Living in Slums: Living Conditions in Africa

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The infrastructures are frequently self- built from wood, cardboard, plastic, waste roofs and brick. Most of them are without windows, doorways, adequate ventilation, and are often small living spaces that are shared with one or two other household families. The floors are made of earth. These places are not livable for human beings nevertheless, slum dwellers have no other alternative. Slums are a severe failure because they lack infrastructural conditions that affect slum dwellers physically, socially and emotionally. Some solutions including demolition and upgrading have been practiced but often failed, because they don’t include the existing community. If one solves the housing conditions, then it’s no longer a slum.
Many of us disregard the reasons for these existing settlements. The reason for growth of slums is migration from rural to urban areas by people who are looking for better opportunities in the city compared to agricultural jobs. Slums clearly represent the disproportion between migration into cities and economic growth within the city. However, Migration creates a high demand for housing as a result, house shortages occur, which forces people to move and live in the urbanities of the city. The definition of a slum presented by the Challenge of Slums: Global Report on human settlements 2003 a Un-Habitant report is, “A run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security”. These existing communities are often heavily populated and disregarded by the rest of the government and the rest of the world.
Slums are heavily populated, this density in cities grows rapidly and basic amenities fall short of requirements. According to Mike Davis, writing in the book of Plane...

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...linčić M, Joksimović M. “Belgrade slums - life or survival on the margins of Serbian society?”. A Journal Of The Humanities & Social Sciences.17:1 (Mar 2013) 55-86. Academic Search Premier. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.
Szwarcwald C, da Mota J, Damacena G, Pereira T. “Health Inequalities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Lower Healthy Life Expectancy in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Areas”. American Journal of Public Health.101:3(Mar 2011):517-523. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Feb. 2014. Szwarcwald C, da Mota J, Damacena G, Pereira T. “Health Inequalities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Lower Healthy Life Expectancy in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Areas”. American Journal of Public Health.101:3(Mar 2011):517-523. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.
The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements 2003. London: Earthscan Publications, 2003. Un-habitant.com. Print.

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