Define
Final Major Project 2020 | Ruchika Karnani
Urban Slums Sometimes, urbanisation affects regions at the edges of big cities, often benefiting them because they become more connected to municipal life. However, these communities usually aren’t prepared for the “urban lifestyle”. Life rapidly becomes too expensive for the villagers, they don’t have the skill sets required for higher paying jobs so find themselves pushed into the informal economy to survive. With more choice but less opportunity, the pressures of urban life erode on the quality of life in general. As certain neighbourhoods become marked for the informal workers’ settlements, they begin to be identified as low-cost living areas – often leading to overcrowding. (Habitat for Humanity Great Britan, no date) As more and more people move in to cities from rural parts of India, the poplulations of the slums rise. Slums do not have the infrastructure to support its existing inhabitants so when more people move in, this system only gets more strained. There are efforts being made by governement, non-government and charitable organizations, to improve the quality of lives of people living in slums. Work is being done to improve sanitation facilities, electricity, permanent housing, education and skill development.
Image 36- Screenshot of aerial view of NBT nagar slum from Google Earth
The researcher interacted with women and Primary Healthcare Centre in the NBT Nagar Slum, Hyderabad, India. This slum has an approximate population of 10,000 people.
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