This paper provides an improved methodology for analyzing the dynamics of slums in Developing Countries (DC). In particular, it demonstrates how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Cellular Automata (CA) can be integrated to model, simulate, predict and dynamically visualize the growth of slums, and thus will improve future planning practices in DC. The paper first examines factors that co...

Improving quality of life in the slum is one of the development goals for new millennium. The existence of slums is essentially a manifestation of poverty, along with the economic and industrial development-slums will continue to exist and grow further. The experience of Kerala shows that the condition of the people can be improved even at low levels of economic development through appropriate ...

BACKGROUND A continuous influx of poor people to urban slums poses a challenge to Bangladesh's health system as it has failed to tackle maternal morbidity and mortality. BRAC is the largest non-governmental organisation in Bangladesh. BRAC has been working to reduce maternal, neonatal and under-five children morbidity and mortality of slum dwellers in cities. BRAC has been doing this work for a...

BACKGROUND Urban health is of global concern because the majority of the world's population lives in urban areas. Although mental health problems (e.g. depression) in developing countries are highly prevalent, such issues are not yet adequately addressed in the rapidly urbanising megacities of these countries, where a growing number of residents live in slums. Little is known about the spectrum...

U rban populations have skyrocketed globally and today represent more than half of the world’s population. In some parts of the developing world, this growth has more-than-proportionately involved rural migration to informal settlements in and around cities, known more commonly as “slums”— densely populated urban areas characterized by poor-quality housing, a lack of adequate living space and p...

BACKGROUND We describe trends in childhood mortality in Kenya, paying attention to the urban-rural and intra-urban differentials. METHODS We use data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys (KDHS) collected between 1993 and 2008 and the Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (NUHDSS) collected in two Nairobi slums between 2003 and 2010, to estimate infant mortality rat...

Over one billion people live in the world’s 200,000 slums and informal settlements. We used data generated from mobile phones to better understand one of the largest slums, Kibera located in Nairobi, Kenya. Using call logs from June 2008 June 2009 and theories from human geography, economics, sociology, journalists, and anthropologists as a basis, we tested the validity of a few prominent theor...

Different slums exhibit different levels of resilience against the threat eviction. However, little is known about role social capital slum community in this context. This study investigates factors contributing to Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria, through a lens. first land allocation slums, then available capital, and subsequently how influences eviction slums. Data were collected two communities, L...

This paper examines gender differentials in survival amongst older people (50+ years) in the Nairobi slums and to the best of our knowledge is the first study of its kind in an urban African setting. The results provide evidence contrary to the expected paradox of poorer self-rated health yet better survival amongst older women. Older women in the Nairobi slums have poorer self-rated health and...

UNLABELLED Poor solid waste management is among the major challenges facing urban slums in developing countries including Uganda. Understanding community concerns and willingness towards involvement in solid waste management improvement initiatives is critical for informing interventions in slums. METHODS We used a cross-sectional study to collect quantitative data from 435 residents in two u...