Slum

Planet of the Slums written by Mike Davis paints a very pessimistic picture of the conditions that were presented in what he calls the “urban South”. By being pessimistic, Davis only see things in the worst aspects and thinks that it will continue to get worse from here on out. The term “urban South” is used by Mike Davis throughout the book, it refers to the third world countries that are all over the globe, hence the title of the book “Planet” of the Slums. When referring to the “urban South”,…

Planet of Slums On the second chapter of the book Planet of Slums, Mike Davis addresses the ongoing yet long-standing presence and growth of slums. He explores the different definitions of slums, and the diversity in terms of housing, population, physical division, and social structure. Throughout the chapter he widely uses data and examples to support his research, and effectively defines key terms, allowing the reader to analyze and understand his study without difficulties. The main question…

Planet of Slums written by the American writer, historian, activist Mike Davis a book of heart touching sad reality of the current and perhaps the future world about the large number of people living in the slums of the cities. The book is a dystopian view of the future world which explores the short and long term effects of the slums and the poor people living in them. It also draws an emotional picture of the living condition of those slum dwellers who were forced by the social, political, and…

1. Introduction “Slums are litmus tests for innate cultural strengths and weaknesses. Those people whose cultures can harbor extensive slum life without decomposing will be, relatively speaking, the future’s winners. Those whose cultures cannot will be the future’s victims.” (Kaplan, 1994) One of the biggest challenges that India has to face today is the augmented urbanisation as a result of the economic liberalisation. Close to 16 crore people have moved to cities in the past 20 years, and…

his best-selling novel, Planet of Slums, Mike Davis highlights one key obstacle of urban success: the uprise of the informal working class, more commonly known as the slums. Firstly, Davis analyzes how slums have caused four main macroscale shifts between societies in the nineteenth century and those in present day. Aspects of religion, labor, location, and agriculture have all undergone significant changes in the cities because of the influence and role of the slums. Secondly, Davis focuses on…

No “Slum” for Feminism Recent massive transnational protests named “SlumWalk” have marked a new form of rage from modern women’s right activists, stirring varied societal objections towards feminists. From a defiant display of a thousand women dressing in underwear and fishnets storming down the streets of Toronto, to public declarations from different well-known feminists stating they will never fight for the right to be called slums, the re-appropriation of the word “slum” has reinforced the…

Page 10 Smile on Wheels Case story: moving slums. Moving clinic In the midst of high-rise corporate buildings, there are about 800 slums where having a glass of clean water to drink is a luxury. Rachnahalli is a slum inhabited by approximately 400 migrant from Eastern Uttar Pradesh. They stay in a shed about 6’ x 4’ covered by a thin plastic sheets, exposed to elements from all four sides. You would find them on the busy streets of Bangalore selling their tablas. This sale fetches them only…

1.3. Causes of Slums: The rapid urbanization accompanied by industrialization has resulted in the growth of slums. The shortage of land for housing, the high prices of land beyond the reach of urban poor and a large rural migrations to the cities fuelling the development of slums. These slums give rise to many problems in the urban areas [ ]. Slums are also products of failed policies, bad governance, corruption, inappropriate regulation, dysfunctional land markets, unresponsive financial…

trade liberalization, public expenditure cutbacks, and other reforms promoted by the Washington Consensus and neoliberal thinking. In Planet of the Slum, however, Davis argues that these very institutions meant to alleviate global poverty have in fact, worsened the situation, leading to, what he describes as a “surplus of humanity” living in the slums…

Here, the boys could be children. They could let their imaginations run wild and they could just take a break from the horrible life they have waiting at home. Lafeyette and Pharoah are a part of large family living in the Chicago projects. Their mother, Lajoe, has eight children; the three older ones have slowly fallen off the deep end, but the five younger have a chance to do good. Lajoe takes great pride in her children and does everything she can to raise them to be upstanding citizens and…