Urban Poverty in the Global South: Scale and nature

One in seven of the world's population live in poverty in urban areas, and the vast majority of these live in the Global South - mostly in overcrowded informal settlements with inadequate provision for water, sanitation, health care and schools. This book explains how and why the scale and depth of urban poverty is so frequently under-estimated by governments and international agencies worldwide. The authors also consider the extent to which economic growth does reduce poverty, exploring the paradox of successful economies that show little evidence of decreasing poverty. Many official figures on urban poverty, including those based on the commonly used US$1 per day poverty line, present a very misleading picture of urban poverty's scale. These common errors in definition and measurement on the part of governments and international agencies lead to poor understanding of urban poverty and inadequate policy provision. This is compounded by the lack of voice and influence that low income groups have in these official spheres. This book explores many different aspects of urban poverty including inadequate food intake, inadequate incomes, assets and livelihood security, poor living and working conditions and the absence of any rule of law. It also highlights the very large health burden associated with urban poverty that is overlooked by most poverty definitions. This book fills the gap for a much needed systematic overview of the historical and contemporary state of urban poverty in the Global South. This comprehensive and detailed book is a unique resource for students and lecturers in development studies, urban development, development geography, social policy, urban planning and design, and poverty reduction.