Slums are densely populated urban areas with low living standards, known as slums, barrios, ghettos or favelas. They can form in existing neighborhoods or arise out of nowhere in developing countries. Slums are often associated with poverty, inadequate sanitation, malnutrition, and high crime rates. Campaigns against slums argue that cities must provide low-cost livable housing and regulate construction, but the fix is rarely that simple due to the growing population and pressure on resources.
A slum is a densely populated urban area characterized by a generally low standard of living. These areas may also be known as slums, barrios, ghettos or favelas, although some of these terms have specific cultural meanings. In the second part of the 20th century, they exploded around the world, becoming a cause for grave concern among humanitarian organizations, as an alarming number of people live in regions that could be considered slums; in Mumbai, India, for example, an estimated 20% of the population lives in one.
Slums can form in different ways. Classically, they have emerged in existing neighborhoods falling on hard times. In some cases, these neighborhoods have been prestigious and well respected, but living standards decline as houses are slowly broken up into cramped tenement apartments and the population becomes highly concentrated. At the same time, access to services such as healthcare, fresh food and basic sanitation can be limited, creating filth and squalor.
In some cases, such areas can even arise out of nowhere, as is the case with many of the slums in developing countries. These slums sometimes seem to emerge overnight, compacting humanity into filthy, densely packed areas with poorly built and often dangerous houses. In campaigns to clean up such areas, many cities have forcibly evicted people from these slums, creating a knock-on effect as forcibly displaced people attempt to relocate to new regions.
Most of the people living in the slums are extremely poor and many are treated as second class citizens by their society. Health problems tend to be very high, due to inadequate sanitation and lack of access to basic health care. Malnutrition is another major problem in many places, as is crime, which can make them very dangerous for their inhabitants.
Many people see slums as the ultimate symbol of inequality, and in some regions, such areas have formed in very unexpected places, sometimes near the homes of the wealthy. The organizations campaigning against them argue that no human being should be forced to live in such poor conditions and that, as a fundamental act of humanity, cities must provide low-cost livable housing and regulate construction.
Unfortunately, the fix is rarely that simple. The world’s population is growing rapidly, putting enormous pressure on available resources, and as developing countries become more developed, this pressure is likely to grow. While it’s a bit daunting to think about, severe inequality seems to go hand in hand with growing societies.
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