Slums : how informal real estate markets work /

The UN estimates that 1 billion people live in self-built settlements, also termed squatter settlements or slums. There, they lack title (and thus ownership rights) to their homes, and often are without proper sanitation, decent roads, adequate schools, organized waste disposal, and police protection. Confronting policy makers is how to provide decent housing and upgrade these places. For many experts, turning informal real estate markets into formal ones ("tenure regularization") is the key. In eleven chapters, the contributors to this collection explore how informal real estate markets work, the consequences of tenure regularization, and the degree to which titling efforts require the simultaneous upgrading of public services and the provision of formal-sector jobs for residents. India and Brazil receive the greatest attention, while China, Venezuela, and Argentina are also discussed. Most of the chapters are based on original research that draws on ethnographic work, surveys, government censuses, and World Bank data. Overall, this is a focused set of readings, each of which is substantive and informative. It is highly recommended for scholars and policy makers concerned with informal settlements in the Global South and their functioning as real estate markets. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. --Robert A. Beauregard, Columbia University