, and Immunization Financing Options. She recently served as a Lead Author of Toward Universal Primary Education: Investments, Incentives, and Institutions, a report of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality. Her article is adapted from this report, and is reprinted by permission of the UN Millennium Project.

Peter Marcuse is a Professor of Urban Planning at Columbia University in New York City, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. His books include Globalizing Cities, Of States and Cities, Missing Marx, and Rental Housing in the City of New York. His article is adapted from a background paper originally prepared for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers.

Iouri Moisseev is a senior member of the staff of the Policy Analysis, Synthesis, and Dialogue Branch of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) in Nairobi, Kenya. His article, the Synopsis of Financing Urban Shelter: Global Report of Human Settlements 2005, is reprinted by permission of UN-Habitat.

Naison Mutizwa-Mangiza is Chief of the Policy Analysis, Synthesis, and Dialogue Branch of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) in Nairobi, Kenya. His article, the Synopsis of Financing Urban Shelter: Global Report of Human Settlements 2005, is reprinted by permission of UN-Habitat.

Donatus Okpala is Acting Director of the Monitoring and Research Division of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) in Nairobi, Kenya. His article, the Synopsis of Financing Urban Shelter: Global Report of Human Settlements 2005, is reprinted by permission of UN-Habitat.

Neal Peirce is Chairman of the Citistates Group in Washington, DC, and a member of the Board of Directors of Global Urban Development, serving as Co-Chair of the GUD Program Committee on Global Urban Development. He is a weekly syndicated columnist for the Washington Post Writers Group, and his many books include Citistates, Breakthroughs, Boundary Crossers, and The Book of America.

Tom Roper is Project Director of the Small Island States Energy Initiative for the Climate Institute in Washington, DC, a member of the Board of Directors of Greenfleet, an Honorary Life Member of Metropolis, and a member of the Board of Directors of Global Urban Development, serving as Co-Chair of the GUD Program Committee on Facing the Environmental Challenge. He served for more than two decades as a Member of Parliament in the State of Victoria, Australia, including as Leader of Government Business, and for more than a decade as a Senior Government Minister with portfolios such as Treasury, Planning and Environment, Health, Transport, Employment and Higher Education, and Aboriginal Affairs.

Otto Ruskulis is currently an independent consultant and author, and previously served as a Human Settlements Information Officer for Practical Action/ITDG in Rugby, UK. He is co-author of Building Bridges with the Grassroots, from which his article is reprinted by permission of Practical Action.

David Satterthwaite is a Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development in London, UK, Editor of the journal Environment and Urbanization, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. He recently was awarded the Volvo Environment Prize. His books include Empowering Squatter Citizen, Environmental Problems in an Urbanizing World, and The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Cities. His article is adapted from a background paper originally prepared for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers.

Theo Schilderman is International Team Leader of the Access to Services Program of Practical Action (formerly the Intermediate Technology Development Group) in Rugby, UK, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. He is co-author of Building Bridges with the Grassroots, from which his article is reprinted by permission of Practical Action.

Elliott D. Sclar is a Professor of Urban Planning and Public Affairs and Director of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development at Columbia University in New York City, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. He recently served as a Coordinator of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers, and as a Lead Author of the final report, A Home in the City. He recently received book awards from the International Political Science Association and the National Academy of Public Administration for his critical analysis of the privatization of public services, You Don’t Always Get What Your Pay For. Dr. Sclar’s other books include Access for All, Shaky Palaces, and Amtrak Privatization. His article, Executive Summary of A Home in the City, is reprinted by permission of the UN Millennium Project.

Mona Serageldin is an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Vice President of the Institute for International Urban Development, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. She is co-author of Municipal Finance of Urban Development. Her article is adapted from a background paper originally prepared for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers.

Elda Solloso is a Junior Professional Associate in the South Asia Energy and Infrastructure Department at the World Bank in Washington, DC. Her article is adapted from a background paper originally prepared for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers.

William B. Stafford is President of the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle, a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development, and former Deputy Mayor of the City of Seattle, Washington.

Luis Valenzuela is an Architect at the Gund Partnership in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His article is adapted from a background paper originally prepared for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers.

Kees van der Ree is Director of Poverty Reduction Through Small Enterprise Development for the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Hanoi, Vietnam, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. His article is adapted from a background paper originally prepared for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers.

Marieke van Geldermalsen is a Principal of M&M: Coaching and Research in Social Innovation, located in Arnhem, Netherlands. She is co-author of Not the Chicken, Not the Egg, But the Nest!

Emiel A. Wegelin is Vice Chair of Global Urban Development, Director of UrbAct in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and former Coordinator of the United Nations/World Bank Urban Management Program (UMP). Dr. Wegelin’s books include Housing the Urban Poor, Urban Low-Income Housing and Development, New Approaches in Urban Services Delivery, and Governing Cities and Shelter Upgrading for the Urban Poor. He served as member of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) support team aiding post-Tsunami reconstruction in Indonesia.

Marc A. Weiss is Chairman and CEO of Global Urban Development, and Executive Editor of Global Urban Development Magazine. Dr. Weiss is the author of The Rise of the Community Builders and co-author of Real Estate Development Principles and Process. He served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and HUD Liaison to the President's Council on Sustainable Development in the administration of President Clinton, and as Coordinator of the 1998 Strategic Economic Development Plan for Washington, DC. His article is adapted from a 2003 report to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, which was published by the OECD as a chapter in a book entitled Private Finance and Economic Development. This article is reprinted with the permission of the OECD.

Dave Wetzel is Vice Chair of Transport for London in the UK, Chair of the Professional Land Reform Group, Chair of the Labor Land Campaign, and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Urban Development. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

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