By Kavita Dehalwar
Introduction
Urbanization, while driving economic growth, has also led to significant challenges, particularly the proliferation of slums. Slums are characterized by poor housing, lack of basic services, overcrowding, and insecure tenure. Governments, urban planners, and development agencies have devised several strategies to address these issues, with Slum Upgradation and In-situ Slum Rehabilitation (ISSR) being two of the most widely adopted approaches. Each method seeks to improve the living conditions of slum dwellers while minimizing displacement and disruption.
Understanding Slums: The Context
Before diving into specific approaches, it is crucial to understand why slums exist:
- Rapid Urbanization: Cities grow faster than they can build adequate housing.
- Rural-Urban Migration: Migrants seek better livelihoods but often can’t afford formal housing.
- Ineffective Urban Planning: Lack of inclusive planning excludes low-income populations.
- Land Market Distortions: High land prices and regulations push the poor into informal settlements.
Given these factors, slum management strategies must balance livelihood preservation, community networks, and housing improvements.
Slum Upgradation
Definition
Slum Upgradation refers to the process of improving the existing physical, social, and economic conditions of slum settlements without displacing the residents. Instead of demolishing the slums, the focus is on providing basic services, enhancing infrastructure, securing tenure, and promoting community participation.
Key Features
- On-site Improvements: Roads, drainage, sanitation, water supply, electricity, and waste management are upgraded.
- Tenure Security: Residents are often given legal recognition or property rights to reduce the risk of eviction.
- Community Participation: Residents are involved in planning and execution to ensure solutions match their needs.
- Cost-effectiveness: Upgradation is often cheaper than demolition and reconstruction.
- Incremental Housing: Households are encouraged to gradually improve their dwellings over time with support services.
Advantages
- Minimal Disruption: Residents maintain social ties and access to livelihoods.
- Cost-Effective: Lower than constructing new housing projects.
- Empowerment: Strengthens community self-help initiatives.
- Preservation of Urban Fabric: Retains the organic settlement patterns, often vital for the city’s informal economy.
Challenges
- Land Ownership Issues: Upgrading land without clear ownership titles can be legally complex.
- Resistance from Landowners: Particularly when slums occupy valuable urban land.
- Technical Constraints: In highly congested areas, infrastructure upgrades are physically difficult.
- Risk of Gentrification: Post-upgrade, areas may attract investment leading to displacement of original residents.
In-situ Slum Rehabilitation (ISSR)
Definition
In-situ Slum Rehabilitation involves the redevelopment of slum areas on the same land where they are located, typically by demolishing existing structures and constructing formal housing, often multi-story buildings, for the original inhabitants.
In India, ISSR has been a key component of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) mission.
Key Features
- Private-Public Partnerships (PPPs): Developers are incentivized (e.g., through additional land rights or subsidies) to build housing for slum dwellers.
- Free Housing for Slum Dwellers: Eligible families are provided with formal, legally recognized housing units.
- Vertical Living: High-rise apartment complexes replace horizontal slum settlements.
- Infrastructure Development: Comprehensive amenities such as sewage, roads, and green spaces are incorporated.
- Cross-subsidization: Developers sell part of the developed land at market rates to fund the rehabilitation.
Advantages
- Formalization of Housing: Residents gain legal titles, improving tenure security.
- Efficient Land Use: Vertical construction frees up land for urban infrastructure or commercial use.
- Improved Living Conditions: Proper sanitation, clean water, and durable housing are provided.
- Urban Renewal: Contributes to aesthetic and environmental improvements in cities.
Challenges
- Community Disruption: High-rises can weaken community bonds formed in low-rise, close-knit slums.
- Livelihood Impact: Resettlement often disrupts informal economic activities carried out within or near homes.
- Quality Concerns: Poor construction standards or maintenance can create “vertical slums.”
- Eligibility and Exclusion: Only those meeting eligibility criteria (e.g., proof of residency before a cut-off date) benefit, leaving many behind.
- Developer-Driven Models: Profit motives can sometimes prioritize commercial interests over community needs.
Comparative Overview
| Aspect | Slum Upgradation | In-situ Slum Rehabilitation |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Improve existing structures and services | Demolish and rebuild formal housing on-site |
| Resident Displacement | Minimal | Temporary displacement during construction |
| Cost | Relatively low | Higher (due to complete reconstruction) |
| Social Networks | Maintained | Often disrupted |
| Main Beneficiaries | Entire community, even informal residents | Eligible families with proper documentation |
| Risk Factors | Land tenure issues, overcrowding | Exclusion, community alienation, vertical slum creation |
Conclusion
Both Slum Upgradation and In-situ Slum Rehabilitation are crucial approaches to addressing urban housing challenges, but they operate under different philosophies.
- Upgradation seeks to empower communities by improving what already exists, respecting social structures, and minimizing displacement.
- In-situ rehabilitation aims to formalize and modernize slum areas but risks alienating residents from their traditional ways of life.
A nuanced, context-specific strategy is essential — in some cases, upgrading may be preferable; in others, rehabilitation may be necessary. Importantly, the success of either approach hinges on community participation, transparent governance, social equity, and long-term sustainability.
Ultimately, the goal should not merely be to remove slums but to create inclusive cities where everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background, can live with dignity and opportunity.
References
Iweka, A. C., & Adebayo, A. K. (2015). Global slum upgrading practices: identifying the contemporary challenges. Journal of Construction Project Management and Innovation, 5(1), 1034-1044.
Ohls Aigbavboa, C., & Thwala, W. D. (2010). Lessons learned from in situ upgrading and eradication of informal settlement in Gauteng Province in South Africa. International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 3(3), 233-244.
Sharma, S. N. (2020). Evaluation of Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). Think India Journal23, 1, 1-13.
Shreevidya, G., Moogi, V. V., & Kelkar, A. A. (2018). An Overview of Slum Rehabilitation by In-Situ Technique.
Sharma, S. N. (2013). Participatory Planning in Practice. Lulu. com.
Sharma, S. N. (2005). Evaluation of the JnNURM Programme of Government of India for Urban Renewal. Think India Journal, 8(2), 1-7.
Sharma, S. N. (2014). Participatory Planning in Plan Preparation. BookCountry.
Vaid, U. (2023). Physical and mental health impacts of housing improvement: A quasi-experimental evaluation of in-situ slum redevelopment in India. Journal of environmental psychology, 86, 101968.
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