The world "poverty" typically conjures up images of a mud hut, dry dusty earth and a great expanse of unfarmed land. In reality, a billion people are now living in urban poverty. Urban poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon. Almost 180,000 people are added to the urban population of the world each day.
By 2025 nearly three-quarters of the population of the Philippines will live in urban areas. Around two-thirds of Indonesia’s population – over 178 million people – will be urban citizens. India will have half a billion city-dwellers.
By the same year, the total urban population of Asia Pacific countries where World Vision has a presence will increase by over 700 million (UN Population Division, ‘World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision’). Urbanisation presents challenges for organisations like World Vision who have been working to reduce poverty and promote positive development for people in the developing world for decades.
The challenges of Urban Poverty
Urban poverty has many faces. While city migrants may earn a higher income, often, the amount is insufficient given the high cost of city living. Among the challenges are :
• Unstable income
• Lack and high cost of access to basic services, infrastructure or safety nets
• Violation of rights
• Weak political voice or influence
In urban areas, measuring poverty is more complex than simply using the traditional US$1 a day benchmark. The urban poor are likely to have a higher income, as they are often earning daily wages, and basic services and infrastructure are usually in place.
However, it is the higher cost of accessing these basic services that differentiates urban poverty from rural poverty (ESCAP ”Facing the Challenges of Urbanization and Urban Poverty in Asia and the Pacific” 2007). In most cities, US$1 per day would not be enough to pay rent, access clean water, transport, health care, education, and other essentials.
Shelter is the most visible issue of urban poverty. Difficulties in finding suitable and affordable housing mean that a large proportion of new arrivals to the city congregates in areas where land ownership is not enforced and build their own makeshift accommodation.
According to UN-HABITAT, out of the three billion people who are living in urban areas today, one billion live in slums and the slum population will likely double over the next 30 years. Slum dwellers will be living in “cities” that are bigger than any of the current cities (Oxfam 2006 “Urban poverty and Development in the 21st Century”). In many Asian cities, 30-40% of its population is already living in slums.
One of the United Nations’ targets under the Millennium Development Goals is to improve life significantly for at least 100 million slum dwellers globally by 2020.
Adapted from www.worldvision.com.my and other sources
By 2025 nearly three-quarters of the population of the Philippines will live in urban areas. Around two-thirds of Indonesia’s population – over 178 million people – will be urban citizens. India will have half a billion city-dwellers.
By the same year, the total urban population of Asia Pacific countries where World Vision has a presence will increase by over 700 million (UN Population Division, ‘World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision’). Urbanisation presents challenges for organisations like World Vision who have been working to reduce poverty and promote positive development for people in the developing world for decades.
The challenges of Urban Poverty
Urban poverty has many faces. While city migrants may earn a higher income, often, the amount is insufficient given the high cost of city living. Among the challenges are :
• Unstable income
• Lack and high cost of access to basic services, infrastructure or safety nets
• Violation of rights
• Weak political voice or influence
In urban areas, measuring poverty is more complex than simply using the traditional US$1 a day benchmark. The urban poor are likely to have a higher income, as they are often earning daily wages, and basic services and infrastructure are usually in place.
However, it is the higher cost of accessing these basic services that differentiates urban poverty from rural poverty (ESCAP ”Facing the Challenges of Urbanization and Urban Poverty in Asia and the Pacific” 2007). In most cities, US$1 per day would not be enough to pay rent, access clean water, transport, health care, education, and other essentials.
Shelter is the most visible issue of urban poverty. Difficulties in finding suitable and affordable housing mean that a large proportion of new arrivals to the city congregates in areas where land ownership is not enforced and build their own makeshift accommodation.
According to UN-HABITAT, out of the three billion people who are living in urban areas today, one billion live in slums and the slum population will likely double over the next 30 years. Slum dwellers will be living in “cities” that are bigger than any of the current cities (Oxfam 2006 “Urban poverty and Development in the 21st Century”). In many Asian cities, 30-40% of its population is already living in slums.
One of the United Nations’ targets under the Millennium Development Goals is to improve life significantly for at least 100 million slum dwellers globally by 2020.
Adapted from www.worldvision.com.my and other sources
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