Planet Of Slums By Mike Davis Essay

The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) define the characteristics of slum housing as nondurable drinking water, insufficient domestic space, lack of drinking water, lack of sanitation, and tenure security. Based on this definition provided by the MDG, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Cuba can be classified as countries that are on track with the reduction of slum housing, for example. On the other hand, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Paraguay are stabilizing. All other Latin American countries and Caribbean countries are at risk or off track (Smith 76). Although Brazil’s condition is stabilizing, there is still a heavy amount of improvement necessary before we can deny the significance of the issue. Sao Paulo is still plagued by the slum houses and the favelas and awareness needs to be constantly shed on this issue. There is still a lot of work to be done and solely because the conditions may seem to be “stabilizing,” it is still not safe to assume that Brazil will be alright. The housing conditions of Brazil need to be more than alright, they have to be more than satisfactory; the conditions need to reach high levels of success so that the cities and the citizens living within will

Demitress Ewers Mr. Vandyke English 103 04 February 2016 “Gentrification: Affecting the Poor” Imagine if you have built a life in a community for generations and big project developers push you out of the community. In today’s society, this would be labeled gentrification. Gentrification as a universal definition, pertains to the process of renewal and rebuilding, accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.

The author Mike Davis has done countless research on the topic of urban poverty. In his studies he collects and receives his information from other sources. Perhaps this is the reason why he has a negative view on slums. This is illustrated in his piece “Planet of Slums” as he discusses the politics, urban development, and methods within the slums population. According to Davis, slums and urban poverty have and will continue to significantly increase. While doing so, the gap in exclusion and inequality will grow. As a result, this will weaken urban elites in their work to utilize cities as engines of growth. Slums and slum population are classified as those who are living below the poverty lines, all while, being associated with overcrowding, having poor or informal housing, inadequate access to safe water and sanitation, and insecurity of tenure. This is being recognized as an international phenomenon. To emphasis this phenomenon, approximately half of the slum population in most

“Gentrification” captures class disparities and injustices created by capitalist urban land markets and policies. This in turn can cause an increasing house expense encumbrance for low-income and working-class households, and the associated personal catastrophes of displacement, removal, and homelessness, are symptoms of a set of institutional arrangements (private property rights and a free market) that support the creation of urban environments to serve the needs of capital accumulation at the expense of the social needs of home, community, family. Displacement from home and neighbourhood can be a shattering experience. At worst it leads to homelessness, at best it impairs a sense of community. Public policy should, by general agreement,

In the first part of the article Major Brown discuss development in the world were people constantly are moving into cities. Major Brown explains that the growth of cities and megacities in general will happen in their slums, and that future conflicts will take place were

Viewing the complex matter of gentrification succinctly, it helps to uncover how multifaceted it is; in that gentrification involves the oppression, marginalization, displacement of vulnerable populations, particularly, the poor, and the black who are often already negatively impacted by the effects of classism, and racism. Gentrification threatens to erode the communities and livelihood maintained by these set of people because their displacement becomes a precondition for the total transformation of the area.

Gentrification is a process in which wealthier people move into an existing urban community. As rent and the price of living goes up, lower income people who cannot afford to live in the community anymore are driven out. Neil Smith, in his essay Gentrification as Global Urban Strategy, argues that gentrification has evolved from an unplanned and haphazard process and into a ‘crucial urban strategy’ that capitalistic urban governments utilize for the convenience of capitalist production.

Released in 2002, the movie “City of God” presents a number of key urban planning issues that a developing country might experience. The film seeks to illuminate several ideas related to the development of slums and the type of life associated with such areas, as well as urban crime and gangs. This film clearly illuminates the issues associated with government or public housing and the social networks that come up when people do not have a private space. The effects of limited living space are increased crime and the development of local governments that run parallel to the legal units set up in the country. A discussion of the urban planning issues arising from this film will follow, in light of the issues raised by Suketu Mehta in the article

As Rio’s favela residents watch their homes smashed to rubble, working-class people in urban areas worldwide are forced out of their apartments as rents skyrocket and local businesses are shut down. Gentrification is, without a doubt, a two-sided coin. For new-comers it provides affordable housing and job opportunities, but for those displaced it often means the loss of a livelihood, a school, a place to live. People are forced out of cities they have known all their lives and young people returning after only a few months or years can hardly recognize their own neighborhoods

Politicians oftentimes place a band-aid over the recurring issue of poverty. Systematic poverty is a result of economic and political decisions. Gentrification plays a huge role in poverty. Gentrification is the process of rebuilding a neighborhood so that it “fits”

Gentrification is the result of renewing or rebuilding in urban neighborhoods , which has become a common controversial topic in urban planning. As the rise of gentrification increases basic upgrades such as sanitation and safety requirements are being put in the environment. Two distinct articles contemplate on the idea of gentrification are, The Independent’s “Artisan cafes and luxury flats: How bad can gentrification really be?” by Kashmira Gander from the June 2, 2016 and CNN News’ “American Opportunity: How gentrification may benefit the poor” by Patrick Gillespie from the November 12, 2015. Gander interprets gentrification does not improve the economy but affects the wellbeing of owners to be displaced and in greater terms lose their job and become homeless whilst in contrast Gillespie focuses on the benefits and the greater opportunities for the proletariat. Both articles differ on the topic between gentrification.

In Planet of Slums, Davis starts off by pointing out the fact that those living in cities accounts for more than half of the world population. He also mentions that perhaps for the first time in history the urban population of the earth will outnumber the rural. He goes on to describe this process with a somewhat negative statement titled “back to dickens” (Davis 11). How this new urban order comes with a price. There will be increasing inequality within and between cities of different sizes and economic specializations. The latest report of UN, “State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009 Harmonious Cities” support Davis claim that cities of different sizes and economic specialization will have increased inequality.

Gentrification has been a controversial issue both in urban planning and politics primarily due to the displacement of poor people by the rich folks (Shaw & Hagemans, 2015). Many individuals have viewed gentrification as an illegal act that should be avoided at all costs. On the other hand, another group of people believe that gentrification is the way forward to promoting growth and development. With such contrasting ideas, this paper is going to take a look at gentrification from a positive and negative perspective, its effects, and how it can be prevented or contained. Apart from this, the paper will also address the following questions.

In many areas of the world, the increase of population always caused an issue with adequate housing. While some countries do better than others at controlling the situation, there is always a percentage of people that live in the slums. About 55.6% of the population in China are currently living in the urban areas which is fairly good in a country such as China, compared to the 18.3% in 1982.1 However the rate of urbanization is at a rate of 3.01%, which is a fairly high rate as compared to the world.32With over 44.4% of China’s population not living in an urbanized area, rises the question of how to quickly and effectively move the slum population into adequate housing. Many questions arise from urbanizing a large portion of a population such as, how can China manage its population, how can China decrease the social barrier between the slums and urban areas, and lastly what classifies as adequate housing?

A Slum refers to informal settlements within urban areas or cities. The informal settlements depict inadequate housing and miserable condition with reference to living standards (Meade p 43). In the slums, numerous individuals seek housing facilities within small living spaces. The slums also lack basic local authority services such as sanitation, collection of waste, water, drainage systems, street lighting, and emergency roads. Most slums also lack schools, hospital, and public places that might offer adequate environment for social amenities. The experience of France illustrates the essence of slums within the modern society (Oberti p 58). Crime and unemployment are on the rise within the slums because of the poor