Housing Shortages: Slums, Causes and Problems (Sec 2 Geography)

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GEOGRAPHY SEC 2 (mid year)

Housing Shortages

What is housing shortages ?

housing shortages refer to not being able to accommodate the population of people in an area, this includes situation where by people cannot afford to buy houses

What is slum and squatter settlements?

slum and squatter settlements are urban areas heavily populated and have poor housing qualities and access to basic services

E.g.: Rio De Janeiro in Brazil and Cairo city in Egypt

Lack of safe shelters

When people lack shelter, they are exposed to weather elements like strong winds and cold winters These houses can also have unstable walls and roofs made of poor quality materials like zinc and cardboard. Thus, they collapses easily when there is natural disaster such as flood or earthquakes. Materials used for the houses are mostly made up of flammable material, making them more prone to fire . These houses can also be built on unsuitable sites such as steep slopes and low-lying area making them prone to natural disaster such as landslides and flood

Insufficient basic services

Because of the lack of infrastructure , the squatter living in these houses lack access to basic services such as electricity, clean water supply, proper sanitation and waste disposal. This can result illegal electricity tapping

Causes of housing shortages

Rapid population growth

Rapid population growth refer to the sudden increase in population growth. The increase of people living in urban areas is known as urbanisation. Rural-Urban migration and high birth rates are also some of the factors that lead to rapid population growth.

Migration

Migration refers to the movement of people from one place to another. Rural-urban migration refers to the movement of people from rural area to urban area for better living conditions.

pull factors of moving to urban areas: promise of work , better schooling and further education , better healthcare , perception of exciting city life , political stability

push factors of moving away from rural areas: lack of job opportunities , poor education facilities , poor healthcare , Famine , war

This cause the sudden increase to the population, thus the government may not have enough to react to the situation ( building houses ). Another problem is that migrant may not get a job, thus cannot afford houses in the cities.

High birth rates

birth rates refer to the speed of infants given birth. High birth rates mean the speed of infant given birth is high. Natural increase is the number of infants given birth subtracting the number of people dying in the year.

Competing land use

Land can be used for recreational, industrial, commercial and residential use. Land can also be used to build infrastructure such as roads and airports. Land that is dedicated for one use cannot be use for another purpose. Therefore, there may not be enough land used for residential purposes resulting in housing shortages.

Limited land supply

Land in cities may be limited for some reasons. Land supply can be limited because of physical features such as seas,rivers,mountain. Moreover, flat lands are more preferred for residential use

Consequences of housing shortages

Homelessness

homelessness is the lack of shelter to sleep or carry out basic activities such as bathing . Being home less can cause negative impacts such as illnesses, exposure to the rain and cold, hunger and lack of sleep.

Slum and squatter settlements

people living in slum and squatter settlement suffer negative impact due to poor living conditions

Environmental pollution

insufficient provision of basic services in slums and squatter settlements can result in environmental pollution. Pollution refers to introducing substances into the natural environment that damages the enviroment

Water pollution in slum:

caused by sewage disposal, garbage and washing.

Land pollution in slum:

caused by the lack of garbage disposal system.

Low level of health due to poor living conditions

people living in slums generally do not have proper sanitation and clean water supply. This causes wastes to pollute the water and people drinks the dirty water. Therefore, the people are more prone to being infected with illnesses and water borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Stagnant water caused by clogged drain can provide breeding ground for the mosquitoes and lead to the spread of malaria and dengue fever.

Vulnerability

people living in slums and squatter settlements are vulnerable to the risk of fires, landslides and evictions. They face risk of injuries, death and loss of property

Strategies to manage housing shortages

Slum upgrading

slum upgrading refers to improving the quality of housing and basic services such as water and electricity supply and sewerage. Slum upgrading can be carried out in many ways. Sites can be cleared for basic infrastructure to be provided or it may requires residents to move out of the slums temporarily so that basic infrastructure can be built. Financing schemes and assistance can also be provided to help fund the projects

self-help scheme involve the participant from low income household to improve the conditions of existing homes under the assistance of construction materials or basic services. Because people build houses themselves, this greatly reduces the construction cost

Provision of public housing

public housing refers to the housing provided by the government for people from low income families, and for people of needs like the elderly and disabled

Inclusive housing

inclusive housing refers to housing that provides all residents with adequate housing and basic services

affordable housing: housing that is reasonably priced

facilities and amenities for all ages: retail shops, clinic and parks are some common facilities and amenities

strong sense of place and belonging: a place where people place value and meaning in because of experiences or unique characteristics