Essay Sample on Shanty Towns: Governments' Role in Removal Policies

Introduction

Multiple types of dwellings that range from mud huts and teepee-like "pole shanties" to salt-box houses and log cabins are designated as shanties. Shantytowns depict structures of sloped-roof shacks that are inhabited by huddled, and rag-wrapped figures pushing carts (Goff, 2016). Governments have often attempted to remove the shanty towns and squatter settlements. The paper analyses why governments have often taken part in the policies that aim at removing the shanty towns, the consequences of the policies, and whether the policies of slum and squatter settlement upgrading have resulted in a better response to the reality of mass squatting.

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Why Governments Have Always Aimed at Removing the Shantytowns

Various reasons underlie the decision by governments to take part in policies that aim at removing the shanty towns. First, is the historical representations of the slums or shantytowns. According to Goff (2016), shantytowns represent a popular culture, and a vivid representation of their historiography, hence the need for government interventions to get rid of such historiographies. This is evident from the existence of shanties on areas that are currently regarded as national landmarks that memorize whatever replaced the shantytowns. The material and symbolic history of the shantytowns and shanties date to the earliest European settlement of America.

Second is the need to improve the quality of lifestyle of the citizens, by ensuring affordable housing to those living in the shanties. This would help to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor, hence enhance the economy of the governments. The mass housing schemes in Rio, Brazil were established with the need for people to have a roof over their heads (McGuirk, 2015). The transition in Catacumba ensured led to its transition to its establishment as a cultural center with a better school for the children, proper educational programs, and health systems that were lacking initially (Perlman, 2010).

The shanty regions are also known to have poor relations with the police while providing room for the establishment of criminal gangs. According to (Murphy, 2015), shanty neighborhoods have greater overall indices of crime and in most cases have poor and abusive relations with the police administration. This makes It cumbersome for the slam dwellers to achieve the kinds of housing that they desire, with lives of dignity.

Consequences of the Policies

The policies implemented by the governments in various regions have had various impacts on the lives of the shantytowns. In Sobradinho, a cycle of transformation was enhanced by the state's regulation on the real estate market in Plano Piloto and its satellite cities that led to the development of its periphery (Holston, 1989). This led to the construction of a proper urban periphery in the new regions of the hinterland.

The free-market policies that were embraced by the Pinochet reign and the democratic leadership that followed also enhanced the right to low-income housing in Chile (Murphy, 2015). Housing has been a major rallying point since the early twentieth century for low-income residents in Chile. However, government support for low-income housing has been expansive and sustained over time. Such policies led to the low-income Chileans earning a right to housing and their orientation to politics and urban development to date (Murphy, 2015).

While the housing policies of Catacumba had a negative side of displacing the slam dwellers, the residents of the newly established dwellings were grateful for a new start. The better infrastructure conferred greater dignity for the residents. Courtesy of the housing policies, the surviving Catacumba residents and their descendants enjoy a cultural center, a better school for their children, an autonomous residents' association, proper educational and social facilities and programs, efficient health centers, and places for leisure, and sports among others (Perlman, 2010).

The Favela-Bairro program in Rio was used as a crucial tool to integrate the favelas (slum dwellers) into the city. The program did not only improve the quality of life of the favelas but also raised their perceptions in the urban imaginary. The program lifted the urban quality of the favelas, raised the value of the property, and boosted the civic pride with minimal displacement of the residents (McGuirk, 2015).

Impact of the Policies on the Reality of Mass Squatting

From the review of literature, it is evident that the policies implemented by the various governments have significant positive impacts on the realities of mass squatting. It has led to the integration of the squatters to the city by constructing proper urban peripheries, proper housing, and urban development. It has also provided room for the dwellers to enjoy the various infrastructure and social amenities such as schools, health centers, and places of leisure among others.

Conclusion

To conclude, shanty towns are marked with poor living structures, salt-box houses, and log cabin structures among others. These dwellings have led to government intervention to get rid of them. However, some policies implemented by various governments have resulted in positive consequences and a better response to the reality of mass squatting.

References

Goff, L. 2016. Preface in Shantytown, USA: Forgotten Landscapes of the Working Poor (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Holston, J. (1989). Cities of Rebellion and The Brazilianization of Brasilia in The Modernist City: An Anthropological Critique of Brasilia. Yale University Press.

McGuirk, J. (2015). The Favela is the City in Radical Cities: Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture. London and New York: Version 99-138.

Murphy, E. (2015). A Right to Housing in Chile. NACLA. Retrieved from https://nacla.org/news/2015/10/18/right-low-income-housing-chile

Perlman, J. (2010). Catacumba: The Favela That Was," in Favela: Four Decades of Living on the Edge in Rio de Janeiro. Oxford University Press pp. 62-92.