The main problem of informal settlements is that most of them are formed on the outskirts of cities, but in areas close to industrial and development zones.
Modern.az reports that Thembi Simelane, Minister of Human Settlements of the Republic of South Africa, stated this at a panel session titled “Transformation of Informal Settlements and Slums: Housing for the World” within the 13th session of the World Urban Forum held in Baku.
The minister noted that governments initially tried to determine the locations and conditions of these settlements:
“Later we saw that many of these areas are located on swamps, dolomite soils or over infrastructure lines. People settle in these areas to be close to industrial enterprises and factories. Some settlements are even built over pipelines and sewage systems. This makes on-site reconstruction or improvement difficult.”
The representative stated that this situation forces governments to take steps towards relocating residents to safer areas and creating planned settlements.
According to him, one of the main problems is that a large part of the land around cities is private or already used areas:
“For this reason, it is difficult to develop new residential zones and to place people in areas close to the city. Business partnerships can play an important role here. The goal is to place people close to their workplaces and reduce daily transportation costs,” the minister noted.
