Case study of two places in social inequality 5.3 Flashcards
What is the socio-economic characteristics of Jakarta
The capital of Indonesia. Over a quarter of Jakarta’s inhabitants live in slum settlements.
What are the place characteristics on Jembatan Besi?
A slum that has developed organically over the past 40 years. With a population of 4000 it is one of Jakarta’s most densely populated districts
Why do people live in slums like Jembatan Besi?
Demand for affordable housing greatly exceeds supply. Neither the government nor the private sector has the resources to cope with the increasing numbers of people wanting to live in Jakarta. Also the people themselves do not have the resources to afford more expensive formal housing
What are the economic characteristics of Jembatan Besi?
The average income is $4 dollars a day. But this is not regular income. Employment is often insecure with most residents able to provide unskilled and casual labour.
There is much self employment with families running their own small businesses. Jakarta has a significant garment industry. There is little protection for those employed in these small factories and few health and safety precautions
What is health and sanitation like in Jembatan Besi?
Sanitation hardly exists. Few homes have a toilet, The toilets that are built in the slum tend to flush out into open sewers in the street. There is no clean running water. Groundwater supplies are available but are polluted because Jembatan Besi is built on a former waste tip. This also means if a family is able to afford a water pump it is likely to be highly polluted.
What are common diseases in Jembatan Besi and what are they caused by?
Epidemics of water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid are common. The tropical hot and humid climate means malaria is an issue as it hepatitis A.
The young and elderly are at risk from dehydration due to diarrhoea caused by poor hygiene.
Air pollution is at very high levels. The use of kerosene for cooking as well as high levels of emissions drifting over the city pose significant health risks for inhabitants.
The nutrition of most residents is dominated by rice with little fresh protein or fruit and vegetables
What are schools like in Jembatan Besi?
Poorly equipped. Too often families cannot allow their children to complete formal education because they need to earn money to supplement family incomes. The garment industry is a major source of employment for many young females
What are housing conditions of Jembatan Besi like?
Jembatan Besi is one of the most densely populated places in Indonesia. Most homes have a well built ground floor using timber or brick. Extra stories have been added. Consequently the construction is increasingly makeshift with height. Fire is a constant risk due to overcrowding and use of kerosene and the improvised nature of electrical wiring, most of which suffers from over-loading.
Due to narrow alleys and tall building, houses have virtually no direct sunlight. Electric lighting is by neon tubes and bare light bulbs
What is the future of Jembatan Besi like?
Will not be disappearing in the near future. Urban authorities are trying to make inroads in the worst areas but planning is difficult.
The Jakarta Housing and Administrative Buildings Agency has identified 392 “community units” that are slum areas planned for improvement. However slum clearance to allow rebuilding has tended to result in people relocating to other slum areas and making the situation worse there.
Where is Northwood?
Irvine, southern California. Located on the southern edge of Los Angeles conurbation. 21,000 people live in Northwood. A third of the households are families with children of school age
How did Northwood develop?
It was developed as a fully planned city, beginning in the 1960s. The city was developed around a series of communities called “villages”, of which Northwood is one
What are the economic characteristics of Northwood?
Their median income is $86,500 compared with the national average of $52,000 a year.
The University of California is the city’s largest employer and offers and range of opportunities.
There are a number of well-established tech companies e.g. Blizzard Entertainment, Broadcom and aerospace firms.
Several TNCs have their USA headquarters there e.g. Kia Motors and Toshiba
What is healthcare like in Northwood?
Air pollution is relatively low
Healthcare is excellent, even by the high standards of ACs
Life expectancy is 80
Very good clinics and hospitals
What is education like in Northwood?
Five high schools and several tertiary education facilities. They are regularly assessed as being among the best-achieving in the USA. The education standards is high with 68.5% of residents having first degrees with 20.5% possessing masters or doctorates
What is crime rates like in Northwood?
70% lower than national average. Irvine is safer than 96% of cities in California. Violent crime is 50 incidents per 100,0000 people, whilst the national average is 366 per 100,000
