Indicative Content

General Guidance

Refer to some or all of the following improvement strategies:

Demolishing shacks/clearance of worst areas (slum clearance)
Provision of services/infrastructure on site projects
Building of government housing on-site or of new towns
Self-help schemes
Combination of some or all above
Rural development programmes to slow out-migration
Improvements can be to residents’ lives and opportunities, the flow of incomers, the city population generally and the environment
Difficult task for government given large numbers and lack of funding
Quick-fix clearance
Affordability of big building projects for slow-growing LICs

6-mark question

The question doesn't specifically ask for a case study, therefore, this can be answered generically or with the help of a named city
The command word 'explain' requires you to outline some improvements that have/are being done for slums in LIC cities
You can look at comparing changes / improvements to mitigate problems with locations where there is no management, or
Whole-city redevelopment programmes such as Vision Mumbai incorporating Dharavi and other shanty towns for growing India

Model Answer

Commentary

There are a number of approaches to improvements of shanty towns in low income countries. One approach is to clear and relocate to pre-built new developments. The Kenyan government and UN-Habitat created the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme, or KENSUP aiming to improve the infrastructure and housing of 5.3 million slum dwellers in Kenya. They built modern, heavily subsidised, high-rise flats to give the residents the opportunity to own a home, with formalised services such as water, sanitation and electricity. This scheme has been quite successful, but there has been some criticism of corruption and settlements being disconnected from communities. In Rocinha, self-help schemes have improved the area from slums to low quality housing where the majority of homes have basic services like electricity and other services such as cafes and shops. Some people have been granted legal ownership of the land on which their houses are built.
The site-and-service scheme of the 'Favela Bairro Project' is where the local authority supplies residents from favelas, brick houses to rent. These are built with electricity, running water and sanitation pipes installed. In some circumstances, people are allowed to buy these houses, and improvements have included rubbish collection, schools and health centres.
Some local authorities have to ignore the slums and hope they go away as many LICs do not have the money for slum redevelopment. But in other places, like Rocinha, people have improved their community so much that authorities don’t need to provide help anymore. Self-help schemes do provide more security and allows people to take ownership for improving their environment.

Marks awarded 6/6

This is one possible way to answer this question - your answer does not have to be exactly the same
This is a levelled response answer. It is important to remember that each point does not equate to a mark. The examiner will read your whole answer and make a decision about which level your answer fits into
Better responses may offer extent of improvement (e.g. effectiveness of management) in terms of how/whether shanty problems have been mitigated/improved i.e. poor health, hygiene and sanitation; overcrowding; inadequate facilities
Evaluation is required, such as 'co-operation is better than conflict therefore, self-help schemes, security of home ownership for squatters etc.

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Challenges to Urban Environments (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

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