CHANGING PERSPECTIVES ON SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS, INTRAURBAN MOBILITY, AND CONSTRAINTS ON HOUSING CHOICE OF THE THIRD WORLD URBAN POOR

Abstract

Accelerated rates of growth of Third World cities in the last 30 years has produced several uncontrolled processes: mass in-migration, mushrooming squatter settlements, and virtual anarchy in the urban land and housing spheres. This review documents the vacillating opinions, perspectives, policies, and evaluations of the changes taking place during this contemporary phase of uncontrolled urbanization. We appear to know more now than when these processes first attracted attention, but the record emerges far from complete or satisfactory. Specifically, a preoccupation with housing provision has ignored what appears to be the more crucial issue, the creation of a sufficient supply of developed and appropriately located land to meet the housing space requirements of the Third World urban poor.