Friday, May 13, 2011

Trailer ParkGhetto/Slum/Barrio/Favela Economy

 A recent article in Forbes magazine
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0509/global-2000-11-violence-disease-megaslums-salvation-sinkhole.html
lists the world's megacities (pop. 10,000,000+) and those projected to become megacities within the next half-century.
The magazine also looked at the problems which arise when such cities become more common.
(Like that one out of eight people alive today now live in what would be thought of as being slums, ghettos, barrios or faveli.)
 Even the most advanced and prosperous cities have some sort of slum district.
While poor, many of the residents of these areas are fairly industrious.
In the magazine's billionaire issue, one billionaire advises that the best way to become a billionaire is to start ones own business.
In slums like those in Mumbai, almost everyone is an entrepreneur.
Another article interviews a guy who aspires to live in a slum.
Apparently, life in a slum is 'better' than life in the countryside.

Trailer Park, Ghetto, Slum, Barrio or Favela - I guess some problems are almost universal.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well let me tell you that here in PR what is considered one of the baddest areas "La Perla" sits high atop "El Morro" overlooking the Atlantic ocean with a spectacular view and if i could rent there I would in a heartbeat! Bit it's all owned and nobody moves. Some of the biggest narco traficantes are said to have barricaded mansions there, because it's like a one way street going up and the cops have no way of penetrating.