A squatter settlement, also known as "shanty town," is an unauthorized residential area developed on public or private property without legal permission or claim to the land. The Global Research Development Center, a non-profit think tank, defines squatter settlements by their unique physical, social and legal characteristics.

Squatters

Squatters occupy public or private property that they do not own or rent. Some people in industrialized countries squat for political reasons, but most squatters do so out of necessity and occupy large, economically depressed settlements in the Third World.

Physical Characteristics

Squatter settlements are not recognized by public authority and often lack resources and utilities normally provided to the public. Squatter settlements often lack running water, waste disposal systems and medical facilities. Squatters often salvage and recycle materials to build living structures and other facilities.

Social Characteristics

Squatters typically have little or no income. Many squatters are low-paid migrant workers. Squatter settlements are developed and organized out of collective necessity, and are often left to police themselves. Squatter settlements are typically found in or near an urban center in the Third World.

Legal Characteristics

Squatters do not own the land, building or property they occupy. Squatter settlements are often developed on vacant, government-owned property, or on land that is otherwise undesirable for development.

Squatters Worldwide

Squatter settlements continue to grow worldwide as industrialized and land development bring rural peasants to large, Third World cities. Some experts, including journalist Robert Neuwirth, estimate that a billion people squat worldwide.

Source:

The Global Research Development Center: Defining Squatter Settlements

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