For the first time in the earth’s history more people live in cities than in the countryside, and recent figures from the United Nations show more than one billion people now live in the slums of cities in the Southern hemisphere. That figure is set to rise, with mega slums developing in Cono Sur (South America), Sadr City (Iraq) and the Cape Flats (South Africa).
Laurie Taylor is joined by Mike Davis, author of a new book entitled Planet of Slums and Emeritus Professor of Urban Development at the University of London, Patrick Wakely to discuss the problem of urban slums in the developing world.
Why are slums continuing to rise? Why are people fleeing the countryside although there are no jobs for them in the towns? And what, if any, are the chances of these gang run, crime infested, disease ridden slums being converted into the public housing that Europe managed to create.
This week’s guests:
Mike Davis Professor of history, University of California Irvine, American social commentator, urban theorist and political activist
Planet of Slums Publisher: Verso ISBN-10: 1844671607 ISBN-13: 978-1844671601
Patrick Wakely Emeritus Professor of Urban Development at the University of London
2003 Territoriality and Spatial Forms with Mumtaz, B. and Clifford, K. chapter in The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements Publisher: Earthscan Publications Ltd ISBN-10: 1844070379 ISBN-13: 978-1844070374
2003 Civil Society in Action with Riley, E. chapter in The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements
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