They came, they built, and they flourished on land that was thought to be too hard or too expensive to develop. Yet, the squatters thrived here when their needs became great enough.
In Nairobi, Africa there is a squatter settlement called Kibera where an estimated 1.5 million squatters dwell on the outskirts of the capital in substandard living conditions simply because they have nowhere else to go (Pg71). Here in Kibera, the squatters live in mud huts, or in thrown together aluminum shacks that fry you during the day and freeze you at night. They live in filth with open sewage streams running through the settlement. They are cramped together like sardines but they still come and stay because their squatter town is better than the alternative.
In Mumbai there is another squatter community on the outskirts of the modern city. A place called Dharavi lurks in the underbelly of modern technology. Roughly one million squatters dwell in self-built houses that now resemble a real city neighborhood. The squatters claimed the land that was a jungle infested with reptiles and snakes (Pg 114). Here in Dharavi the squatters upgrade their homes one piece at a time when they have the funds. Many squatter homes now have concrete walls. Unlike many squatter settlements worldwide, the city makes $1.2 million rupees a year off the squatter colony in rent, which brings up an important issue. Should the governments embrace or destroy squatting settlements? .
Mumbai is an exception towards squatters. Most cities and governments don't embrace squatters. Even in Mumbai there is a catch to the free housing the government promises; the catch is that the free housing is limited to 225 sq feet regardless of the squatter's family size (Pg 116).
So what to do with all these squatters? It seems like politicians everywhere prefer not to deal with squatters except during election times or during special events. In Rio they are hosting both the Olympics and World Cup soon.