Knowra Slum Slum A densely populated urban area characterized by inadequate housing, poor sanitation, insecure tenure, and limited access to services. Slums vary widely in form, origin, and residents’ legal status.
Informal settlement : A settlement built outside or in violation of formal planning and land-tenure systems. Many slums are informal settlements, though informality alone does not make an area a slum.
Rural-to-urban migration : The movement of people from rural areas to cities, often for work, education, or safety. Rapid migration can outpace the supply of affordable urban housing.
Slum upgrading : Improvements to housing, infrastructure, services, or tenure in existing deprived urban neighborhoods. It seeks to improve living conditions while allowing communities to remain in place.
Shanty town : A settlement marked by makeshift or substandard housing, often associated with poverty and insecure tenure. The term emphasizes housing form, while slum can also describe service and tenure conditions.
Urban heat island : The tendency for built-up urban areas to be warmer than nearby rural surroundings. Crowded housing and limited shade can intensify heat exposure in underserved neighborhoods.
Overcrowding : A condition in which people share living space at a density that limits comfort, privacy, or health. High residential density often intensifies the housing and health pressures associated with slums.
Urbanization : The growth of cities and the increasing share of a population living in urban areas. Slum formation is one possible outcome when urban growth exceeds housing and infrastructure capacity.
In-situ upgrading : The improvement of a settlement where it already exists, rather than relocating its residents. This approach can preserve social networks while bringing services and infrastructure into slum areas.
Ghetto : An urban area where a socially marginalized group is concentrated, often through segregation or constraint. A ghetto is defined by social separation, not necessarily by housing and service deficits.
Waterborne disease : Illness caused by pathogens transmitted through contaminated water. Unsafe water and inadequate sanitation can increase the risk of outbreaks.
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