Lecture 5&6 Management of Urban Slums Flashcards

1
Q

Define slums

A

UN-HABITAT define slum household as grp of individuals living under same roof in urban area LACKING one or more of following
- Durable housing, protect against extreme climatic condit n
-Enough living space
-Easy access to safe water, affordable
-Access to basic municipal services
-Security of tenure (ownership) preventing forced evict n fr house

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2
Q

What has been the trend for slums in cities?

A

> 1 billion or >15% of world’s pop n live in slums

no of slum dwellers in LDCs increased considerably fr 689million in 1990 to 880 million in 2014

abt 60% of these found in Asia, followed by Africa (23%)

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3
Q

Elaborate on slums in cities

A

The term ‘slum’ now include vast informal settlements (squatters) found in LDC cities.

Slums found in inner cities while squatters set up at edge/periphery of cities

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4
Q

Describe slums in LDCs

A

Usually squatter settlements (spontaneous, built in a haphazard manner using discarded materials eg zinc metal, corrugated cardboards - unstable living structures)

-occupy area illegally
-high housing density (overcrowded living condit n)
- lack basic amenities/services
-on undesirable land areas ie. prone to landslides, flooding
-near some for of amenities eg transport, water supplies
-urban slum dwellers work in informal economies (jobs are ad-hoc, not taxed, regulated by govt)

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5
Q

What are squatter settlements/shanty towns?

A
  • Makeshift houses typically found at outskirts/periphery of cities and built on illegal land by poor rural migrants (searching for jobs)
  • Squatters characteristic of cities in Third World countries eg in Asia, Africa
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6
Q

What are the causes of Slum format n in LDCs?

A
  1. Large scale RU migrat n
  2. Demographic reasons (LDC rapid rate of Natural increase in pop n living in slums/squatters)
  3. Poor governance
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7
Q

Elaborate on large scale RU migrat n as cause of slum format n

A
  • large, rapid influx of rural migrants to city face severe housing shortage
  • poorly skilled and uneducated migrants face difficulty gain formal job, cnt afford high cost housing at city centre
    =>resort to stay in illegal housing, build own squatter settlement
    eg Lagos, Nigeria
    70% of pop n live in slums prone to flooding. Floods hv social and economic impacts (harm health, cause water shortage, deny job opportun)
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8
Q

Explain how LDC govt cause slum format n (particularly housing)

A
  • Govt in LDCs often faced w challenge of econ constraint
  • Inadequate capital, resources for new housing, as urban n process in LDCs occurred w/o benefits of industrialisat n
  • W/o strong political will, govt trapped in cycle of never provide enough or improve country’s circumstances
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9
Q

Expound on poor governance being a cause of slum format n (HINT: factors)

A

i. Political instability
-housing issue not prioritised in times of turmoil, political instability
-much fund diverted to defence, maintain order -> less given to address housing issues

ii. Corrupt n
- eg Brazil govt og intend use 2016 Rio Olympics Games to relocate some residents to Rocinha Favelas (slums) -> due to corrupt n and mismgment of funds, many construct n projects left unfinished and favelas not upgraded as promised

iii. Lack of Proper Urban Planning
- weak control by local authorities to monitor, regulate use of abandoned urban land -> creat n of squatters eg Kolkata, India and Costa Rica, Central America

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10
Q

What are the four reasons slums form in DCs?

A

*Located in areas once prosperous, now suffer fr inner city decline/decay as

  1. Govt cnt provide jobs after change in economy (effect of deindustrialisat n)
  2. Suburban n and counterurban n processes (wealthy move out, depopulation bcos of centrifugal force)
  3. Lack of affordable housing, insufficient public housing
  4. International migrat n
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11
Q

Why does deindustrialisat n happen in DCs?Give supporting examples

A
  • lack of diversificat n in economy
    eg Detroit over-focus on specialise in car manufacture industry, prone to econ change
  • due to loss of comparative advantage to cheap, abundant labour
    eg wage in West Europe countries cost>$20/h while in Bangladesh, merely $0.50/hour
    Deindustrialisat n of industrial cities eg Detroit in Rust Belt of USA due to industrialisat n in many Asian countries eg in Japan, S. Korea, Malaysia
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12
Q

What is deindustrialisat n?

A

Long term absolute decline of traditional manufature sector and associated job opportun

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13
Q

Elucidate how suburban n and counterurban n processes result in slum format n in DCs

A
  • Inner city decline of various American cities aka ‘White decline, white flight, black flight’
  • poor migrants seeking job move in to live in inner city (invasion)
  • such cities dealing w overcrowding, increased pa on infra and high cost of living (centrifugal force)
  • inner city living condit n bcame unattractive to house owners due to poor quality of life and rising social crime
    -> rich left inner city for btr housing and living environ at suburbs and rural areas

-poor migrants occupied neglected buildings at low rent (succession)
-cnt pay taxes -> less revenue collected to maintain city’s infra
->slums are dilapidated buildings found in inner cities due to invasion and succession processes
eg sub-standard housing in London - permanent, well-maintained sturctures but in disrepair

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14
Q

In what way does lack of affordable housing/inadequate public housing cause slum format n in DCs

A
  • All DCs NOT the same
  • Some may not experience inner-city decline, but houses in city may b too costly to afford, ppl forced to stay in slums
    eg Hong Kong’s rooftop slums, subdivided flats, caged homes, coffin homes
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15
Q

Give evidence of slum format n in DCs due to international migrat n

A

In SG, 50 workers found crammed into two condo units in Selegie Centre w/o mattresses or in bunk beds crammed tgt

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16
Q

Explain how and why features of squatter settlement may influence quality of life of the slum dwellers

A

(How -> why)

  1. Cramped living condit n
    poor ventilat n, pollut n -> dirty, smelly, lack of proper refuse facilities = spread of disease
  2. unhygienic
    no proper sanitat n, improper disposal of sewage ->spread of disease, pestilence
  3. no electricity
    no lighting, so use candles, kerosene -> crime rate increase, high potential for breakout of fires
  4. no water supply
    contaminated water -> spread of water borne disease eg cholera
  5. fire hazard
    houses made of wood and cardboard -> house burn easily, fire spread easily due to close proximity of squatters
17
Q

What are -ve social effect of slums? (give eg)

A

-congested, allow easy spread disease
-lack of piped clean water accelerates spread water borne disease eg cholera
=>slum dwellers poor health condit n, high mortality rate
-low job opportun might force slum dwellers resort to crime to survive
- slum dwellers not educated, poorly skilled -> cnt find job, meet basic needs eg food
=> slum dwellers tend to b plagued w joblessness and crime

eg
In 2015, a Brazillian pensioner was shot dead in front of her husband as they tried to follow a smartphone navigation app leading them to a gang-controlled Caramujo favela

18
Q

What are the boons of living in squatter settlements?

A
  1. low-cost and oni affordable housing
    -> place of residence for many low-income employees who contribute to the city
19
Q

What are +ve social effects of slums?

A
  • incoming migrants into city manage to find some form of job
  • living in slum = lower income spend on housing, leaving more $ for basic needs
20
Q

What are +ve and -ve econ effects of slums?

A

+ve
- revenue earned fr slum tourism in Dharavi, Mumbai in India

-ve
-Slum pop n present poor city image, repels potential investors due to negative percept n of slums -> investors lose confidence in govt’s planning

21
Q

What are -ve socio-environ effects of slums?

A
  • slum dwellers tend damage/exploit environ more due to lack of resources
    => land, water, environ pollut n
  • slum dwellers are most vulnerable to environ disasters, esp climate change (eg poorly built slums -> easily destroyed by natural disasters)
22
Q

What are -ve political effects of slums?

A
  • increased public spending
    providing enough public housing, support service for homeless, increased enforcement to maintain law and order
    eg. Singapore’s Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) Scheme (for young low-income family; grants, bursaries provided to help them cope w cost of living, guide them towards self-reliance. BUT condit n of at least 1 but not more than 2 children
  • Presence of slums may reflect badly on govt’s ability to manage city
    deter foreign direct investments fr cities
    => hampered econ growth, poor governance
23
Q

What are +ve political effects of slums?

A
  • govts may oso allow slums exist (esp in many LDCs eg India) as serves as stop gap measure (temporary emergency measure) to housing problem
  • some econ opportun for slum dwellers within slums may exist (informal job eg waste-picker)
24
Q

What are strategies to improve lives of slum dwellers?

A
  1. Public housing schemes/creation of new towns
  2. Self-help housing scheme
  3. Site-and-service schemes
25
Q

How effective is creation of new towns (public housing) in improving slum dwellers’ lives?

A

-Typically self contained towns, help relieve pa of congest n in central city area
-maximise use of space w proper urban planning eg high rise, high density housing
-eg SG HDB flats, Hong Kong

Challenges
– usually created at huge expense (govt need enough econ resource and oso proper plan)
- takes long time (years) to finish (not immediate solve homelessness)
- may not reach goal (eg if low income grp still cnt afford it like projeto cingapura, sao paulo, brazil)
- far away from inner city -> ppl unwilling to move, esp w jobs in inner city area

26
Q

How to ensure new towns (public housing) is relevant in society?

A

by upgrading, maintaining, giving a facelift and rejuvenating

27
Q

Why did creat n of new towns worked in SG and not in Brazil w project Cingapura?

A

SG
- strong govt (effective urban planning)
- pop n growth controlled
- New Towns served their purpose (social, econ)
- proper way devised to make low income afford it (thru CPF) ie. infra dvlpments/improvements made accessible to all thru effective finance schemes

vs Project Cingapura 1992, Sao Paolo, Brazil
- oni 14 000 units constructed out of 100 000 planned
- serious quality life issues eg tight spaces
- loss of social life in city (division of favelas and redistribut n of communities into apartments closed open spaces)
- small-scale biz not provided (previously present in favelas)
- rent set beyond means of many who fell behind w payments

28
Q

How effective is self-help housing scheme (slum upgrading) in improving lives of slum dwellers?

A
  • upgrade slums - improve shelters, investment on infra and amenities -> btr living environ
    (slum upgrade is mainstream of shelter dvlpment from 1970s onwards in SE Asia)
  • Seeks to empower ppl; create initiative, ownership in community
  • govt provide slumdwellers building materials to improve existing housing, w some provided training
  • cost of construct n greatly reduced (free labour supplied by pop n in community)
    -> help foster community bond btw families, neighbours as they help each other finish their shelters
  • Typically, land tenure (ownership) secured

LIMITATION
- training provided may NOT be sufficient to ensure safely built house to live in
- unskilled labour cld lead to fatal accidents
- delays in raw materials, funding may occur -> leaves project incomplete

=> To ensure success, complementary strategies need b employed

29
Q

Describe the Tondo Foreshore Development Project. How successful was it?

A

Tondo Foreshore: largest Manila slum w >180 000 ppl
- implemented upgrade program - less disruptive, lower-cost sol n, oni 1/4 price to build new ‘low-cost’ home in new area
- in 10 yrs, slum community became upwardly mobile neighbourhood w/o seeming to have evicted destitute ppl

+ves
- project met objective of increasing intuitional capacity of National Housing Authority (NHA)
- extensive community participat n

-ves
- took 9 yrs instead of anticipated 4 yrs
- enormous rise in costs incurred due to delays
- Philippine econ declined over course of project, eroding prices of commercial/industrial lots + govt agencies failed make payments + amt of land available for sale shrank by 20%

30
Q

Briefly describe Site and Service schemes

A

govt initiative in Third World cities

  • land (site) prepared, infra svcs provided (eg water, sewerage facilities) -> involve relocat n of ppl to new site
  • basic building materials may not be provided
  • migrant is given rights of ownership, expected to complete work at own time
31
Q

How successful is Site and Service Housing scheme eg in Nairobi, Kenya in improving slum dwellers’ lives?

A

Scheme dvloped by Nairobi City Council:
- shanty town dwellers had to register for scheme
- must attend evening classes at college to learn house building skills if selected
- small rented plot of land w water, proper sewage, electricity provided by passing exam
- on this site, family can build a house w materials given

+ve
- sense of ownership
- can rent land affordably - still accountable, but manageable
- can design home to own needs

-ves
- too many shanty towns - unending challenge to tackle
- some cnt afford rent

32
Q

Why are some housing strategies more successful but others are not as much?

A

Not all DCs and LDCs are same
1. New Towns
1960s: when SG was LDC
- small pop n size,
- strong political will (committed to project)
- accompanying finance scheme
- good social scheme
=> possible for public housing to work
BUT
1992: Project Cingapura in Brazil (LDC)
- lack of funding to finish project
- cnt afford rent
- cnt meet socio-econ needs of residents

  1. Slum upgrading and Site and Service schemes work well in LDCs bcos:
    - meet needs of poor IF well-organised, executed methodically
    - IF residents NOT burdened by add n monthly rental; just accumulate adequate money to buy raw materials

Hence, NOT oni abt house strategy, but accompanying supporting schemes:
- financing (self/criteria-based subsidies)
- training schems
- community participation programme
- rates of urban pop n growth
- access to amenities and jobs
and etc.

33
Q

Housing condit n existing in cities wld be a …?

A

spatial reflection of socio-economic differentiation