H1 GEOG - Lecture 3: Management of Slums

What are the characteristics of slums?

1. Lack of basic services 2. Substandard Housing and inadequate building structures 3. Overcrowding and high density 4. Unhealthy living conditions and hazardous locations 5. Insecure tenure, illegal/informal settlements 6. Poverty and social exclusion 7. Minimum settlement size

What are the strategies to improve the lives of slum dwellers?

1. Large-scale public housing 2. Self-help schemes (a. upgrading, b. site-and-service schemes) 3. Poverty Reduction

Explain some criticisms of site-and-service schemes with reference to the schemes in Metroville, Karachi, Pakistan.

1. Operational difficulties associated with poor administration, lack of enthusiasm by local authorities, and an unwillingness to lower building standards, and an inability to prevent a middle-class takeover of improved dwellings. 2. Encouraging low-income communities to address their problems through self-help, while high- income areas expect government to provide services and facilities at a high standard, is regarded as discriminatory and exploitative. 3. A more general criticism is that site and services schemes alone are insufficient to help the mass of the urban poor. In the absence of large-scale job-creation programs, too few people will be able to participate in even the cheapest of self-help schemes. Initiated in 1973, the site-and-service scheme in Metroville, Karachi aimed to settle 200,00 people, with over 4,000 plots prepared, but after 10 years, only 700 were occupied, and most occupants were middle class, with low-income households originally targeted settled in private subdivisions surrounding the site.

What are the reasons for development of slums?

1. Rapid Rural-to-Urban Migration Driving up Demand for Housing 2. Limited Supply of Affordable Housing Provided by the Government 3. The Trap of Poverty

Explain how limited supply of affordable housing provided by the government leads to development of slums.

As there is a fast increase in demand for housing by rural-urban migrants, governments simply can not respond fast enough. People are coming to cities far faster than the planning and building process can incorporate them. Many cities at low level of development lack the institutional, infrastructural and financial capacity to accommodate the growing population. This results in a vicious cycle as the illegal occupancy of slums results in the government being unable tax occupants. This leads to low taxation revenue, resulting in less investment in housing & infrastructure.

Describe lack of basic services as a characteristic of slums

Due to pressure generated by demand for land in the city, slums are built on land that is unintended for housing in order to satisfy the urban land needs for rural-migrants. This means there is not enough time/resources to build infrastructure for services such as improved sanitation facilities, water sources, waste collection systems, electricity, roads and street lighting. For example, in Kibera, defecating into polyethene bags, then disposing them haphazardly is common due to lack of sanitation facilities.

Describe unhealthy living conditions & hazardous locations as a characteristic of slums

Lack of basic services, visibly open sewers, lack of pathways, uncontrolled dumping of waste and polluted environments result in unhealthy living conditions. Moreover, the land used is not suitable as it is too steep, marshy or polluted. For example, the Payatas slum in Manila was built on a landfill. In 2000, a massive mountain of garbage collapsed, burying 300 people alive.

Explain how large-scale public housing improve the lives of slum dwellers, along with its advantages and disadvantages.

Large-scale public housing involves the building of large amounts of houses in order to accommodate the growing urban population. For example, Singapore's public housing is applauded for not only providing better and affordable housing conditions for slum dwellers, it also ensured that employment opportunities were accessible. This is especially effective as access to employment would address the root cause of poverty. However, this strategy might be not effective for countries at lower levels of development as it is expensive to carry out.

Describe substandard housing and inadequate building structures as a characteristic of slums

Many cities have building standards that set minimum requirements for residential buildings. Slum areas are however associated with a higher number of substandard housing structures, made with non permanent materials (eg. wood, corrugated iron, plastic & cardboard), many of which are unsuitable for housing. Structures such as earthen floors, mud walls and straw roofs are considered to be substandard.

Explain the criticisms of poverty reduction.

On the whole, the effectiveness of this poverty reduction depends on political will. Governments often view slum economies as an impediment rather than a critical contributor to urban development, restricting willingness to support these efforts. There are also several challenges that stop children in slums from gaining access to good quality education. 1. Schools in slums are severely under-equipped. Spaces could be cramped, furniture and utilities are insufficient, and basic provisions such as computers may not even exist. 2. For most slum families, educating their children is the least of their priorities. Education is seen instead as a waste of time and money. For those who are schooling, as they grow up, parental pressure to leave school and start work to contribute to the household income increases. 3. The practical aspect of paying school fees is a real barrier. This becomes more apparent if the children manage to progress to higher levels of education where clothing, travel expenses and other costs have to be included.

Describe overcrowding and high density as a characteristic of slums

Overcrowding is associated with a low space per person, high occupancy rates, cohabitation by different families and high number of single-room units. Many slum dwelling units are overcrowded, with five and more persons sharing a one-room unit for cooking, sleeping and living. This further aggravates health environment and increase probability of infectious diseases.

Explain how self-help schemes improve the lives of slum dwellers with reference to site-and-service schemes.

Site-and-service schemes aim to provide new homes at relatively low cost, with subsequent improvements occurring when occupants can afford it. Usually, an area of land is found which is not too far from workplaces in the city. It is then divided into individual plots by the authorities. Roads, water and sanitation may be provided. Newcomers can rent a plot of land and build their own house, following the guidelines. As time goes by, and they have more money, they can improve the house. Likewise, security of land tenure is required as occupants will only improve their house if they are confident they will not be evicted from the land.

Describe poverty & social exclusion as a characteristic of slums

Slum areas are associated with poverty as they are seen as both the cause and consequence of slum conditions. They are also denoted by an area of substandard living that is being set apart from the prestige of urban living. Additionally, they are not recognized by the government, and hence have no rights such as voting. Slums are also perceived to have high levels of crime, and are populated by minority/vulnerable groups.

Explain how the Trap of Poverty leads to development of slums.

Slum conditions continue to persist as residents remain stuck in the trap of poverty. Across slum settings, overcrowding and poor access to water and sanitation facilities translate into a broad range of adverse health issues, such as through direct exposure to bacterial agents and drinking contaminated water. Poor health in turn limits the ability of adult slum dwellers to work productively and of children to focus on education. Hence, they can not generate enough income to escape the trap of poverty. For example, in the slums of Tongi and Jessore in Bangladesh, 82% of respondents report household members being sick in the at least once every 30 days. Slums in Sierra Leone also routinely experience cholera outbreaks.

Define "Slums" according to the UN-Habitat

Slums are heavily populated urban area characterized by substandard housing and squalor. Some essential characteristics include: - high densities - low standards of housing (structures and services) - squalor (extremely dirty and unpleasant due to poverty or neglect)

Describe insecure tenure, illegal & informal settlements as a characteristic of slums

Slums lack formal documentation entitling the occupant to occupy the land or structure. This is clear evidence of illegality of slum occupation. The main factors contributing to non-compliance are settlements built on land reserved for non- residential purposes, or which are invasions of non-urban land. Due to the illegality of residency, slum dwellers are not given mortgage loans and hence, compounds their problems.

What are the advantages of living in slums?

Slums provide the only affordable housing in the city. Being in close proximity with people of similar migrant backgrounds can also provide newcomers with a sense of familiarity and security. In terms of economic advantages, the majority of slum dwellers earn their living from informal economic activities located either within or close to slum areas. Often, the informal economic opportunities available in slums continue to attract more migrants. A prominent example is Dharavi, a major slum in Mumbai, India, which is home to about 5000 informal businesses and 15,000 single room factories. The total annual turnover of Dharavi is estimated to be $1 billion.

With reference to the Baan Mankong slum upgrading program based in Thailand, explain the benefits and drawbacks of slum upgrading.

The Baan Mankong nationwide slum upgrading program in Thailand helped more than 90% of the communities involved improve land tenure security, most moving from absolute informality and illegality to the long-term security of land ownership or land lease. This gives them the confidence to invest in their housing or community. However, Once a Baan Mankong upgrading project is completed, community members will all face the sudden reality of a long period of loan repayment. The repayment burden may also come at a time when their incomes are still low and unsteady, and may keep communities trapped in poverty. Not only that, the collaboration process within communities is often slow and fraught with tensions.

Explain how rapid rural-to-urban migration leads to development of slums.

The main mechanism behind the growth of slums is the large number of incoming migrants from the poorer rural regions due to rural push and urban pull factors. These incoming migrants get involved in very low income jobs as they are usually lowly educated and unskilled labour. This make for a low standard of living, including poor housing (since they cannot afford any better). The profile of rural-urban migrants helps provide the second reason for the growth of slums. Young adults predominate among these economic migrants. This contributes to high levels of natural population increase in cities through their higher fertility and lower mortality rates.

Explain how poverty reduction improve the lives of slum dwellers, using an example

To truly improve the lives of slum dwellers, it is insufficient to focus merely on the improvement of housing and physical environmental conditions, as important as this is. The urban poor do not stop being poor the instant they get secure land and housing. It is crucial to address the root cause of poverty, and slum policies should seek to support the livelihoods of the urban poor. It is important to improve the access of slum dwellers to employment opportunities, with targeted intervention programs and pro-poor transport. For example, the government of Rio de Janeiro also provides slum dwellers with free transportation via cable car from hillside slums to the rest of the city, enabling easy access to employment opportunities outside of the slums. Children in slums should also achieve basic universal primary education. Education is important as it enhances the employment opportunities for them when they start working.

Explain how self-help schemes improve the lives of slum dwellers with reference to upgrading.

Upgrading aims to improve and secure existing areas of informal housing and involve communities in the process. It is also a cheaper alternative to public housing by involving slum dwellers in the labour process of improving their own housing. Upgrading will only be effective if there is security of land tenure. Land tenure is the right of an individual or group to occupy or use a piece of land. Land tenure keeps slum dwellers safe from eviction and gives them the confidence to invest in their housing or community.