CYPLAN 110 Week 15 Writing Reflection
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School
University of California, Berkeley**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
CY PLAN 110
Subject
Anthropology
Date
Dec 17, 2024
Pages
1
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WRITING REFLECTION QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK: 1. How are slums andinformal settlements defined differently? 2. Why is there so much debate recently in thepractice of international development planning and how is it changing? 3. Given therelative failure of the Millennium Development Goals, are the United Nations’ newsustainable development goals effective? 4. The concept of “your great work”seemingly puts responsibility on your shoulders to begin doing something about ourshared challenges. How do you feel about assuming responsibility for the charge thathas been handed to you?Response (305 words):Slums and informal settlements are often used interchangeably, but they certainly havedistinct connotations. Slums refer to densely populated, poorer urban areas thatgenerally lack proper housing, basic infrastructure, and insufficient access to water andhealthcare services. Meanwhile, informal settlements is a more broader term. It canincorporate a broad range of housing conditions that are essentially not formallyplanned or necessarily approved by the government. For instance, homelessencampments can be referred to both as slums and as informal settlements. However,what is interesting is the different connotations these two terms have. While slums carrya negative connotation and often are derogatory towards individuals who live in them,informal settlements have a better connotation. Not simply because they are notnegative, but more importantly because they highlight the fact that there is not enoughplanning or policies behind their formation. This encourages evolution in the future whenmore deliberation has gone behind improving the infrastructure of such settlements.Another way of phrasing slums relative to informal settlements is that slums canrepresent a specific sub sector of informal settlements, in that they are often extremelyimpoverished places with poor living conditions. In both regards, however, there is avery urgent need to improve the conditions. Planning, poverty alleviation, and simplebasic services must be provided for these conditions as it is important in empoweringthe community of residents. Mike Davis’ “Planet of Slums” does a very interestingexamination into urban areas in poverty. Specifically, he discusses slum growth in theSouth. According to the reading, “Since 1970, slum growth everywhere in the South hasoutpaced urbanization per se.” Yet, according to the UN, “Illegal or informal landmarkets have also provided the land sites for most additions to the housing stock inmost cities of the South over the last 30 or 40 years.”
