The BBC recently posted
an article by columnist Gaia Vince that explored the upward growth
potential of slums. Slums, Vince says, are the future seedlings for vibrant,
rich cities. The human race is in the middle of a massive migration of people
to cities, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down any. Poverty stricken people
can hope for a better life and opportunities for themselves and for their
families in cities versus rural villages.
Of course, slums and shantytowns have more than their fair
share of problems. The destitution is evident in everything from the tiny
shacks housing entire families to sewage-filled floodwaters plaguing residents.
Crime rates are often extremely high and quality of life is low. Over 1 billion
worldwide live in slums, a number that is unfortunately on the rise as more
people pack up for urban over rural life.
So how could slums possibly be seen as places from which
vibrant cities could grow? In lieu of the lack of formal infrastructure, slums
and shantytowns are instead bustling with informal markets that are full of
street stalls, repair shops, barbers, ad hoc cinemas, and nearly every other
business enterprise imaginable.
The power of slums, Vince says, is in their cultivation of
community cooperation. Those living together in squalor can come together to
form a powerful front for policy changes, improvements in living and working
conditions, the development of a formal infrastructure, and more. They help
each other survive the hardest of times—they are the ultimate definition of
community, helping rebuild homes, taking care of others’ children, and
connecting through their struggles.
Not all slums will evolve and push for change as quickly as
others. In some places, governments are beginning to realize the value within
their shantytowns and are actively working to improve conditions there. Perhaps
the best example is Medellin, Colombia. Previously the world’s murder capital,
Medellin was transformed into a much cleaner city with a booming economy and
rapidly declining murder rate after the government made massive efforts to improve
transportation, housing, and living conditions.
Both London and New York City have a past that, like today’s
slums, is not so pretty. Scenes of extreme poverty, heavy pollution, and poor
sewage systems were once accurate images to be paired with the great cities’
names. But from that squalor erupted two of the world’s most powerful cities.
That’s a possibility that hasn’t yet disappeared.
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