Squatter settlements have, in recent years, become home to a vast portion of the world’s population. People are moving into the cities to seek out opportunities in alarming quantities, particularly when one considers that cities would have to construct one home each second in order to keep up (Neuwirth xiii). Not only do we not have enough housing to support the influx of people, but the economy simply does not have enough jobs to satisfy the current or future demand (Davis 178). Thus, it is necessary to investigate both the economic, political, and social issues that surround squatter settlements in order to better understand how to improve their conditions.
What is it that causes certain settlements to be well established, permanent parts of a city, and others to be neglected areas with little organization? Some of this can be traced back to the politics in a given country. As Neuwirth notes, Turkey has laws that provide squatters with certain rights; something that most countries would not consider worth their while (Neuwirth 18). However, when such a large portion of the world’s population is living in one form of informal settlement or another, it is a question that many more of the world’s politicians will soon need to address. It is not an option to simply clear the slums in order to remove the population of squatters. This would only make matters worse, since it would cause those in the most need of aid to move farther from the city and its resources, forcing them further into poverty (Beardsley 56). Instead, people from a variety of backgrounds need to come together to form a cohesive plan that is specific to each location. This group would need to include politicians, economists, designers, urban planners, etc., who are open to working to help those who often do not have a voice.
Currently, the world’s economy cannot provide work for all those who need it, and although life in a squatter settlement may be an improvement for many, it is certainly far from ideal. In larger settlements, it is possible to create informal employment opportunities, which gives the inhabitants the opportunity to earn a living (Davis 178). Of course, this system is far from perfect, and there are countless ways to enhance it. Between squatters, economists, and politicians, there must be a way to enhance the strengths of the more successful settlements in order to make them productive parts of the world’s economy.
When discussing squatter settlements, it is also important to note, as Robert Neuwirth does in Shadow Cities, that squatters are an extremely diverse group “with different needs, different incomes, different aspirations, different social standing, different stories” (Neuwirth 14). Settlements vary from a small grouping of dwellings separated by hung carpets, to large, organized cities with permanent structures, indoor plumbing, running water, and even their own government. This means that if there is to be a plan for formalizing, moving, or simply improving the quality of life in these settlements, then there may not be a single solution that will work in every situation. It is vital that politicians faced with situations like this be willing to work with every type of person, particularly since there is such a stigma attached to “slums”.

Neuwirth, Robert. Shadow Cities (London: Routledge, 2004)
Davis, Mike. Planet of Slums (London, New York: Verso, 2006)
Beardsley, John. A Billion Slum Dwellers and Counting (Harvard: Harvard Design Magazine, 2007)