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Addressing the challenge of slums

Developing country cities, and the slums in them, are rapidly growing. These slums accommodate the highest concentrations of poor people, who live in the worst shelter and physical conditions imaginable. Past efforts to tackle this enormous challenge have been poorly planned and failed to address underlying causes. Drastic new policy approaches are vital for success.

UN-Habitat’s 2003 ‘The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlement’ presents the first global assessment of slums. In 2001 the total number of slum dwellers in the world stood at 924 million. Nearly 80% of the urban population in the least developed countries and about 45% in developing countries are slum dwellers. Due to a continuous arrival of people, mainly from rural areas, an estimated 2 billion extra people will need to be provided with housing and services over the next 30 years.

The report notes the following problems:

Housing conditions in slums are largely inadequate and problems include insecure tenure, overcrowding and lack of basic services.
Building structures do not comply with safety norms.
Widespread poverty prevails, due to lack of access to finance and the formal job market. As a consequence, slum dwellers are especially vulnerable to diseases and other shocks beyond their control.

On the other hand:

Slums provide a welcome first entry point for immigrants to cities.
Housing in slums is much more affordable than in other areas.
The majority of slum dwellers earn incomes from informal sector activities, which remain vital for the city’s overall economy.

Until the 1960s, slums were completely neglected and regarded as temporary. Slums did not disappear however, and some governments adopted repressive policies, leading to mass evictions of slum dwellers. In search for more sustainable approaches, governments began providing public-sector housing for low-income households but provision could not satisfy the demand.

Widespread corruption and inefficiency led to unfair allocation and extensive delays. As a response, self-help programmes sprung up, mobilising slum dwellers’ labour and resources. Programmes were complemented by government service delivery. Despite a greater access to resources, many policies suffered from poor governance and services were not delivered or maintained.

Previous approaches tried to tackle urban problems with traditional engineering solutions, but had hopelessly inadequate resources to meet the great needs. UN-Habitat’s report emphasises that the most successful new strategies combine the best of both market-based, competitive processes and inclusive anti-poverty and partnership approaches. These require longer-term plans and a high level of local commitment.

The report highlights the following aspects of current best practice:

Holistic approaches that consider much more than provision of housing and physical services, taking into account health, education, housing, livelihoods and gender.
Municipal governments’ strategies involving partnerships between non-governmental organisations, the private sector and citizens.
Community involvement in the planning of projects from the outset, often through a formalised process.
Slum occupants making their own contributions, which gives them both commitment and rewards (e.g. optional loans for home improvement).
Using appropriate technologies for infrastructure and housing provision that are more affordable and provide work opportunities for local small enterprises.
Giving greater attention to the interaction of land use, transport and infrastructure provision, in order to avoid adverse impacts on the community.

Source(s):
United Nations Human Settlement Programme (2003), chapters 7-9 in ‘The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlement 2003’, London

Funded by: UN-Habitat

id21 Research Highlight: 1 April 2005

Further Information:
The Chief
Policy Analysis Branch
United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat)
PO Box 30030
Nairobi
Kenya

Tel: +254 20 623004
Fax: +254 20 624790

United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT

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