shantytowns
Improvised poor neighborhoods
Shantytowns are makeshift settlements of improvised dwellings, typically on the outskirts of cities in developing countries.
The structures are built from scrap materials—corrugated metal, plywood, tarps—by people who cannot afford formal housing.
Shantytowns sprang up around the capital as migrants arrived from rural areas.
Also called slums, favelas, or informal settlements.
Impoverished, crowded districts
- favelasBrazilian informal settlements
- squatter settlementsUnauthorized improvised housing communities
- makeshift sheltersHastily assembled protective structures
- tin roofsLightweight metallic building tops
corrugated iron · overcrowding · cramped quarters · shacks · hovels · lean-tos · barrios · townships
Extreme poverty, lacking necessities
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- marginalizationRelegation to powerless periphery
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- hungerNeed for nourishment
deprivation · hardship · survival · scarcity · subsistence · desperation · economic disparity · underprivileged
Boundary or outer region
- urban fringeSettlement zone bordering cities
- hillsidesSlanted terrain faces
- riverbanksEdges of flowing waterways
- floodplainsLow areas rivers inundate
railway tracks · dumpsites · industrial zones · sprawl · megacities · Mumbai · Rio · Nairobi
Collective of connected people
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- solidarityUnity among allies
- grassrootsCommon people as political base
- activismDirect effort for reform
eviction · demolition · relocation · gentrification · land rights · NGOs · humanitarian aid · microfinance
Uncovered channels for wastewater
- contaminated waterImpure liquid with pathogens
- unpaved roadsSurfaces lacking asphalt covering
- floodingOverwhelming water accumulation
- mudslidesWet earth mass movements
fire hazards · water pumps · kerosene lamps · outhouses · waterborne diseases · cholera · typhoid · dysentery
slums
Impoverished, crowded districts
- favelasBrazilian informal settlements
- squatter settlementsUnauthorized improvised housing communities
- makeshift sheltersHastily assembled protective structures
tin roofs · corrugated iron · overcrowding · cramped quarters · shacks · hovels · lean-tos · barrios · townships · self-built
destitution
Extreme poverty, lacking necessities
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- marginalizationRelegation to powerless periphery
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
hunger · deprivation · hardship · survival · scarcity · subsistence · desperation · economic disparity · underprivileged · homelessness
periphery
Boundary or outer region
- urban fringeSettlement zone bordering cities
- hillsidesSlanted terrain faces
- riverbanksEdges of flowing waterways
floodplains · railway tracks · dumpsites · industrial zones · sprawl · megacities · Mumbai · Rio · Nairobi · Manila
community
Collective of connected people
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- solidarityUnity among allies
- grassrootsCommon people as political base
activism · eviction · demolition · relocation · gentrification · land rights · NGOs · humanitarian aid · microfinance · self-organization
open sewers
Uncovered channels for wastewater
- contaminated waterImpure liquid with pathogens
- unpaved roadsSurfaces lacking asphalt covering
- floodingOverwhelming water accumulation
mudslides · fire hazards · water pumps · kerosene lamps · outhouses · waterborne diseases · cholera · typhoid · dysentery · public health crisis
- dwellingshouse, home, apartment, cabin, cottage
- housingapartments, home, house, houses, homes
- Latin American CitiesMexico City, Buenos Aires, Lima, Sao Paulo, Bogota
- urban lifesidewalks, neighborhood, apartments, skyline, buses
shantytownsaffluent neighborhoods
Prosperous residential districts
gated communities · luxury estates · mansions · Beverly Hills · villas
shantytownsplanned communities
Prearranged residential neighborhoods
subdivisions · housing projects · municipal housing · new towns · garden cities