Lecture 5&6 Management of Urban Slums

Question 1

Define slums

Answer 1

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

Question 2

What has been the trend for slums in cities?

Answer 2

> 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%)

Question 3

Elaborate on slums in cities

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Describe slums in LDCs

Answer 4

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)

Question 5

What are squatter settlements/shanty towns?

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

What are the causes of Slum format n in LDCs?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

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

Answer 7

• 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)

Question 8

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

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

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

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What are the four reasons slums form in DCs?

Answer 10

*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

Question 11

Why does deindustrialisat n happen in DCs?Give supporting examples

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

What is deindustrialisat n?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

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

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

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

Answer 14

• 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

eg (due to international migrat n) In SG, 50 workers found crammed into two condo units in Selegie Centre w/o mattresses or in bunk beds crammed tgt

Question 15

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

Answer 15

(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

Question 16

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

Answer 16

-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

eg cities like Nairobi, Kenya, poor waste management contributed to outbreaks of diseases (cholera, malaria, dengue fever). waste can contaminate local water sources, leading to waterborne diseases, which significantly impact the health & well-being of local pop n.

-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

Question 17

What are +ve social effects of slums?

Answer 17

• low-cost and oni affordable housing
  -> place of residence for many low-income employees who contribute to the city
• incoming migrants into city manage find some form of job
  eg
  in Kibera, Nairobi’s largest slum, there are many small-scale biz, eg food stalls, clothing shops, recycling operations, artisanal crafts. Despite limited rcs, residents find ways to generate income, sustain their families. These informal biz provide essential goods and services at affordable prices, often serving as backbone of the local econ
• living in slum = lower income spend on housing, leaving more $ for basic needs

Question 18

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

Answer 18

+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

Question 19

What are -ve socio-environ effects of slums?

Answer 19

• 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)

Question 20

What are -ve political effects of slums?

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

What are +ve political effects of slums?

Answer 21

• 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)

Question 22

What are strategies to improve lives of slum dwellers?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

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

Answer 23

-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

Question 24

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

Answer 24

by upgrading, maintaining, giving a facelift and rejuvenating

Question 25

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

Answer 25

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

Question 26

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

Answer 26

• 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)
  eg Tondo Foreshore Development Project
• 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

Question 27

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

Answer 27

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

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

LIMIT
- 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%

Question 28

Briefly describe Site and Service schemes

Answer 28

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

Question 29

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

Answer 29

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

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

Question 30

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

Answer 30

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

2. 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.

Question 31

Housing condit n existing in cities wld be a …?

Answer 31

spatial reflection of socio-economic differentiation