World Bank2013-08-272013-08-272002-06-03https://hdl.handle.net/10986/15402The present study describes, and quantifies the provision of basic urban services to the poor, in three Central American cities in El Salvador, Honduras, and, Panama. It also identifies priority areas for government intervention, using specialized household surveys to quantify current deficits, and to rank households from poor to rich, using aggregate consumption as the measure of welfare. The urban poverty profile is examined in each city, through migration, growth, and mobility patterns, including education and labor characteristics. In terms of land and housing, in all three cities, almost half of the poor who reported being property owners have weak, or no documentation over their properties, and, considerable portions of the poor population, are not connected to the public aqueduct, while few if any, receive help from the government. High dependency on public transportation was reported, e.g., one hundred percent in El Salvador, ninety seven percent in Tegucigalpa. Institutional, and policy issues explain the current situation: in terms of decentralization, municipalities have limited functions vis-a-vis the delivery of basic services; as for the housing sector, there is a vast gap between housing provision, and housing finance; and, particularly for water, and sanitation, the institutional framework for the delivery of basic services, is characterized by great uncertainty. Strikingly, public transportation is entirely provided by the private sector, but the lack of regulation, causes problems reflected in an overall low quality of service.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS TO SERVICESASSETSBASIC SERVICESBUILDING PERMITBUILDING PERMITSCAPITAL CITIESCAPITALSCENTRAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFERSCITIESCITIES ALLIANCECITIES ALLIANCE PROGRAMCITY DEVELOPMENTCITY INFRASTRUCTURECITY LIVABILITYCITY MANAGEMENTCITY PLANNERSCITY PLANNINGCITY PLANNING DEPARTMENTCOMMUNITIESCOMMUNITY PARTICIPATIONCOMPREHENSIVE URBAN UPGRADINGCOST OF HOUSINGCOST OF LIVINGDECENTRALIZATIONDEFICITSDRAINAGE SYSTEMSECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTGARBAGE COLLECTIONHOSPITALSHOUSEHOLDSHOUSESHOUSINGHOUSING AGENCIESHOUSING FINANCEHOUSING FINANCINGHOUSING POLICYHOUSING PROGRAMSHOUSING PROVISIONHOUSING SUBSIDIESINFORMAL LANDINTERVENTIONLAND SUPPLYLAND TITLINGLAND USELARGE CITIESLAWSLIBRARIESMASS TRANSITMAYORSMUNICIPALITIESNEIGHBORHOODNEIGHBORHOODSOCCUPANCYPOOR NEIGHBORHOODSPRIVATIZATIONPUBLIC TRANSPORTRURAL AREASSAFETYSCHOOLSSERVICE COVERAGESERVICE DELIVERYSERVICE PROVISIONSETTLEMENTSSHELTERSOCIAL EXCLUSIONSOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURESOCIAL POLICYSOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEMSOCIAL TENSIONSOLID WASTESOLID WASTE COLLECTIONSTREET LIGHTINGSUBURBAN AREASSUBURBSTECHNICAL ASSISTANCETOWNSTRAFFICTRANSPORTURBAN AREASURBAN DEVELOPMENTURBAN DWELLERSURBAN GROWTHURBAN INFRASTRUCTUREURBAN LIFEURBAN MIGRATIONURBAN POORURBAN POPULATIONURBAN POPULATIONSURBAN POVERTYURBAN SANITATIONURBAN SERVICESURBAN UPGRADINGURBANIZATIONURBANIZATION PROCESSUTILITY COMPANIES URBAN SERVICES; SERVICE DELIVERY; POVERTY INCIDENCE; TARGETED ASSISTANCE; HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS; AGGREGATE VARIABILITY; WELFARE ECONOMICS; URBAN POVERTY; WATER SUPPLY & SANITATION; SOCIAL INEQUALITY; MIGRATION STATISTICS; POPULATION INCREASE; SOCIAL INDICATORS; LAND OWNERSHIP; PROPERTY RIGHTS; OWNERSHIP; PUBLIC TRANSPORT; INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK; POLICY FRAMEWORK; DECENTRALIZATION IN GOVERNMENT; MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT; HOUSING AFFORDABILITY; HOUSING FINANCE; PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION; INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY; LAND TITLES; LOW COST HOUSING; PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION; SECTORAL REFORMS; WATER TARIFFS; SUBSIDIESWorld Bank10.1596/15402