Information AboutSlum |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SLUM | |
| slums | |
| human habitats | |
| poverty | |
| urban decay | |
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, ] The United Nations agency ). Although their characteristics vary between geographic regions, they are usually inhabited by the very poor or socially disadvantaged. Slum buildings vary from simple shacks to permanent and well-maintained structures. Most slums lack clean water, electricity, sanitation and other basic services UN-HABITAT 2007 Press Release on its report, "The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements 2003". Slums may be distinguished from ghettos in that Ghetto refers to a neighborhood based on shared Ethnicity . Other terms which are sometimes used interchangeably with slum include Favela and Shanty Town . CHARACTERISTICS , Ireland circa 1901.]] The characteristics associated with slums vary from context to context. Slums are usually characterized by Urban Blight and by high rates of Poverty and Unemployment . They are commonly seen as "breeding grounds" for social problems such as Crime , Drug Addiction , Alcoholism , high rates of Mental Illness , and Suicide . In many poor countries they exhibit high rates of Disease due to unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, and lack of basic health care. A UN Expert Group has created an operational definition of a slum as 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; and insecure residential status. UN-HABITAT 2007 Press Release on its report, "The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements 2003". To these one might add the low socioeconomic status of its residentsMeasure Evaluation / NIPORT (2006) Slums of urban Bangladesh: mapping and census, 2005. Centre for Urban Studies / Measure Evaluation / National Institute of Population Research and Training. Accessed 9 June 2007 {Link without Title} . In many slums, especially in poor countries, many live in very narrow alleys that do not allow vehicles (like Ambulance s and Fire Trucks ) to pass. The lack of services such as routine Garbage collection allows rubbish to accumulate in huge quantities. The lack of infrastructure is caused by the informal nature of settlement and no planning for the poor by government officials. Additionally, informal settlements often face the brunt of natural and man-made disasters, such as landslides, as well as earthquakes and tropical storms. Many slum dwellers employ themselves in the Informal Economy . This can include street vending, drug dealing, domestic work, and prostitution. In some slums people even recycle trash of different kinds (from household garbage to electronics) for a living - selling either the odd usable goods or stripping broken goods for parts or raw materials. GROWTH AND COUNTERMEASURES |
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