The word “slum” is often used to describe informal settlements within cities that have inadequate housing and squalid, miserable living conditions. They are often overcrowded, with many people crammed into very small living spaces.
Slums are also a significant economic force. In many cities, as much as 60 percent of employment is in the informal sector of the urban population.
Today, more than one billion people in the world live in slums. In the developing world, one out of every three people living in cities lives in a slum.
There are basic things a government can do to prevent new slums from developing. One is to recognise that urbanisation is going to happen. Sometimes governments believe that adopting alternative policies, such as focusing on rural development, will stop urbanisation.