Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
For reference/definition: BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Shanty towns
Pretty common in urban areas in the developed world, huge neighbourhoods of housing built on public or illegal land are a cheap way for people to find a permanent place to live where the economy has driven them due to urbanization.
As cities continue to grow and money continues to pool out of rural areas into urban centres, the situation will only get worse. If you want employment, you have to move to a city. But if you want to live in a city, you can't afford a home.
As the cost of land continues to rise globally, but especially in Western countries, housing affordability and the availability of employment are almost mutually exclusive. It is now common for many metropolitan areas to have an average home price north of $1 million. Completely unaffordable for the average income earner.
Unfortunately, another thing Western nations have in common is middle-aged homeowners as the largest demographic. These people's votes are extremely important to politicians and it is not in their best interest to enact policy which could damage these people's investments.
In spite all of this, affordable housing continues to be demolished all over the world as a means of "urban revitalization". The hardest hit victims are high-rise developments which are typically demolished and replaced with single-family communities with much fewer units, or "mixed income" properties which tend to be largely market rate developments with a relatively small percentage of units dedicated to affordable housing. Certainly not enough to re-house all of the people their construction displaced.
The only solution seems to be to tolerate the building of shanty towns on public lands again. This will give people at least an ability to put a roof over their heads. If not, the emergence of a homeless middle class: employed, sometimes degree-holding individuals and even families living on the streets; is inevitable.
Shanty towns are surely not going to be to tolerated in western countries. Actually what you describe is the opposite of what is happening here in Sydney. Our urban density is continually increasing and single family homes re being demolished and high rise apartments built, especially along the rail lines. It was only reported tonight that there is a looming oversupply of apartments in certain parts of the city which will put downward pressure on prices and rents. At the moment the average house price in Sydney is over a million dollars and there certainly is an affordability problem. Nevertheless, and the same as it is in Canada as far as I know, increasing numbers of immigrants are coming from Asia, where it is quite normal for extended families to live together. Our previous waves of immigrants included many from Italy and Greece where that is also common. What happens here is that young people are staying much longer in the family home and often do not leave until they are in their thirties. I know here that shanty towns would not be tolerated.
Skid row LA is worse than a shanty town. The entire place smells like a combination of urine, feces, vomit and lords knows what else. I have actually walked through there. There are tents all over the damn place. In certain parts of LA you will see tents set up right on the damn side walk.
Having said that I don't think we will ever have shanty towns again. Our society is obsessed with making everything look nice and gentrifying everything. We really need to start improving our homeless and drug addiction problem and low income housing needs for families and people with disabilities. With the extreme cold we are facing in my city right now, we have already had an addict freeze to death.
Actually what you describe is the opposite of what is happening here in Sydney. Our urban density is continually increasing and single family homes re being demolished and high rise apartments built,
i know im specifically talking about public hosuing when it comes to that.
For reference/definition: BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Shanty towns
Pretty common in urban areas in the developed world, huge neighbourhoods of housing built on public or illegal land are a cheap way for people to find a permanent place to live where the economy has driven them due to urbanization.
As cities continue to grow and money continues to pool out of rural areas into urban centres, the situation will only get worse. If you want employment, you have to move to a city. But if you want to live in a city, you can't afford a home.
As the cost of land continues to rise globally, but especially in Western countries, housing affordability and the availability of employment are almost mutually exclusive. It is now common for many metropolitan areas to have an average home price north of $1 million. Completely unaffordable for the average income earner.
Unfortunately, another thing Western nations have in common is middle-aged homeowners as the largest demographic. These people's votes are extremely important to politicians and it is not in their best interest to enact policy which could damage these people's investments.
In spite all of this, affordable housing continues to be demolished all over the world as a means of "urban revitalization". The hardest hit victims are high-rise developments which are typically demolished and replaced with single-family communities with much fewer units, or "mixed income" properties which tend to be largely market rate developments with a relatively small percentage of units dedicated to affordable housing. Certainly not enough to re-house all of the people their construction displaced.
The only solution seems to be to tolerate the building of shanty towns on public lands again. This will give people at least an ability to put a roof over their heads. If not, the emergence of a homeless middle class: employed, sometimes degree-holding individuals and even families living on the streets; is inevitable.
That's the way it's going. The only way we will change it is to have government compete with the housing industry. I don't like the idea but I sure as hell don't want kids growing up in shanty towns.
Skid row LA is worse than a shanty town. The entire place smells like a combination of urine, feces, vomit and lords knows what else. I have actually walked through there. There are tents all over the damn place. In certain parts of LA you will see tents set up right on the damn side walk.
Having said that I don't think we will ever have shanty towns again. Our society is obsessed with making everything look nice and gentrifying everything. We really need to start improving our homeless and drug addiction problem and low income housing needs for families and people with disabilities. With the extreme cold we are facing in my city right now, we have already had an addict freeze to death.
i think we live in an extremely cruel society. Our first instinct when it comes to homelessness and poverty is to hide or move the problem instead of resolvong the issues surroundong them. Most homeless are not alcoholics or drug addicts. Many do noy have any sort of mental illness. Many are even emplpyed but the cost of living is just too high to put a roof over their heads. This will continue to get worse as long as the almighty dollar dictates our housing market
i know im specifically talking about public hosuing when it comes to that.
What you posted is NOT a public housing, OP.
Those shacks/squatter settlements are unplanned and are often illegal. Houses are self-built using basic materials and shanty towns have few services.
Public housing is a housing provided for people with low incomes, subsidized by public funds. Such program established by government to provide housing for low-income families, disabled persons, and the elderly. These families or persons must meet certain eligibility requirements to participate in the program and may be required to pay a nominal amount of rent. The units are considered public because they are funded, owned, and administered by government authorities.
Read more: What is public housing? definition and meaning - BusinessDictionary.com
Squatter settlements/shanty towns are any collection of buildings where the people have no legal rights to the land they are built upon. The people are living there illegally and do not own the land. Their improvised housing, called shanties or shacks is made of plywood, corrugated metal, sheets of plastic, and cardboard boxes. They provide housing for many of the world's poorest people and offer basic shelter. http://www.coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE/...cteristics.htm
i know im specifically talking about public hosuing when it comes to that.
The bulk of our public housing is detached housing and medium densityThe state government are selling off just a few properties in multi-million dollar locations and then can spend the money providing many more properties in average locations. Here most of the older properties are low density and the high density public housing does not yet need to be rebuilt.
i know im specifically talking about public hosuing when it comes to that.
Public housing is a noble and equitable idea but in the U.S. there is a strong bias against public housing projects in general. There is, however a Federal Section 8 housing program (with a long waiting list) which offers assistance to variously eligible low-income people to afford to live in apartments (privately owned entities). Sometimes it works well and sometimes it doesn't and when it doesn't it's a mess, for everyone.
Most Americans would prefer to live in single family suburban homes and at the very least, on the periphery of cities/towns with subsidized housing.
But regarding literal 'shanty towns' America has it's fair share of that and in the most unbelievable spaces from highway overpasses to the middle of upscale business areas. The American public is not happy about it anymore than they are happy about the plight of the homeless population and unfortunately it appears to be worsening.
Last edited by HomeIsWhere...; 01-12-2018 at 03:31 PM..
Reason: Added news articles...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
