World Changing Post #5

World Changing Post #5

The Hidden Vitality of Slums- Page 287

I chose to read this article entitled The Hidden Vitality of Slums because it puts slums in a good light. I have always looked down on slums and believed that they weren’t sufficient enough or healthy to live in. I found this particle article very interesting because it allowed me to realize that the squatters (people who live in slums) are just as motivated as city-goers to make their community as developed as possible.

The slums don’t have an adequate water supply, don’t have toilets and don’t have electricity yet according to the article, “the streets are lively and business is booming.” The fact of the matter is the people here have learned to adapt to living in these circumstances and has used what they had to promote development and rely on each other to grow as a community. When I read this I thought about how the slums are doing exactly what we are doing in big cities but without certain necessities that we may rely on the most.

Some slums are able to continue to grow and grow to the point where they are considered a legal, self-sufficient cities that is comfortable to live in. The article uses the example of Sultanbeyli in Istanbul and how years ago it was a place of squatters but through time, they attracted enough people and developed into city, with permanent homes, 300,000 people and a government.

Steffen, Alex. World Changing: A User's Guider for the 21st Century. New York: Abrams, 2008

Rebecca Tulis