1. Issues for
people living in
squatter
settlements in
poorer parts
of the world
(continued)
References
AQA A 206 – 209
CGP pg 89
B&P pg 164

2. Syllabus
Key idea
• Rapid urbanisation has led to the development
of squatter settlements and an informal
sector to the economy
Specification content
• Attempts by the inhabitants themselves to
improve squatter settlements.
• Self Help, Site and Service and Local
Authority schemes to improve squatter
settlements

3. Lesson Objectives
• All will understand what
strategies have been
introduced to improve
living conditions in these
areas.
• Some will be able to
evaluate the success of
these strategies.

4. Key Terms
Self Help
• Sometimes known as assisted self help (ASH), this is where local
authorities help the squatter settlement residents to improve their
homes by offering finance in the form of loans or grants and often
installing water, sanitation, etc.
Site and Service
• Occur where land is divided into individual plots and water, sanitation,
electricity and basic track layout are supplied before any building by
residents begins.

5. Why do people live in squatter settlements?
People live in squatter settlements
due to the speed of the process of
urbanisation in poorer areas of the
world. The pace of rural – urban
migration is too fast to allow the
time needed to build proper houses
and for the economy to grow to
provide jobs.
People find unoccupied areas of land
and materials and begin to build
their own makeshift shelters. As
there are few jobs available,
people create their own
employment in the informal sector:
selling items; making and repairing
things on a small scale; becoming
couriers, cleaners, gardeners;
taking in laundry.

6. Strategies to improve living
conditions
• Watch the following clip and think about
what strategies are being used to
improve the lives of those living in
squatter settlements.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/
shanty-town-growth-and-development-
in-south-africa/1483.html

7. Strategies to improve living
conditions
1. Individual action
Residents slowly acquire the
money and materials to do
up their original shelters.
They replace flimsy,
temporary materials with
more permanent brick and
concrete; catching
rainwater in a tank on the
roof; and obtaining an
electricity supply (often
illegally by tapping into a
nearby source)

8. Strategies to improve living
conditions
2. Self Help Schemes
This occurs when local authorities support the
residents of squatter settlements in
improving their homes. Improvements are the
same as in strategy 1 but it is more organised.
There is cooperation between residents to
work together and remove rubbish.
The local authority also helps by offering
grants, cheap loans and possibly materials to
encourage improvements to take place.
Standpipes are likely to by provided for
access to water supply and sanitation.
Collectively, the residents, with the help of
the local authority, may begin to build health
centres and schools. Legal ownership of the
land is granted to encourage improvements to
take place, marking an acceptance of the housing.
A newly installed standpipe in Kibera
shanty town in Nairobi, Kenya

9. Strategies to improve living
conditions
3. Site and Service
These schemes are a more formal
way of helping squatter settlement
residents.
Land is identified for the scheme.
The infrastructure is laid in advance
of settlement, so that water,
sanitation and electricity are
properly supplied to individually
marked plots.
People then build their homes using
whatever materials they can afford
at the time. They can add to the
structure if finances allow later.
A site and service scheme outside La
Paz in Bolivia

10. Strategies to improve living
conditions
4. Other Local Authority
Schemes
The local authorities of cities in
poorer areas all over the world
run different schemes to help the
inhabitants of shanty towns.
There may be large scale
improvements made to some
squatter settlements or new
towns may be constructed.
In Cairo, new settlements such as
10th
of Ramadan City were built,
together with shops, a primary
school and a mosque. Industries
were also planned to provide jobs
for new inhabitants.
Local Authority funded
construction in 10th of Ramadan
City, Cairo

11. My Preferred Solution
Which of the 4 strategies do you think is
the best? Give full justification for your
answer. You should stress its advantages
and the disadvantages of the other two.

12. Lesson Objectives
• All will understand what
strategies have been
introduced to improve
living conditions in these
areas.
• Some will be able to
evaluate the success of
these strategies.