H1 Geography

ACJC 2022 Creator@ohitsmgg

Theme 2.1 : Slums

01 Terms and brief details

Definition of slums : A heavily populated urban area characterised by substandard
housing and squalor ; inadequate access to basic needs ; insecure residential status
and poor housing quality.

Slum in DC cities Slum in LDC cities

Overcrowded Overcrowded

Unsanitary sewage disposal / lack basic Unsanitary sewage disposal/ lack basic
needs needs

Usually old buildings Usually squatter settlements made of

cardboards

Usually in inner cities and suburbans Usually in peripheral locations where

the low-income ppl are /
environmentally degraded places

Rented Rented or illegal

 02 Characteristics of Slums
Characteristic Elaboration
Environmental 1)Lack of basic 1)Lacking safe water, sanitation
services hence encouraging water-borne
diseases hence lower life
expectancy
2)Substandard E.G : 52% of Delhi pop live in
building structures slums. Increased infant
mortality rates due to
negligence of authorities ( no
3) Slums built on immunisation and no safe water
dangerous to drink)
locations e.g steep
slopes 2)Most slums below minimum
building standards as they are
constructed using hazardous or
weak materials which makes
houses prone to landslides.
3) Built on an ecologically
fragile env that cannot support
a large population. People
ignore this danger because they
have no money to afford other
places.
Economic 1)Poverty 1)Lower-income people mainly
live there.
2)Insecure tenure
2)Lack of formal documents
entitling the occupant to occupy
the land. Hence slums are
prone to forced eviction when
land is needed by govt / private
developers
Social 1)Areas of 1)These areas usually have
exclusion higher levels of crimes esp in
Effects
Unhygienic living conditions
decrease life expectancy of
people due to the rise of various
infections and vector-borne
diseases.
Homelessness particularly
affected because they face high
risk of acute and stress-induced
illnesses.
Psychological effect of being
homeless affects children as
they tend to exhibit aggressive
behaviour and other negative
traits.
Deteriorating urban
environment due to visual and
noise pollution e.g.
Discharge of sewage or waste
into rivers pollutes the water.
Families unable to afford to
send children to school hence
bring them to work.
Lack of public funding for
education hence people find it
difficult to improve
socio-economic status.
Face economic stagnation and
little new investments due to
decreased attractiveness.
The homeless remain
unrecognised hence denied
 declined inner cities. Police are
unlikely to enter these areas as
slums have their own crime
system.
However, these places create a
sense of familiarity and security
for vulnerable communities e.g
migrants
basic services.
High income groups are
separated from low income
groups hence poor image of
low-income area is further
reinforced.

Demographic 1)Overcrowding 1)High occupancy rates hence Quality of education is

and high density smaller space per person compromised due to
overcrowding.

03 Reasons for slum development in DC cities

Slums develop as an outcome of inner city decline.

1)Loss of manufacturing and other sources of employment in large urban areas.

- Traditional manufacturing industries mainly based on coal/steam power are

affected because they are relocated.
- They are relocated to other new cheaper locations in the country.
- A global shift of these industries to low-cost locations in LDCs due to desire
for economic profits.
- These industries are redundant because technology has replaced them
hence become brownfield sites.

Additionally, there was also decentralisation of commercial activities such as retail

and office and this further serves as a push factor for high-middle income people to
decentralise.

Furthermore, there was expansion of manufacturing and service sectors in rural

areas or smaller towns hence attracting people to decentralise inner city.
The lower-income cannot afford to move to other places to pay higher rents hence
stay in the declining inner city.

2) Out-migration

- Populations are declining due to suburbanisation and counter urbanisation.

- This is because more industrial areas in the central areas made it less
favoured for residence.
- This is due to increased noise pollution and congestion due to limited space.
- People want larger and greener houses hence move to suburbs or smth

Only wealthy people can afford to move to suburbs or smth but the lower-income
cannot. This is problematic because as the concentration of low-income pop
increases, the income tax base reduces greatly hence limits the financial capacity
of the government to redevelop the city. Also problematic because of filtering
where housing passes down from higher to lower income people. Since services
move out and nothing is left, the place falls into disrepair. In the end the buildings
are abandoned even by poor people.

3) Govt policies and efforts that backfired and made inner city decline worse.

Example : Govt wanted to resolve overcrowding.

Method : Govt built New Towns in Britain in addition to private development.
Expected : More people to move out to these new settlements. There should be a
balanced population with a mix of people by age and social class.
Reality : NT attracted younger and more affluent people hence leaving behind the
lower-income and elderly

4) Poor physical environment

- FURTHER promote disinvestment and depopulation of these areas.

- Continued existence of old terraced housing that were some of the earliest
developments.
- People abandon inner city industrial property hence pollution not cleared up.
 - Gangs start to mark the places as their territory hence high rates of
vandalism.

04 Reasons for slum development in LDC cities

1) Population growth due to rural-urban and international migration

- Most migrants have limited financial ability hence choose to settle in cheap
housing such as squatter settlement.
- Most international migration is due to refugees’ movement over the years.

2) Increasing poverty rates amongst urban residents

- Poverty because people are employed in jobs with very low or unstable
source of income
- Poverty because of low human capital as a result of lack of education.

3) Government cannot cope with population pressure s

- Rapid growth of urban population is faster than infrastructural growth.

- Government cannot support a large number of people.

4) Corruption

- Benefits of economic growth enjoyed by some elites.

- Rising inequalities make lower-income groups even poorer hence cannot
afford good housing.
- Government officials may swindle funds that are meant for social welfare.
05 Strategies to improve the lives of slum dwellers

Strategy Details EV Pro EV Con

Construction of Slum dwellers can 1. Many housing 1.High cost of

public housing move into large-scale units are built to project esp for
housing which would cater to more. LDCs that need
be of better quality. external aid.
There would be 2.High-rise
greater access to basic apartments are 2.May encourage
services and they more effective more rural-urban
enjoy safer housing space-saving ways migration hence the
and building than slums. need to build even
structures. MORE units.
3.Well-planned
Governments can ones do offer 3.Flats may be near
eliminate slums and recreational peripheries but not
rehouse displaced activities e.g employment.
residents. playgrounds.

Example of LDC : 4)Many basic

Singapore’s New amenities such as
Town Projects sanitation facilities.

Example of DC : New 5)Usually more

Town Development in affordable as govt
UK subsidies allow for
lower production
costs

Slum evictions This is a very common 1)Low cost. 1) Does not resolve
policy in LDC cities the problems facing
towards construction 2)Short-term slum dwellers
of illegal slum objective to meet
housing. needs of govt 2)Increases political
instead of dwellers. tension between
This is to deter poor and rich as the
migration and slow 3)Protect poor bear
rapid urbanisation. ownership and resentment.
Also it was seen as an value of land to
eyesore and deters enable more
 investment. economic activities.

Example : Gopalganj,
Bangladesh.

Upgrading in situ Resettled site-and-services scheme

Upgrading their original residential area Govt will take back land used by squatter
by inserting more basic services that are settlers and provide them with a new
absent. plot of land.

House owners are given security of Service infrastructure and basic services
tenure. are provided.

Advice provided on how to improve the Land divided into plots and allocated to
unit. families with a secure lease ensured.

Residents can build a house themselves

or pay someone to do it. Govt may
provide building materials or cash loans.

Disadvantages of assisted self-help scheme

1. Middle-income fams may pressure low-income fams to sell their tenure

rights.
2. Operational difficulties associated with poor administration, lack of
enthusiasm by local authorities and unwillingness to lower building
standards.
3. Serve to maintain an unequal status quo which leads to lower-income
remaining lower-income.
4. Absence of large-scale job creation programmes hence poverty cycle
perpetuates.
5. Most site and services schemes are usually in peripheral locations which can
be far away from major sources of employment.
Participatory slum improvement

- One of the best practices in LDCs

1. Systematic procedure to identify specific groups and interests within slums.

2. Attract vulnerable groups.
3. Community and technical teams work together to generate creative solutions
to housing issues.
4. There is community involvement so we can hear out each other’s needs.
5. Everyone can try to plan different things hence have different roles such as
planning the sewage system.

(+) (-)

1.Community identifies pressing needs. 1.Very slow progress as it is facilitated

2.Consultative approach encourages a
sense of responsibility within
communities hence sense of ownership
and achievement.
by people in the community.
2.Deprives the govt from responsibility.
3.No security in tenure

3.Lower cost compared to public 4.Some residents don’t see the purpose
housing. of doing this together hence a lack of
cooperation.