Informal settlement development also demands the consent of the local elite. Informal settlement development is “rational” resource management for the squatters and, in addition, for many other groups as well. It is a well organised and collective effort that is planned in advance and accomplished in a manner of precision and discipline. Informal settlement development is not a random activity based on the action of single individuals.
In this document informal settlements refer to settlements that have been developed outside the formalised system of urban development. The issue of slums or informal settlements is of major importance when studying and trying to address concurrent urbanisation. An estimated 1 billion of the worlds 3.25 billion urban dwellers live in environments classified as slums.
Informal settlements or slums are a prevailing mode of urban development across the globe. –The cases of Guayaquil, Dar es Salaam and Pune Research project financed by Sida, Department for Research Cooperation 2010 - 2012 Background and objectives Background
