'Shanty towns', "marginal" or 'informal settlements' are units of irregular, low-cost dwellings, usually on lands belonging to third parties, and most often located on the periphery of cities. These dwellings are often assembled from pieces of
plywood,
corrugated metal, sheets of
plastic, and any other material that will provide cover.
Origins and history
Shanty towns are mostly found in developing nations, or partially developed nations with an
unequal distribution of wealth. In extreme cases, shanty towns have populations approaching that of a city.
Shanty towns tend to originate on the outskirts of cities. During the
Great Depression of the 1930s, shanty towns, often called "Hobo jungles," appeared in cities across
North America because of massive
unemployment. Some were nicknamed "
Hoovervilles" because the residents blamed the economic conditions on then President
Herbert Hoover, who supposedly helped to create the great depression. Similarly in
Canada, hobo jungles were dubbed "Bennettville" after
Prime Minister Bennett.
The first recorded use of the word ''shanty'', as meaning a crude dwelling, was in
Ohio in 1820. It may have been derived from the
French Canadian word ''chantier'', meaning hut in a lumber camp, from the French word for timberyard. Alternatively, it could have been derived from the
Irish ''sean tigh'', meaning "old house" or from the
Nahuatl word chantli "home".
Dangers
Shanty town residences are almost always built without a license. Since construction is informal and unguided by
urban planning, there is a near total absence of formal
street grids, numbered streets,
sanitation networks,
electricity, or
telephones. Even if these resources are present, they are likely to be disorganized, old or inferior. Shanty towns also tend to lack basic services present in more formally organized settlements, including policing, medical services, and fire fighting. Fires are a particular danger for shanty towns because of the close proximity of buildings and flammability of materials used in construction.
Shanty towns usually have a high rates of
crime,
suicide, and
disease. On the other hand, the observer,
Georg Gerster has noted (with specific reference to the ''invasões'' of
Brasilia), "squatter settlements [as opposed to slums], despite their unattractive building materials, may also be places of hope, scenes of a counter-culture, with an encouraging potential for change and a strong upward impetus."
[1]
Examples
Shanty towns are present in a number of countries including
South Africa (where they are often called ''
squatter camps''), the
Philippines (often called ''squatter areas''),
Chile (where they are referred to as
poblaciones callampas),
Argentina (where they are referred to as
villas miseria),
Venezuela (where they are known as
barrios),
Brazil (where slums and shanty towns are known as
favelas) and
Peru (where they are known as
pueblos jóvenes).
In many countries there are now large movements of shanty town residents. For example in South Africa
Abahlali baseMjondolo have become a significant political force in the city of
Durban.
Many countries have a name for marginal settlements:
★ ''
Asentamientos'' (settlements) in
Guatemala
★ '' in
French-speaking countries
★ ''Cantegriles'' in
Uruguay
★ ''Ciudades perdidas'' (lost cities) or ''Jacales'' in
Mexico
★ ''
Colonias'' or ''Migrant camp'' along the
Mexican-American border
★ ''
Favelas'' in
Brazil
★ ''
Gecekondu'' in
Turkey
★ ''Invasiones'' (invasions) in
Ecuador and
Colombia
★ ''Khoshash'' in the
Middle East
★ ''Jhugi/Bustee'' in
India
★ ''
Kachi abadi'' in
Pakistan
★ ''Kijiji'' in
Kenya
★ ''Mudduku'' in
Sri Lanka
★ ''Poblaciones Callampas'', ''Poblas'' or ''Campamentos'' in
Chile
★ ''Chacarita'' in
Paraguay
★ ''Chabolas'' in
Spain
★ ''
Pueblos jóvenes'' (young towns) or ''barriadas'' in
Peru
★ ''Ranchos'' or ''
barrios'' in
Venezuela
★ ''Squatter camps'' or ''imijondolo'' in
South Africa
★ ''
Villas miseria'' (poverty towns) in
Argentina
★ ''Bairro de Lata'' in
Portugal
★ ''Lušnynai'' in
Lithuania
★ ''Barrio'' in
Dominican Republic
★ ''Precario'' or ''tugurrio'' in
Costa Rica
★ ''
Kartonsko naselje'' (cardboard settlement) in
Serbia
Korogocho (Kenya) see
korogocho.org
australia
See also
★
Ghetto
★
Poverty
★
Refugee shelter
★
Slum
★
Squatting
★
Tent city
★
Skid row
References
1. Georg Gerster, ''Flights of Discovery: The Earth from Above'', 1978, London: Paddington, p. 116
External links
★
Slate article about an economist proposing New Orleans to be reconstructed with shanties
★
Website for a large movement of shanty town residents in South Africa