In a similar vein, resistance to action on land for housing the poor may come from different quarters. It may originate from land-owning groups who see their control over land endangered, from middle-income groups who feel that they should be ahead of the poor in the housing queue, or from radicals who see such measures as subduing the revolutionary zeal of the masses. There is, however, a general consensus that the housing conditions of the urban poor are unsatisfactory and that past action to ameliorate them has been largely ineffective. This situation need not continue forever. The contributors to this book share a common interest in gaining a deeper understanding and in developing a realistic perspective for more enlightened on the issue in the years to come.