Settlement FAQs

how does the un define informal settlement

by Dr. Bertram Hintz Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

Whereas UN defines these informal settlements or slums as the area having “five Deprivations” which are as follows: “Clean water, improved sanitation, sufficient living area so as not to be over-crowded, durable housing, and secure tenure.”1

Full Answer

What are informal settlements?

Informal settlements are: 1. areas where groups of housing units have been constructed on land that the occupants have no legal claim to, or occupy illegally; 2. unplanned settlements and areas where housing is not in compliance with current planning and building regulations (unauthorized housing).

What is the meaning of unplanned settlements?

2. unplanned settlements and areas where housing is not in compliance with current planning and building regulations (unauthorized housing). Glossary of Environment Statistics, Studies in Methods, Series F, No. 67, United Nations, New York, 1997.

What is eighty20 doing about informal settlements in South Africa?

For the past five years Eighty20 has worked closely with the Housing Development Agency to enumerate and profile informal settlements across South Africa. In part, this research was borne out of the need to fill key gaps in our understanding of informal settlements in South Africa.

Who is the author of informal settlements in urban areas?

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS IN URBAN AREAS Author NAIMAH ALMAS, TOOBA REHAN HAQQI Subject International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 11, Issue 4, April-2020

image

What is the definition of informal settlements?

Informal settlements are residential areas that do not comply with local authority requirements for conventional (formal) townships. They are, typically, unauthorised and are invariably located upon land that has not been proclaimed for residential use.

How does the United Nations define slums?

Indeed, a slum has been re-defined by the United Nations Program on Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT) as “a contiguous settlement where the inhabitants are characterized as having inadequate housing and basic services.

What are informal settlements UN Habitat?

Informal or spontaneous settlements are settlements whereby persons, or squatters, assert land rights or occupy for exploitation of land which is not registered in their names, or government land, or land legally owned by other individuals.

How do you identify informal settlements?

Informal settlementsinhabitants often have no security of tenure for the land or dwellings they inhabit ‒ for example, they may squat or rent informally;neighbourhoods usually lack basic services and city infrastructure;More items...

What are the 5 characteristics of a slum?

“A slum area means any area where such dilapidated dwellings predominate, overcrowding, faulty arrangement of buildings, narrowness and faulty arrangement of street, lack of ventilation, lack of sanitation facilities, inadequacy of open spaces and community facilities or any combination of these factors, are ...

What is the following is generally not a characteristic of informal housing?

What is the following is generally not a characteristic of Informal Housing? d. No formal transaction as per government act.

What characteristics define a slum according to the United Nations Human settlement Program you may choose more than one?

The agreed definition classified a 'slum household' as one in which the inhabitants suffer one or more of the following 'household deprivations': 1. Lack of access to improved water source, 2. Lack of access to improved sanitation facilities, 3. Lack of sufficient living area, 4.

What are the causes of informal settlement?

According to UN-Habitat (2015:2), informal settlements are caused by a range of interrelated factors, including population growth and rural-urban migration, lack of affordable housing for the urban poor, weak governance (particularly in the areas of policy, planning, land and urban management resulting in land ...

How many informal settlements are there?

There are more than 2 700 informal settlements nationwide and the number of households in informal settlements has increased since 1995, rising from 1 170 902 to 1 294 904 by 2011.

What is another word for informal settlement?

Shanty town Sometimes called a squatter, informal or spontaneous settlement, shanty towns often lack proper sanitation, safe water supply, electricity, hygienic streets, or other basic human necessities.

What are the 3 biggest problems of informal settlements?

Informal settlements are characterized by a lack of basic services, pollution, overcrowding and poor waste management.

What is the difference between formal and informal settlement?

Formal areas have cadastral organization with streets and public services such as electricity, tap water, telephone, school, sanitation. Informal areas are squatter settlements and have no cadastral organization or public services.

What are slums and why do they exist UN Habitat?

According to these experts, a slum is an area that combines to various extents the following characteristics: • Inadequate access to safe water; • Inadequate access to sanitation and other infrastructure; • Poor structural quality of housing; • Overcrowding; and • Insecure residential status.

How are slums in India defined?

A Slum, for the purpose of Census has been defined as residential areas where dwellings are unfit for human habitation by reasons of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangements and design of such buildings, narrowness or faulty arrangement of street, lack of ventilation, light, or sanitation facilities or any ...

What is informal settlement?

Informal settlements are residential areas where ( UN-Habitat, 2015b; Brown, 2015 ): inhabitants often have no security of tenure for the land or dwellings they inhabit ‒ for example, they may squat or rent informally; neighbourhoods usually lack basic services and city infrastructure; housing may not comply with planning and building regulations, ...

How does informal settlement affect women?

For women, for example, this can heighten barriers they face in accessing livelihood opportunities. Home-based workers also face challenges to entrepreneurial activity ( Chant, 2014 ). Women in informal settlements spend more time and energy accessing basic services than other urban counterparts, limiting their ability and time to earn through paid employment ( UNFPA, 2007 ). In addition, the prevalence of male-biased land tenure policies and restrictions on women’s rights to own property decreases the likelihood of alternative housing options. Poor quality housing, or eviction and homelessness, can also increase the risk of insecurity and sexual violence ( Chant, 2013; McIlwaine, 2013 ).

What are the factors that contribute to the emergence of informal settlements?

A number of interrelated factors have driven the emergence of informal settlements: population growth; rural-urban migration; lack of affordable housing; weak governance (particularly in policy, planning and urban management); economic vulnerability and low-paid work; marginalisation; and displacement caused by conflict, natural disasters and climate change ( UN-Habitat, 2015b ).

What is UNFPA 2014b?

UNFPA (2014b). Framework of actions for the follow-up to the programme of action of the international conference on population and development beyond 2014. New York: UNFPA.

What are neighbourhoods lacking?

neighbourhoods usually lack basic services and city infrastructure; housing may not comply with planning and building regulations, and is often situated in geographically and environmentally sensitive areas (see Topic Guide on Provision and Improvement of Housing for the Poor, Patel, 2013). A number of interrelated factors have driven ...

What is informal settlement?

Informal Settlements. definition. Informal Settlements means an area where no sub division of individual erven has taken place in terms of Town planning legislation.

What happens if the infrastructure of the informal settlements change?

Should the infrastructure of the Informal Settlements change, the City will review the service offered and consider rendering a containerised service.

What is a viatical settlement broker?

Viatical settlement broker means a person, including a life insurance producer as provided for in section 508E.3, who, working exclusively on behalf of a viator and for a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration, offers or attempts to negotiate viatical settlement contracts between a viator and one or more viatical settlement providers or one or more viatical settlement brokers. Notwithstanding the manner in which the viatical settlement broker is compensated, a viatical settlement broker is deemed to represent only the viator, and not the insurer or the viatical settlement provider, and owes a fiduciary duty to the viator to act according to the viator’s instructions and in the best interest of the viator. “Viatical settlement broker” does not include an attorney, certified public accountant, or a financial planner accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation agency who is retained to represent the viator and whose compensation is not paid directly or indirectly by the viatical settlement provider or purchaser.

What is contractual settlement date?

Contractual Settlement Date is the earlier of (i) the date upon which all of the required Deposit Securities, the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due are delivered to the Trust and (ii) the latest day for settlement on the customary settlement cycle in the jurisdiction where any of the securities of the relevant Fund are customarily traded. A Creation Unit of Shares will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the portfolio of Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component and the applicable Transaction Fee have been completed. When the sub-custodian confirms to the Custodian that the required securities included in the Portfolio Deposit (or, when permitted in the sole discretion of the Trust, the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian, which confirmation shall be done promptly after such delivery, the Custodian shall notify the Distributor and Transfer Agent, and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit of Shares via DTC.

How many households were upgraded in the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme?

Through the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme, 67 548 households were upgraded in partnership with provinces and municipalities, during the review period.

What is structured settlement payment rights?

Structured settlement payment rights means rights to receive periodic payments under a structured settlement , whether from the structured settlement obligor or the annuity issuer, where:

What is a settlement date for a termination?

Termination Settlement Date means, for any Terminated Obligation, the date customary for settlement, substantially in accordance with the then-current market practice in the principal market for such Terminated Obligation (as determined by the Calculation Agent), of the sale of such Terminated Obliga tion with the trade date for such sale occurring on the related Termination Trade Date.

What is informal settlement?

Suburbanization and informal settlement in self-grown residences are the words that are increasingly used today in urban planning, urbanization, geography, urban sociology and the ones. Informal settlement is one of the consequences of the modern life and extensive urbanization that is considered as one of the most important problems of metropolitans (Khazaee et al, 91- 2012). During the recent years, for the first time, number of residents of cities has equaled to those of nonurban regions (Egger, 2005- 2). As it was announced by the Head of Informal Settlement Program of the UN, the year 2007 is the first year in human history when over half of the world population lives in cities. In the said year, we have witnessed that number of population living in the poor regions has exceeded 1 billion persons. According to predictions made by the UN, it has been revealed that more than 60% of world population will settle in cities until the year 2030 and the developing world will enjoy an urban rather than rural characteristic until the year 2017 respectively. It may be understood that such urbanization and poverty will be regarded as the greatest world challenges (United Nation, 2004). In case of persistence of the present undesirable condition, number of villagers residing in poor urban regions will be increased to 2 billion individuals within the next three decades.

Why are informal settlements important?

Considering the studies conducted to find the reason of informal settlements, the most important reasons for occurrence of this phenomenon includes expensive lands and shortcoming of housing, immigration and lack of any suitable employment which result in settlement in urban margins. This phenomenon is more obvious in the developing countries. Settlement in the margins of the city has faced several problems including unauthorized constructions and lack of health and security facilities resulting in several bottlenecks in social, economic and environmental fields in the margins of the cities. On the other hand, a look to the approaches for intervention in informal settlements indicates that until before 1960s, governmental investment in low income class housing sector was not often considered necessary; however, the increasing need to solve housing problem for the said class resulted in specific attention to that in terms of policies such as social building construction and empowerment throughout south countries. In 1970s, the service land project was set forth the results of which were accompanied by shortage of land and technical problems. In 1980s, empowerment policy was set forth aiming at public mobilization for improving the conditions of informal settlement which was followed by partnership-based procedures. The current procedure in intervention approaches which has been continued since 2000 is in parallel with guaranty of settlement in slum-free cities which has been formed with the goal of guaranteeing ownership and housing right for all people, public engagement in parallel with sustainable development and unforceful resettlement.

Why is the population of Karachi increasing day by day?

Hence from the above presented data it is pertinent to deduce that the population of Karachi is increasing day by day due to migration from the country sides with the result more and more people are forced to live in slum areas. In these slums out of 100 only 40 labor force has been employed while the remaining 60 are simply a burden on the economy of Karachi and Pakistan as a whole. Apart from the recession, inflation etc. the reason why Pakistan’s economy is falling day by day is due to lack of employment opportunities provided to the blue collar workers and also the nature of the lower class who are not ready to work religiously. Such people are consuming the resources and not adding up a single unit in the production side. In economics, when such

What is the economic stagnation of Pakistan?

The economic stagnation of Pakistan has driven and enforced more and more people to live in the slum areas; thus creating more political, economic, and socio-environmental insinuations. Karachi is the single port of Pakistan and the biggest city that has the total of 18 million population according to the latest statistics provided by the World Bank. It can also be seen that Karachi is also the hub of major economic, industrial, corporate and business activities. Not only has that it also had the largest contribution to national tax income which is about 62 percent. Despite being one of the major cities, the increasing amount of informal settlements has surpassed for the past few years. These increasing numbers have become a major concern for the policy makers as well as the local and provincial government. These expansions are mostly occurring in the north and western areas of Karachi. According to some suppositions provided by certain unceremonious sources there are over 702 informal settlements spread out all over the Karachi, with ever-increasing number of people inhabiting these areas? This proposition is also evident from the following data which provides the population living in slum areas:

What are the negative effects of the Karachi slums?

He has mentioned various negative effects of the slums which mainly include the increased terrorist activities, thefts, and extremist fragmentation. According to the author the fueling of the terrorists grown in the slum areas cause serious consequences and does not only effect the people living their but also have some sort of socio-economic, environmental, and political costs.

What is the most strategic location in South Asia?

Pakistan, the most country with the strategic location in South Asia, is one of those countries with struggling economies. Since the last 2 to 3 decades it has been categorized under the heading of third world countries, i.e. the countries who are striving in order to compete the developed countries in terms of resources, economy, status on the international forum and much more. Like other countries, Pakistan is also grappling with the same set of problems that almost all of the developing countries are facing and trying to cope with; one of the most prevalent problem in these countries is the formation of informal settlements within the developed cities due to massive rural-urban migration. According to the latest survey conducted by Pakistan Economic Survey (2010-2011) 37% of the total population lives in urban areas. Out of this percentage 47% people live in slum areas which shows the highest ratio of urban to slums living and this is now shifting the focal point of poverty towards the cities.

Why are there slums in cities?

These settlements are imposing threats to the sustainable development of every city and have serious implications on the political, economic, social, and cultural facets of the society. These slums have increased due to a number of reasons which mainly include population growth, intensive rural urban migration, lack of proper housing facilities along with adequate provisions of houses to every citizen of the country, economic weakness, lack of proper policy making, poor urban management and planning, low wages of the blue-collar workers (due to which they are unable to afford the basic necessities), refugees due to natural disaster and wars (e.g. afghan refugees in Pakistan), and last but not the least the class differences created by the society. It can also be seen the government does not acknowledge any sort of these under-developed areas within the developed cities and neither has it worked to improve the situation. On the other hand local governments either oppose these settlements or they dislodge them; it shows rigidity and reluctance towards it and does not take the case of housing requirements up to the top level concerned authorities. Incarnating in the slums has adverse effect on the people living there. This hypothesis can be evident from the example being followed as stated by UNFPA: “For women, this can heighten barriers they face in accessing livelihood opportunities. Home- based workers also face challenges to entrepreneurial activity. Women in informal settlements spend more time and energy accessing basic services than other urban counterparts, limiting their ability and time to earn through paid employment. In addition, the prevalence of male-biased land tenure policies and restrictions on women’s rights to own property decreases the likelihood of alternative housing options. Poor quality housing, or eviction and homelessness, can also increase the risk of insecurity and sexual violence.”

How many people live in Karachi?

From the recent data provided by the World Bank the total population of Karachi is 16.62 million out of which 55% individual’s lives in slum areas of Karachi.

Why is poverty increasing in slums?

From the above mentioned data it can be devised that the population as well as the number of households in the slum areas are increasing day by day and it is expected that the urban poverty will also increase due to rapid urbanization and no proper planning and development mechanism adopted by the local government as well as the national/ federal government.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9