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Do there have to be slums?
Globally the future of cities is not bright—unless in the words of Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of the United Nations’ Population Fund there is a “revolution in thinking.”
She was not talking about Australian cities but those primarily in developing countries that over the next 30 years will house about 60% of the world’s population. Without a revolution in thinking, Ms Obaid says most of those people in the future will be living in slums.
She was speaking at the launch of the UN’s new “State of the World’s population” report which rather than concentrating on the problems of such massive urbanisation calls for the “unleashing of the potentials of urban growth”.
This means accepting the rights of poor people to live in cities and working with their creativity to tackle potential problems and generate new solutions,” Ms Obaid said. And that is where the revolutionary thinking comes in. Until now many national and municipal governments in developing countries have responded to urban growth by trying to discourage, prevent or even reverse migration from the countryside. But the policy has failed, Ms Obaid says. It has only led to less housing for the poor and the growth of urban slums.
“It also limits opportunities for the urban poor to improve their lives and contribute fully to their communities and neighbourhoods,” Ms Obaid said. According to the UN report, city authorities and urban planners should make it a priority to provide shelter needs for the urban poor. “They should offer the poor secure tenure on land that is outfitted with power, water and sanitation services,” the report says.
“Those living in poor communities should have access to education and health care and should be encouraged to build their own homes.”
