challenges of urban growth

Question 1

define squatter settlements:

Answer 1

an area of poor quality housing which often develops suddenly and illegally in a city in an LIC/NEE. they’re not registered in government systems, and don’t own the land. as more people have moved to rio, the more slums have grown.
- rocinha is the largest favela/slum in rio

Question 2

what are some social challenges in the favelas?

Answer 2

• no road system (no emergency services, rubbish collections, difficult to navigate)
• high crime levels (no street lights)
• services (e.g. electricity, water) are unreliable and not installed properly. 50% of homes have no sewage, 30% with no electricity.
• infant mortality as high as 50 per 1,000, murder rate up to 20 per 1,000

Question 3

what are some social challenges in rio?

Answer 3

• 12% of rio’s population don’t have running water
• in 2013, only 55% of the city had a local family health clinic
• whole city often suffers from blackouts from electricity shortages
• only half of children continue education past 14 due to costs

Question 4

what’s the difference between formal and informal employment?

Answer 4

formal employment:
- high pay, regular hours, taxed, contracted, known to government

informal employment:
- low pay, irregular hours, not taxed, no contract, not known to government

Question 5

what are some negative economic statistics about rio de janeiro?

Answer 5

• unemployment rates in favelas are over 20%
• about one third of rio’s 3.5 million workers don’t have a formal employment contract

Question 6

why do people in favelas not have formal jobs?

Answer 6

• difficult to access the workplace
• no motivation to be employed, as the rest of their family aren’t
• poorly educated and poor literacy skills
• difficult for the workplace, as they have no internet access, no bank account or any proper address

Question 7

name some challenges of living in rio de janeiro:

Answer 7

human:
- busy roads - travelling to work is complicated.
- high density of buildings - noise pollution, overcrowding, lack of green space.

physical:
- steep mountains are difficult to build on
- 60% of residents travel by car. main roads become congested, leading to air pollution. this pollution causes around 5000 deaths a year.
- mist from atlantic ocean mixes with vehicle exhaust fumes and pollutants from factory chimneys, creating smog and air pollution.

Question 8

describe water pollution in rio:

Answer 8

• oil spills and over 200 tonnes of sewage pollute the water in the bay, leading to cholera and attracting sewer rats.
• ships empty their fuel tanks into the bay, as there are no proper disposal facilities - this contrasts to an HIC, as they would have adequate sewage systems. they’d have the funds to install the proper machinery for this.
• waste collectors struggle to fit their lorries into favelas, and favelas are still constantly expanding and don’t care for the government. this uncollected waste is dumped in rivers, leading to water pollution.