victor papanek, giorgio ceragioli (1930–2008), frithjof bergmann, arne næss, (1912–2009), mansur hoda, and laurie baker. development schumacher's initial concept of intermediate technology was created as a critique of the currently prevailing development strategies which focused on maximizing aggregate economic growth through increases to overall measurements of a country's economy, such as gross domestic product (gdp). developed countries became aware of the situation of developing countries during and in the years following world war ii. based on the continuing rise in income levels in western countries since the industrial revolution, developed countries embarked on a campaign of massive transfers of capital and technology to developing countries in order to force a rapid industrialization intended to result in an economic "take-off" in the developing countries. however, by the late 1960s it was becoming clear this development method had not worked as expected and a growing number of development experts and national policy makers were recognizing it as a potential cause of increasing poverty and income inequality in developing countries. in many countries, this influx of technology had increased the overall economic capacity of the country. however, it had created a dual or two-tiered economy with pronounced division between the classes. the foreign technology imports were only benefiting a small minority of urban elites. this was also increasing urbanization with the rural poor moving to urban cities in hope of more financial opportunities. the increased strain on urban infrastructures and public services led to "increasing squalor, severe impacts on public health and distortions in the social structure." appropriate technology was meant to address four problems: extreme poverty, starvation, unemployment and urban migration. schumacher saw the main purpose for economic development programs was the eradication of extreme poverty and he saw a clear connection between mass unemployment and extreme poverty. schumacher sought to shift development efforts from a bias towards urban areas and on increasing the output per laborer to focusing on rural areas (where a majority of the population still lived) and on increasing employment. in developed countries the term appropriate technology is also used in developed nations to describe the use of technology and engineering that result in less negative impacts on the environment and society, i.e., technology should be both environmentally sustainable and socially appropriate. e. f. schumacher asserts that such technology, described in the book small is beautiful, tends to promote values such as health, beauty and permanence, in that order. often the type of appropriate technology that is used in developed countries is "appropriate and sustainable technology" (ast), appropriate technology that, besides being functional and relatively cheap (though often more expensive than true at), is durable and employs renewable resources. at does not include this (see sustainable design). applications this section is an excerpt from list of appropriate technology applications. appropriate technologies find many applications in building and construction, agriculture, water and sanitation, energy generation and uses, transportation, health care, food preparation and storage, information and communication technologies, as well as finance. determining a sustainable approach features such as low cost, low usage of fossil fuels and use of locally available resources can give some advantages in terms of sustainability. for that reason, these technologies are sometimes used and promoted by advocates of sustainability and alternative technology. besides using natural, locally available resources (e.g., wood or adobe), waste materials imported from cities using conventional (and inefficient) waste management may be gathered and re-used to build a sustainable living environment. use of these cities' waste material allows the gathering of a huge amount of building material at a low cost. when obtained, the materials may be recycled over and over in the own city/community, using the cradle to cradle design method. locations where waste can be found include landfills, junkyards, on water surfaces and anywhere around towns or near highways. organic waste that can be reused to fertilise plants can be found in sewages. also, town districts and other places (e.g., cemeteries) that are subject of undergoing renovation or removal can be used for gathering materials as stone, concrete, or potassium. related social movements community-based economics campus center for appropriate technology (ccat) national center for appropriate technology alternative propulsion alternative technology diy culture eco-village frugal innovation jugaad maker movement myth of progress open source appropriate technology permaculture practical action (charity formerly known as intermediate technology) principles of intelligent urbanism social entrepreneurship sustainable development tools for conviviality green syndicalism lifehacking small is beautiful the appropriate technology collaborative