Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters, a New Urban World

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. The author - Robert Neuwirth - lived in four slum areas in or near major cities in the third world and then reported what he found. Neuwirth seems to have a unique knack for putting threads of stories together in a way that produces a compelling and fascinating tale. He reports bits and pieces of information received from local squatters, landlords, politicians, social activists, etc., and put together a story that seems so complete that you feel that you have the "feel" of life in these places.The book does have weaknesses. His historical accounts of slums strike the reader as piecemeal and thrown together. The portions of the book which deal with various proposed solutions fail to even discuss the significance of overpopulation in the etiology of slum development.But I gave the book four stars nonetheless. Neuwirth's first hand account of slum life in the modern world is almost spellbinding. Contrary to what one would expect, the book is not just an endless recitation of privation and poverty. The "slums" that he describes contain tales of triumph as well as oppression; ingenuity as well as exploitation. The book celebrates the human spirit as well as it pointing out its sins.Some of things reported in the book will surprise. For instance, the Brazilian "slum" of Rocinha is so vibrantly alive, one almost feels envious of those who reside there. Similarly, the tenacity of slum-dwellers in confronting adversity is often breathtaking. Then again, on the other hand, the brutal exploitation of the poor by people only slightly more advantaged is a disheartening commentary on the human race.Overall, this is quite a tale. Robert Neuwirth's book is a great read and well worth the time and the price.

A billion squatters living around the world and the number is growing. This book gives us a glimpse into the day-to-day life of 4 distinct squatter communities: Rocinha (Rio de Janeiro); Southland (Nairobi, Kenya); Squatter Colony (Mumbai {Bombay}); and Sultanbeyli (Istanbul).Taking up residency in these neighborhoods, the author found not only the most dismal of living conditions (piles of trash lining the streets; no running water, sewers or toilets), he also found lively, hard-working, resourceful and optimistic inhabitants.What surprised me most was learning that many of those who live in these squatter communities actually prefer to live there rather than to be relocated to government housing. For example, in one area of Rio, there is a city housing project which consists of concrete apartment buildings. The buildings themselves are crumbling and the grounds are littered with garbage and broken glass. There is a sense of hopelessness. In contrast, living in a squatter town, one is not restricted to a single concrete room. One can build a mud hut initially and enlarge, upgrade or even tear down and rebuild in brick or wood. If one is resourceful, one can build an extra room to rent out or even open a business. This gives a squatter a sense of pride and a sense of being in control of his own destiny.This is not a romanticized look at squatters, though. Much is said of the opposition these residents face at the hands of the the politicians, the land developers, the wealthy, and the press. Problems with crime and drugs are also addressed. But it would be hard to walk away from this book and not feel sympathy and respect for these people.The number of squatters living in these communities worldwide is expected to reach 2 billion by 2030. That is roughly 1 in 4 people on earth. Perhaps that alone is reason enough to become aware and informed on this subject.A very interesting book. Illustrated with black and white photographs.

Interesting read on the squatter cities. It's amazing to look into the lives of people around the world who live a completely different lifestyle

A good read that comprehensively details Neuwirth's multi-year journey and experiences in four different squatter communities. Although I cannot say I learned anything 'new,' it was still an interesting read and a great argument on why we need to consider squatter neighborhoods as legitimate forms of development.

Good copy and good service.

Great read for planners or geographers

I READ THIS BOOK JUST BEFORE I SPENT THREE WEEKS IN KENYA AT THE KIBERA SQUATTER CITY. BOOK PROVIDES A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON, HELPED ME INTERACT WITH A MICRO LOAN PROJECT WITH OPEN EYES AND A POSITIVE ATTITUDE OF WHAT WAS REALLY HAPPENING. I FOUND BOOK VERY ACCURATE FOR NAIROBI-KIBERA. ALLOWS YOU TO SEE BELOW THE SUPERFICIAL. CONSIDER THIS A VALUABLE REFERENCE BOOK

Terrible book. 1L professor used it to help teach property law because he assisted the author with pieces of the book, which was the dumbest idea ever to use this to teach a first year property law class.

A fantastic concept of a book, Neuwirth's account of his time actually living in squatter settlements around the world completely changed my and (to judge from the references I have seen to it elsewhere) a great many other people's view of slums, squatter settlements and unplanned urbanism.There is much to dig into here, not merely the headline finding - still often treated as surprising - that people who live in one room shacks on the fringes of megacities are fully three dimensional human beings with hopes, ambitions and, as often as not, jobs doing important and worthwhile things. But from that flows his main thesis - that reform is not the simple matter one might hope. Crudely imposed from outside, blanket title reforms will destroy the intricate network of informal relationships, often well documented in a parallel legal system, that have grown up over decades. Yes, there are exploitative landlords and racketeering but there are also many landlords who rent out rooms or even whole houses that they have spent twenty years building in order to finance the construction of a new home.It is completely compelling and I have thrust my copy onto many other people

This book is quite unique as it's based on the author's first hand experiences after spending extended periods of time living in the slum areas of four of the world's most sprawling 'Sqautter Cities'. Robert Neuwirth is a journalist by trade and his writing does have a 'newspapery' sort of feel to it - but that doesn't make the book any less enjoyable. There are plenty of facts and stats that appealled to the egg-head side of me, but even more so lots of real human stories, many which were very moving. I felt myself both infuruiated at the injustice in the world yet also hugely proud of the urban poor and their creative survival ability.

All about squatters and extremly well written!Neuwirth takes you on a virtual travel round the world and into the history of squatters. Her shows us how many of our cities have their origin in squatter communities and he helps us understand how to make the squatters contribution to our world permanent instead of bulldozering and loosing it.Thank you very much, Robert Neuwirth