Donate

Slum

buildings

Redevelopment proposal for Mumbai’s largest informal settlement stirs controversy

Dharavi is known as the largest informal settlement in Asia, where 1 million people live in 1 square mile of Mumbai. For decades, it’s been slated for redevelopment. Plans are finally taking shape, but debates remain over where people will live and work. 

a woman in buenos aires stands in front of her informal home

Onerous standard rent deals in Buenos Aires force many into informal settlements

Economics

Visitors are finding a World Cup home in Brazil’s notorious favelas

Sports
A resident gestures during a protest against the death of a man in Pavao-Pavaozinho slum, in the Copacabana neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro April 22, 2014. Residents have accused Police Peacekeeping Unit (UPP) officers of causing the death of a dancer.

Do riots in a Rio favela mean the pre-World Cup pacification efforts failed?

Conflict & Justice
A resident gestures during a protest against the death of a man in Pavao-Pavaozinho slum, in the Copacabana neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro April 22, 2014. Residents have accused Police Peacekeeping Unit (UPP) officers of causing the death of a dancer.

Do riots in a Rio favela mean the pre-World Cup pacification efforts failed?

Conflict & Justice
Emoya Shantytown1

Well-off tourists can now spend a night in a fake South African slum

Business, Economics and Jobs

For 82 US dollars, you can “experience” poverty in a fake slum in South Africa, the only one in the world “equipped with under-floor heating and wireless Internet access.”

Finding Safety at a Public Bathroom in Nairobi’s Kibera Slum

A group of women in Nairobi’s Kibera slum spent the last year operating a public bathroom. It was built to offer a safe place to shower and counter the gender violence that erupted following the 2007 election.

Ahead of the 2014 World Cup, Crackdown in Brazilian Favelas

Global Politics

Brazilian authorities are cracking down on drug lords in the country’s infamous slums – or favelas. It’s an on-going effort ahead of the 2014 World Cup which Brazil is hosting.

Brazil Working to Clean Up Slums Ahead of World Cup

Global Politics

Brazilian police are beginning to clean up many of the slums in Rio de Janeiro.

The World

After the Earth Summit, the Real Rio Remains

Living on Earth’s Peter Thomson reports on Rio de Janeiro’s slums, or favelas  ? the neighborhoods that were left behind in the effort to polish up for the Earth Summit. This report was produced by George Homsy.