Transcript Urban problems Housing problems ABERDEEN HOLY CROSS VILLAGES JOHNSTON ROAD, WAN CHAI.

Urban problems
Housing problems
ABERDEEN
HOLY CROSS VILLAGES
JOHNSTON ROAD, WAN CHAI
ALDRICH BAY
TSUI PING ESTATE
MEXICO
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
MANILA, THE PHILIPPINES
HAITI
Definition
 Housing is not only a shelter to weather, but
also includes access to such basic services
as electricity, water and transport. Therefore,
problem occurs when the quantity and quality
of provision of housing do not reach
satisfactory levels.
Functions performed by a house as
residence
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a shelter that protects the residents from
environmental hazards
a place where residents can enjoy privacy
a place where essential physical,
psychological and social needs are satisfied.
Criteria to assess the standard of a
house
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building materials used and the construction
method, which determine the house’s ability to
protect its residents
living density, as measured by number of
people per room. This determines the degree
of privacy enjoyed by individuals
availability and quality of facilities in the
houses. These are essential for meeting
various needs of the residents
MDC City
LDC City
RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION
CBD
Inner city
OVERSEAS MIGRANTS
Outward migration of
higher-income group
Housing problems
 Inadequate quantity
 Housing shortage
 Overcrowding
 Poor quality
 Slums
 Squatters
 Poor sanitation,
pollution, social
problems…
 Urban decay
Inadequate quantity of housing
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common in LDC cities
demand for housing exceeds supply, leading
to housing shortage / housing attainability -->
overcrowding
Poor quality of housing
 common in both LDC and MDC cities
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urban slums = legal, low-rent housing in inner
city areas
squatters = illegal (usually not rent-paying)
housing in inner city areas / at city margins /
on hillslopes
Urban decay
 common in both LDC and MDC cities
 substandard and derelict buildings
 poor sanitation / inadequate facilities
 congested / overcrowding living condition / high building
density
 narrow streets / traffic congestion
 lack of recreational space / parks / social facilities
 lack of planning / mixed land use
 environmental pollution / environmentally degraded
 poor aesthetic value
 fire hazards
 social problems like family conflicts / mental distresses /
theft / vandalism
 urban ghetto / racial segregation
1.1.1 Causes and Impacts of Housing Problem
in LDCs
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Inadequate quantity
Large natural increase
Rapid rural-urban migration from rural push
factors
Over-population and pseudo-urbanization
1.1.1 Causes and Impacts of Housing Problem
in MDCs
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Housing demand > supply
Keen competition of land uses
Second World War
Overcrowding
rural-urban migration and overseas
in-migration
 started in the early 20th century
 The nowadays' most affected destinies are
the USA, UK, South Europe
 The immigrants usually come from Africa,
China, Eastern Europe, South America and
Middle East.
 United States - Inflow of foreign-born
population from Asia (total) as a percentage
of total inflow: 1984 – 37.9%; 2004 – 35.7%
limited space but keen competition
among different land users
 economic development
pushes the urban land
value up
 forcing many lowincome residents and
high proportion of
minority groups to live
in slums in inner city
areas
Second World War
 many houses were seriously damaged and destroyed
during WWII.
 The housing stock was badly depleted.
Overcrowding
 overcrowding and tenants sub-letting their units mainly
occur in older housing near the CBD --> forming slums
in inner city areas
Substandard housing
 Socially, both slums and squatter housing are
a reflection of unequal access to urban
resources because squatter residents
belong to the low-income, poor, socioeconomically and politically marginal group in
society.
Slums
 they are found in transition zones next to the
CBD, where
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houses are deteriorating, without adequate
amenities
the tenants are too poor to improve the living
conditions
Slums
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in MDC cities, landlords have moved out to the
suburbs (suburbanization of the high-income
groups) due to improved transport links
some areas are ghettos of minor racial
immigrant groups
some industries have relocated to the suburbs
(suburbanization of industrial activities)
local government has little income from tax to
improve the living environment
Squatters
 they are illegal, temporary housing found
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on roof tops
hillslopes fringing the urban areas
and on stilts or boats in the sheltered coastal
areas near the city
Squatters
 they are usually the result of a large influx of
new-comers / rural migrants to the city and
also be the population growth of the poor
Squatters
 squatters settlements are known as “shanty
towns” which are characterized by:
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scrap materials, e.g. wood and metal sheeting
insufficient basic services, e.g. sanitation,
water, electricity
overcrowded settlements
Poor living environment
 Environmental pollution
due to the mixed land use (workshops and retail units +
residential units)
 land-use conflicts
 poor air quality + noise and land pollution
 Fire and health hazards
 these squatter huts are built of wood and cardboard
 there are no surface roads / electricity supply / water and
sewage facilities
 creating fire and health risks
 Social problems
 family conflicts
 mental distresses
 theft, robberies, crimes, vandalism
 ethnic and social segregation
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Solutions to housing problems
 New town development
 Urban renewal
 Slums / squatters clearance
 Provision of more housing
New Town development
 new town = a planned community aiming at
solving certain problems, e.g. population
redistribution
Factors of new town development
 to relieve congested urban areas
 to decentralize industries
 for land use separation
 for administration purpose
New town development
 The development of new towns / satellite
towns general involves the outward
movement of urban residents to the
peripheral areas.
New town development
 However, not all the residents are willing to
move though they are suffering from rather
poor living environment because
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they cannot afford the higher rent in the new
town
they have to spend more time on journey-towork
they have to pay higher transport cost in
jorney-to-work
New town development
 Therefore, new town development / satellite
towns must be associated with the process of
industrial decentralization. In this way, people
moving outward may find their new jobs in the
surrounding areas easily.
Urban renewal
 Redevelopment = the demolition of bad
housing
 Rehabilitation = involves improvement of
existing old buildings and environment rather
than demolition of buildings
What is rehabilitation?
 Rehabilitation includes the renovation and
management of buildings, such as
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improving external appearance of buildings by
cleaning and repairing
fitting new windows and new doors
installing indoor toilets and baths
redesigning recreational areas
Rehabilitation
 causes less disruption to residents
 less social disruption and resentment
 involves less financial cost, especially
compensation
 helps preserve and restore buildings of
cultural, historical and architectural value
 the living environment is greatly upgraded
slum / squatter clearance
 replaced by public housing
 to solve the problems of landslides / fire
hazards / poor living conditions
building more adequate houses
 through public organizations, e.g. Housing
Authority / Housing Society in Hong Kong
 or private sectors / developers
 Poor quality
 Urban slums
 Squatters
 On the roof tops
 Hillslopes fringing the urban areas
 On boats in the sheltered coastal areas
 Environmental pollution
 Workshops and retail units intermingle with
residential units
 Fire hazards
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Built of wood and cardboard
 Social problems
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Family conflicts
Mental distresses
Theft, robberies, crimes, etc
1.1.2 Solutions to housing problems in LDCs
 To upgrade the squatters and shanty town
 To increase job opportunities, esp in rural
areas
 To control the migratory flows
 Birth control
1.1.3
Case study: Kuala Lumpur
 The city has grown rapidly since WWII
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1947:176,000; in the late 1970s: 820,000
 poverty is also widespread
Housing problems in Kuala Lumpur
 Increasing pressure on urban resources and
services
 High population densities and Inadequate
amenities
 Squatter settlements
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Living conditions in many squatter camps are
poor
Solutions to the squatter problem in Kuala
Lumpur
 Relocation housing schemes
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low-cost housing schemes, notably in the Klang Valley
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multi-storey apartment buildings
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Not welcome
 Upgrading schemes
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supplied with services such as roads, water and
electricity
 Sites and services schemes
Difficulties encountered
 Expensive
 Time-consuming
 Uncontrollable rural-urban migration
 Long term solution?
The housing problems are virtually the result to poverty…….
1.2 Housing Problems in MDCs
 keen competition from industrial and
commercial landuse =>$↑↑↑
 influx of destitute third world immigrants
 Slums: old, crowded, sanitarily poor and
structurally dangerous but their rents are low
 transition zones next to the CBD
在英國，露宿者的數量在80
年代上升了一倍，露宿者區在
 Ghettos: the Blacks, Puerto Rican and
倫敦中部的鐵路橋底擴張。在
Chinese
1979年，英國的地區組織統
 sub-urbanization=> urban decay
計有56,750個露宿單位；在
 socio-economic problems:unemployment,
1989年，其數目則上升至
health hazards, juvenile delinquency, social
126,680，有時露宿者則更認
unrest and inadequate public services…
為實際數字則超越一百萬。有
 Large influx of new comers: Squatters
關機構認為這劇烈增長，部分
 Less welfare: homeless
是由於第三世界移民的湧入。
1.2.2 Solutions to housing problems in MDCs
 Building more houses
 Urban renewal
 Rehabilitation
 New town project
 Building more houses
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only the start of a solution
 Urban renewal
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demolition of buildings
the renewal is bound to be piecemeal in nature
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not all the individual landowners are willing to sell their
land
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expensive and time-consuming
 Rehabilitation
improvement
 New town project
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A new town or satellite town is a planned
community aiming at solving certain problems, e.g.
population redistribution. It should be
accompanied the industrial decentralization and
facilities.
 suburb areas
 comprehensive planning and heavy
expenditure
1.2.3Case study: the London Dockland