A billion people live in the slums of the world's megacities--and they're being missed by coronavirus
05-16-206:00 AMWORLD CHANGING IDEAS
Sprawling urban areas in Brazil, Nigeria and Bangladesh are all seeing COVID-19 infections rise rapidly.
A billion people live in the slums of the world’s megacities—and they’re being missed by coronavirus plans
A market area in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, crowded with people despite the coronavirus pandemic, May 12, 2020. [Photo: Ahmed Salahuddin/NurPhoto/Getty Images]
BY ROBERT MUGGAH AND RICHARD FLORIDA 5 MINUTE READ
Having ravaged some of the world’s wealthiest cities, the coronavirus pandemic is now spreading into the megacities of developing countries. Sprawling urban areas in Brazil, Nigeria, and Bangladesh are all seeing COVID-19 infections rise rapidly.
We study the fragility and resilience of such cities and their urban peripheries, with the aim of encouraging data-driven policy decisions. Given its deadly trajectory in marginalized communities of hard-hit New York and London, coronavirus may well devastate much poorer cities.
Particularly concerning are the slum areas that are home to roughly a billion people— one in seven people on Earth. Characterized by insecure property rights, low-quality housing, limited basic services, and poor sanitation, these informal settlements aggregate risk factors that accelerate the spread of infection.
Yet, our research finds, many residents of slums and squatter settlements are not getting the help they need to survive the coronavirus pandemic.
DENSITY AND POVERTY
Overcrowding is one reason slums are known incubators of disease. Informal settlements are typically 10 times denser than neighboring areas of the same city.
More:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90505690/a-billion-people-live-in-the-slums-of-the-worlds-megacities-and-theyre-being-missed-by-coronavirus-plans
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