slum
Sign in to saveA slum is a derogatory term for a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily inhabited by impoverished people.
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A slum is a crowded urban neighborhood characterized by poorly built, densely packed housing and deteriorated or incomplete infrastructure, where most residents live in poverty. Understanding slums matters because they represent significant challenges related to housing quality, living conditions, and economic inequality in cities around the world.
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Article
36 sectionsContents
- Etymology and nomenclature
- History
- Causes that create and expand slums
- Rural–urban migration
- Urbanization
- Poor house planning
- Colonialism and segregation
- Poor infrastructure, social exclusion and economic stagnation
- Informal economy
- Labour, work
- Poverty
- Politics
- Social conflicts
- Natural disasters
- Slums in developing countries
- Location and growth
- Insecure tenure
- Substandard housing and overcrowding
- Inadequate or no infrastructure
- Problems
- Vulnerability to natural and man-made hazards
- Unemployment and informal economy
- Violence
- Infectious diseases and epidemics
- Child malnutrition
- Other non-communicable diseases
- Countermeasures
- Slum removal
- Slum relocation
- Slum upgrading
- Urban infrastructure development and public housing
- Prevalence
- See also
- Variations of impoverished settlements
- References
- Further reading
A slum is a derogatory term for a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily inhabited by impoverished people.
Although slums are usually located in urban areas, they can be located in suburban areas where housing quality is low and living conditions are poor. Slum residences vary from shanty houses to professionally built dwellings which, because of poor-quality construction or lack of basic maintenance, have deteriorated. While slums differ in size and other characteristics, most lack reliable sanitation services, supply of clean water, reliable electricity, law enforcement, and other basic services. The United Nations defines slums as ".... informal settlements lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, housing durability, and security of tenure."