The characteristics and growth of shanty towns LO – To understand issues surrounding the growth of shanty towns

Characteristics of shanty towns Called shanty towns, squatter settlements or slums Built on very poor land Often on the edge of cities, along rivers or railway lines or steep hillsides Self built from scrap material Often in unsafe areas prone to flooding or landslides No organised rubbish collection Often no infrastructure, e.g. electricity, sewerage, running water etc. Cramped conditions Most of population work in informal economy Area where diseases can spread Lacking access to basic services e.g. doctors and schools

How to improve life in shanty towns?

Case Study: Self help schemes in the Favela’s of Sao Paulo LO – To fully understand how self help, and site and service schemes have improved the Favelas of Sao Paulo

Case Study: Self help schemes in the Favela’s of Sao Paulo Self Help Scheme: Giving people the tools/materials and training to improve their homes. Low-interest loans may be used to help people fund these changes. People may be given legal ownership of the land. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HLCpOkqn_I

Site and Service: Very cheap plots of land made available with electricity and water services already installed. People are then given permission to build their own homes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocwn5B8ZleM

Cingapura Scheme

Upgrading exisiting favelas Upgraded favela Cingapura scheme

Upgrading favelas

Upgrading favelas Compare before with after

Self help & Site and Service schemes in Sao Paulo Favela’s have helped… People become the legal owners of their property through micro-lending. Giving people material to improve their own living conditions. Governments and NGOs have gradually improved basic infrastructure such as reliable electricity, sewerage, running water and paved roads Local education programs within the community. Skills training for adults, to increase chances of finding proper work

Satellite cities: New settlements on the edge of the city to reduce pressure on already crowded city e.g. Berrini,

Explain how the lives of people living in some shanty towns have been improved. (9) LEVEL MARKING Level 1 (Basic) 1-3 marks (D/E/U) Simple statements with little reference to how the conditions for the people have been improved Put in water taps. Built the houses out of bricks. Put in toilets. Public transport. Level 2 (Clear) 4-6 marks (B/C) Linked statements with reference to how the conditions of the people have been improved. The provision of toilets / a sewage system cuts down the spread of disease and so people are healthier. Taps for fresh water are provided so people do not have to spend time fetching and carrying water. The houses are made of bricks and so are stronger / more weather proof, keeping the people dry. Some case study knowledge Level 3 (Detailed) 7-9 marks (A/A*) Detailed information which includes level 2 & 3 writing plus an appreciation of potential success / failure / alternatives to the schemes. Detailed case study knowledge

Group 1: The lives of people living in Shanty towns have been improved financially and aesthetically. They have developed financially because the government, along with the world bank supply people with loans to develop small business, the money made from this helps them to provide their family with basic needs. This improvement is part of the site and service scheme. Aesthetically the site and service scheme as well as the self -help scheme help the locals build better houses. The difference between these 2 schemes is that in the self help scheme the locals are made to build the houses themselves, while in the site and service scheme the government builds them. The facilities provided are electricity wires to provide the houses with electricity, along with a water tank on the roof to provide a wash basin and an outdoor sink. Some problems that can be found could be that some residents are unable to pay the fee required.

Group 2: Shanty towns in Sao Paolo used to be built on unstable lands, usually places prone to flooding, landslides and industrial pollution. Houses were built with scrap materials. Like corrugated iron and were extremely crowded. Although most governments would like the shanty towns removed, this would cost too much. Therefore the Brazilian Government has introduced two schemes to improve the living conditions. In a site and service scheme, the local authority provides the money needed to improve on existing houses. They are rebuilt with cheap and easy materials like breeze blocks. A tank is provided to collect rainwater and supplies the toilet and wash basin and outdoor sink. Electricity and sewerage is also added. Services like paved roads are supplied too. Since most residents have a job they pay low rent. In the self help scheme a group of 25 people are encouraged to build their own homes. The authority provides materials and a skilled builder to show them what to do. Each group digs ditches for sewers and the builds the foundations for the houses. The money saved in labour costs is used to rebuild more houses. This creates a community spirit.

Group 3: Favelas are currently being improved to match the basic necessities of life. The local authorities are designing new programs to improve or build new shanty towns. By using schemes such as the site and service and self-help scheme. The site and service has provided basic facilities such as sanitation and clean water (by applying a tank collecting rainwater). This decreases levels of disease between the people. Also facilities like electricity. They also make houses more stable. Self-help schemes promote a strong community feeling and therefore decreases crime rates. More people

Group 4: Since there is rapid increase in urbanisations in LIC’s, the Governments cannot afford to destroy all the shanty towns completely therefore the only solution the government has come up with is to come up with is to improve the living conditions. The governments have joined with other organisations to introduce two main schemes which will improve and help people living in shanty towns. One of them is called site and service which involved the government providing material and building houses for them. The other scheme is called self help scheme which involves the people building their own houses with the help and guidance of the government. These two schemes introduced by the government are a very good and efficient way of improving living conditions in shanty towns because the government cannot afford to get the people new house or allowing people to come to the centre of the city. The schemes has made life in shanty towns much better place to live in and not like old days.

Group 5: First of all the government provide two schemes that can help improve the shanty towns by building tanks on the roof of the building that provide the people with water which allows the people to stay clean and therefore having a less likely chance of getting a disease. The government also renovates houses with breeze blocks because they are stronger, weather proof and keep people dry. The people also start building sewage systems which allow them to have clean indoor toilets and showers. They also improved the public transport by fixing the roads. There was a failure in the self-help scheme because there were shanty towns and they were still in poor conditions, because of the good condition with the government building / renovating houses more people kept on moving in from the rural areas which ended up in overcrowded populations in these towns.

Explain how the lives of people living in some shanty towns have been improved. (9) Introduction – define what a shanty town is, give a few characteristics, perhaps an example. Main body – introduce a case study, explain what self help schemes, site and service schemes are. Explain how these schemes have helped people in your chosen case study. Conclusion – perhaps finish on saying why not all shanty towns are able to be improved in this way and why it continues to be a problem in the world.

Explain how the lives of people living in some shanty towns have been improved (9) A shanty town, otherwise known as a squatter settlement is an area of poor quality housing often located on the edge of LIC cities. Usually found on poor quality land besides rivers, or on hillsides, and generally self-built accommodation. The population of most shanty towns has a very poor quality of life, where poverty is widespread. The favelas of Sao Paulo in Brazil are one such example. However, in recent years, the use of self-help and site and service schemes, provided by the Brazilian government, have improved the lives of many. Self-help schemes involve small scale loans to allow people to make their own improvements to their living conditions; this allowed them to become the legal owners of their homes. They were able to install reliable electricity and clean running water which greatly improved their health and quality of life. In addition, NGOs have helped to set up free schools for children to improve their chances of gaining qualifications and finding a job when they are older. In some cases the government has provided brand new social housing, such as the Cingapura Scheme in Sao Paulo’s largest favela, where residents have been rehoused in modern apartments with very low rents. Site and service schemes have also allowed residents to build new homes on plots of land where the government has already installed basic infrastructure. Overall, the quality of life has greatly improved in the favelas of Sao Paulo, but perhaps this is due to the general growth in Brazil’s economy and pressure to improve its image ahead of the football world cup and Olympic games. Explain how the lives of people living in some shanty towns have been improved (9)   A shanty town, otherwise known as a squatter settlement is an area of poor quality housing often located on the edge of LIC cities. Usually found on poor quality land besides rivers, or on hillsides, and generally self-built accommodation. The population of most shanty towns has a very poor quality of life, where poverty is widespread. The favelas of Sao Paulo in Brazil are one such example. However, in recent years, the use of self-help and site and service schemes, provided by the Brazilian government, have improved the lives of many. Self-help schemes involve small scale loans to allow people to make their own improvements to their living conditions; this allowed them to become the legal owners of their homes. They were able to install reliable electricity and clean running water which greatly improved their health and quality of life. In addition, NGOs have helped to set up free schools for children to improve their chances of gaining qualifications and finding a job when they are older. In some cases the government has provided brand new social housing, such as the Cingapura Scheme in Sao Paulo’s largest favela, where residents have been rehoused in modern apartments with very low rents. Site and service schemes have also allowed residents to build new homes on plots of land where the government has already installed basic infrastructure. Overall, the quality of life has greatly improved in the favelas of Sao Paulo, but perhaps this is due to the general growth in Brazil’s economy and pressure to improve its image ahead of the football world cup and Olympic games.