Subject: Settlement Planning (VII semester)

Slum And Squatter Settlement

Assoc. Prof Nhasala Sayami

Department of Architecture
Nepal Engineering College
2020
Urbanization and it’s Impact

Urbanization…..
population shift from rural areas to urban areas, consequently Rural
population decreases and increases urban population. Thus increased
population of a place may spill over from city to nearby areas.
Maybe tall apartment buildings spring up on what had been the outskirts of
town, bringing more people there to live and work.

Impact….
 Ever increasing number of street vendors, housing, tall apartment,
unmanaged drainage and sewerage system.
 Traffic Congestion
 Encroachment of public spaces…like Foot-paths filled with goods of hawkers.
 The valley is congested with garbage, stinking rivers and polluted air.

Serious impact of rapid urbanization is formation of slum condition and

Squatter settlement
Features of Urbanization

 Rural to urban migration.

 Changes from agricultural activities to non-

agricultural activities.

 A change from a sparse settlement pattern to a

dense settlement pattern.

 Increased interactions among centers of

population concentration.

 Changes in behaviors, values and institutions.

 Changes in physical environment.

 Increased modern amenities and facilities.

 SQUATTER SETTLEMENT

A residential area in an urban locality inhabited by the very poor who

have no access to tenured land of their own, and hence "squat" on
vacant land, either private or public.

For the millions of poor in developing areas of the world,

urban areas …. means for improving their quality of living and environment,
besides getting better jobs and incomes
in contrast it brings deteriorating conditions in the rural areas

Construction of rudimentary kind of houses in illegally squat vacant

land…without access to basic urban infrastructure

In government agency’s view…..

Squatter settlement is…"invasion" of urban areas by "the
masses" and the development of squatter settlements as a social
"evil" that has to be "eradicated".
 SQUATTER SETTLEMENT
A residential area which has developed without legal claims to the
land and/or permission from the concerned authorities to build; as a
result of their illegal or semi-legal status, infrastructure and services
are usually inadequate
essentially 3 defining characteristics to understand squatter settlement:
Physical, Social and legal
Physical Characteristics:

non-legal status….so.. has services and infrastructure below the "adequate" or

minimum levels. Such services are both network and social infrastructure

water supply, sanitation, electricity, roads and schools, health centres, market
drainage places

Water supply, for example, to individual households may be absent, or a few

public or community stand pipes may have been provided, using either the city
networks, or a hand pump itself

Informal networks for the supply of water may also be in place. Similar
arrangements may be made for electricity, drainage, toilet facilities etc. with little
dependence on public authorities or formal channels.
 SQUATTER SETTLEMENT
a residential area which has developed without legal claims to the
land and/or permission from the concerned authorities to build; as a
result of their illegal or semi-legal status, infrastructure and services
are usually inadequate
essentially three defining characteristics that helps us understand squatter
settlement: the Physical, the Social and the legal with the reasons behind them
being interrelated.
Social Characteristics:

Mostly belong to the lower income group, either working as wage labour or in
various informal sector enterprises

On an average, most earn wages at or near the minimum wage level

Household income levels can also be high due to many income earners
and part-time jobs.

Squatters are predominantly migrants, either rural-urban or urban-urban

But many are also second or third generation squatters.
 SQUATTER SETTLEMENT
a residential area which has developed without legal claims to the
land and/or permission from the concerned authorities to build; as a
result of their illegal or semi-legal status, infrastructure and services
are usually inadequate
essentially three defining characteristics that helps us understand squatter
settlement: the Physical, the Social and the legal with the reasons behind them
being interrelated.
Legal Characteristics:

Key characteristic ….lack of ownership of the land parcel onwhich

theycould build house with legal permission

Land could be vacant government or public land, or marginal land

parcels like railway setbacks or "undesirable" marshy land

when the land is not under "productive" use by the owner, it is appropriated by a squatter
for building a house.
In many parts of Asia, a land owner may "rent" out his land for a nominal fee to a family
or families, with an informal arrangement, which is not however valid under law.
SQUATTER SETTLEMENT - ALTERNATIVE NAMES

One common confusion regarding squatter settlements is its relation to the term "slum".
Encyclopedia Britannica defines a slum as "...a residential areas that are physically
and socially deteriorated and in which satisfactory family life is impossible

BAD HOUSING is a major index of slum conditions.

meant dwellings that have inadequate light, air, toilet and bathing facilities

are in bad repair, dump and improperly heated; that do not afford opportunity
for family privacy

are subject to fire hazard and that overcrowd the land, leaving no space
for recreational use....

THEREFORE, while a slum settlement refers to the condition of a

settlement, squatter settlement would refer to the legal position of
the settlement
SQUATTER SETTLEMENT - ALTERNATIVE NAMES

Informal settlements
Low-income settlements
Semi-permanent settlements
Shanty towns
Spontaneous settlements
Unauthorized settlements
Unplanned settlements
Uncontrolled settlements
 DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF A SQUATTER SETTLEMENT

Key question ……why do people squat? 2 reasons………

1.Internal reasons…….. include, lack of collateral assets; lack of savings and other
financial assets; daily wage/low-income jobs (which in many cases are semi-
permanent or temporary

2. External reasons……. include, high cost of land and other housing

services; high "acceptable" building standards and rules and regulations;
lopsided planning and zoning legislation.

Two popular approaches used by the public authorities

settlement up gradation and sites-and-services
Sharing basis…..up gradation in infrastructures and Relocation with site and
service….sometimes land lease services

Prime area is given to land owner and remaining area is

developed with basic facilities
FUTURE ROLE OF SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS IN URBAN HOUSING

Squatter settlements in urban areas are an inevitable phenomena

urban areas offer economies of scale and agglomeration economies,
large cities will always continue to grow attracting migrants from rural
and smaller urban areas, leading to more squatting.

No universal "quick-fix" solution that can solve all the problems of

squatting in all parts of the developing world.
Considering the inevitability of squatting, the need is primarily for a
change in attitude towards squatting, squatters and squatter settlements.

Source: Hari Srinivas, Defining Squatter Settlements

 when the land is not under "productive"
use by the owner, it is appropriated by a
squatter for building a house.

Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha

Squatter settlement in Kathmandu: 12-13% per year, two times
faster than urban growth

Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha

Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha
Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha
Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha
Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha
Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha
Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha
Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha
Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha
Source: Dr. Bijaya Krishna Shrestha
SLUM………………
SLUM………………
Definition given by the United Nations agency UN-HABITAT

A slum, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing

and squalor and lacking in tenure security.

According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums
decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the developing world between 1990 and
2005.

Due to rising population, and the rise especially in urban populations,

number of slum dwellers is rising
One billion people worldwide live in slums and the figure will likely grow to 2 billion by
2030
SLUM………………
1. Definition of slum by Lumanti: Local NGO

Slum communities are defined by poverty, low income, inadequate living conditions
and sub-standard facilities.

Communities are usually inhabited by socially disadvantaged people (people regarded

as lower caste).

Unlike squatter settlements, the residents of these slum

areas generally own their land and houses, which are very small in size and
have formal title papers (Lalpurja) to prove their ownership. These
communities are also officially recognized by authorities

On the other hand, a slum area, where the residents do not have Lalpurjas is
defined as a squatter settlement. Thus, all squatter settlements are slums but a
slum may not be a squatter settlement.
SLUM………………
Definition of slum by UN Habitat:

A slum is an area that combines to various extents the following

characteristics-

Inadequate access to safe water

Inadequate access to sanitation and other infrastructure

Poor structural quality of housing

Overcrowding

Insecure residential status

SLUM………………
Important characteristics of slums in Nepal:

A slum is a cluster of houses - a slum is an area therefore, an individual

house is not considered as a slum.

Slum areas are generally found in periphery of old inner city, which is a
marginalized area from the point of view of old settlements and these days,
which is being occupied by new migrants.

Lack of access to public services – a slum generally lacks access to

public services such as sewerage, water supply, roads, street lamps etc.
or even if they have them, they provide poor service faciliti

Over crowded area – a slum generally have high density of people within the
dwelling unit on the basis of space occupancy. Small houses or huts with
narrow and dark street lanes characterize slums in most of the cases.
Causes of Slum and Squatter Settlement

1.Rapid rural-to-urban migration……….is One of the causes

attributed to the formation and expansion of slums

People move to urban areas primarily for physical ,Social, Economical

opportunities. Eg. more jobs, better education for lower and poor income
group and diverse income opportunities comparing to rural farming
income.

However, some rural migrants may not find jobs immediately because of
their lack of skills and the increasingly competitive job markets, which
leads to their financial shortage, do not provide enough low-cost housing.
They have rely either on bad housing area with slum condition or have to
squat on abundant area with poor physical attributes.
Causes of Slum and Squatter Settlement
2.Poor house planning,

Lack of affordable low cost housing and poor planning encourages the
supply side of slums
Whenever there is a significant gap in growing demand for housing
and insufficient supply of affordable housing, this gap is typically met
in part by slums

3.Urban Poverty

Urban poverty encourages the formation and demand for slums

With rapid shift from rural to urban life, poverty migrates to urban
areas. He or she typically has no access to shelter, basic urban
services and social amenities. Slums are often the only option for the
urban poor
 Causes of Slum and Squatter Settlement

4. Informal economy
Informal economy is that part of an economy that is neither registered as a
business nor licensed, one that does not pay taxes and is not monitored by local
or state or federal government
Many slums grow because of growing informal economy which creates demand
for workers.

5. Social Conflict
For eg Millions of Lebanese people formed slums during the civil war from 1975
to 1990. Similarly, in recent years, numerous slums have sprung around Kabul to
accommodate rural Afghans escaping Taliban violence
In Nepal 10 years moiast war also leads to slum
Causes of Slum and Squatter Settlement

5. Informal economy
Informal economy is that part of an economy that is neither registered as a
business nor licensed, one that does not pay taxes and is not monitored by
local or state or federal government
Many slums grow because of growing informal economy which creates
demand for workers.
 Causes of Slum and Squatter Settlement
6.Poor Infrastructure, social exclusion and economic Stagnation
Poor families that cannot afford transportation, or those who simply lack any form of
affordable public transportation, generally end up in squat settlements within walking
distance or close enough to the place of their formal or informal employment

Affordable public transport and economic infrastructure empowers poor people to

move and consider housing options other than their current slums
Economic stagnation, in contrast, creates uncertainties and risks for the poor,
encouraging people to stay in the slums.
7.Politics
Many local and national governments have, for political interests, subverted efforts
to remove, reduce or upgrade slums into better housing options for the poor
Removal and replacement of slum created a conflict of interest, and politics
prevented efforts to remove, relocate or upgrade the slums into housing projects
that are better than the slums
Slum: Characteristics
Slum: Characteristics
3.Substandard Housing and overcrowding
Slum areas are characterized by substandard housing structures.
Shanty homes are often built with materials unsuitable for
housing. Often the construction quality is inadequate to withstand
heavy rains, high winds, or other local climate and location.
Paper, plastic, earthen floors, mud-and-wattle walls, wood held
together by ropes, straw or torn metal pieces as roofs are some
of the materials of construction.
Inadequate or no infrastructure
One of the identifying characteristics of slums is the lack of or inadequate public
infrastructure. From safe drinking water to electricity, from basic health care to
police services, from affordable public transport to fire/ambulance services, from
sanitation sewer to paved roads, new slums usually lack all of these.
Slums often have very narrow alleys that do not allow vehicles (including
emergency vehicles) to pass.
Slum condition is applicable for both people living in Squatter and Urban Poor
Vulnerability to natural and unnatural
hazards
Slums are often placed among the
places vulnerable to natural disasters
such as landslides and floods.

Slums are vulnerable to extensive

damage and human fatalities from
landslides, floods, earthquakes, fire,
high winds and other severe weather.
Vulnerability to natural and unnatural hazards
slums begin on lands unsuitable for agriculture, near city trash dumps, next to
railway tracks, and other shunned, undesirable locations.
Some slums risk manmade hazards such as toxic industries, traffic congestion
and collapsing infrastructure.
Fire are another major risk to slums and its inhabitants, with streets too narrow
to allow proper and quick access to fire control trucks

Unemployment and informal economy

Due to lack of skills and education as well as competitive job markets, many slum
dwellers face high rates of unemployment. The limit of job opportunities causes
many of them to employ themselves in the informal economy , inside the slum or
in developed urban areas near the slum

Violence/ Insecurity
crime is one of the main concerns in slums
Involved with drugs and weapons. drug trafficking,
brewing, prostitution and gambling
Rape is another serious issue related to crime in slums
Disease
Poor living conditions make slum dwellers more vulnerable to certain diseases.
Poor water quality, a manifest example, is a cause of many major illnesses
including malaria, diarrhrea etc

Child malnutrition
Widespread child malnutrition in slums is closely related to family income ,
mothers' food practice, mothers' educational level, and maternal employment
or housewifery. Poverty may result in inadequate food intake when people
cannot afford to buy and store enough food, which leads to
malnutrition. Another common cause is mothers' faulty feeding practices,
including inadequate breastfeeding and wrongly preparation of food for
children.

Epidemics
Slums have been historically linked to epidemics