Informal Settlements

Download or read book Informal Settlements written by Marie Huchzermeyer and published by Juta and Company Ltd. This book was released on 2006 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Informal settlements are a shameful feature of poverty and inherited inequalities in South Africa. Defined in this book as 'settlements of the urban poor developed through the unauthorised occupation of land', they are regarded by many as unhealthy and overcrowded blights on the urban landscape 'squatter camps' in common parlance. Yet census data tell us that 16.4% of households across the country live in informal settlements, mostly in urban areas where an insecure foothold on the land enables these households to access the economic opportunities, social and economic networks and basic amenities that are essential to their survival.