Slum Paradox: Chandigarh’s Quest for a Slum-Free Future and the Hidden Power Plays of Global Urban Enclaves

The First Slum-Free City?

In the heart of North India, Chandigarh is rewriting the urban narrative. According to reports, the city is on track to become India’s first slum-free city, a feat that could redefine urban planning worldwide. The Chandigarh administration’s Rehabilitation Policy of 2006, coupled with initiatives like the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme and the Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme, has already resettled over 26,000 slum dwellers into modern flats. By providing affordable housing with basic amenities like water, electricity, and sanitation, Chandigarh is tackling the root causes of slum proliferation: poverty, migration, and lack of affordable housing.

But, can a city truly erase slums without erasing the resilience, ingenuity, and community spirit that define them?

The numbers are staggering: 18 slum clusters in Chandigarh, once home to thousands, are being systematically rehabilitated. The city’s biometric surveys ensure precise identification of beneficiaries, preventing fraud and ensuring fairness. Yet, as Chandigarh clears its slums, questions arise. Are these efforts genuinely uplifting the poor, or are they sanitizing the city for the elite? The answer lies in the complex interplay of power, economics, and human survival.

The Slum Paradox: Are Slums Useful?

Slums are often vilified as urban scars, but what if they’re more than that?

Slums like Dharavi are not just warehouses for the poor but vibrant economic hubs. With an annual turnover of over $1 billion, Dharavi’s informal economy, spanning leather, textiles, pottery, and recycling, employs thousands and connects to global markets. This paradox challenges the narrative that slums are mere problems. They’re ecosystems where necessity breeds innovation.

But there’s a darker side. The powerful politicians, developers, and slumlords often exploit slums for profit and control. In Mumbai, slumlords charge exorbitant rents for tiny shanties, while developers eye slum land for lucrative real estate projects.

“The biggest impediment to slum improvement is the misconception that they are illegitimate.”

By labeling slums as illegal, authorities justify evictions, displacing residents to make way for high-rise towers that rarely benefit the original inhabitants. This dynamic raises a chilling question: Are slums deliberately maintained to serve the interests of the elite?

The Origins of Slums: A Global Tale of Migration and Neglect

Slums are not accidents; they’re products of history, economics, and policy failures. Globally, over 1.6 billion people live in informal settlements, a number projected to hit 2 billion by 2030. The roots trace back to rapid urbanization, colonial legacies, and economic disparities. In Mumbai, Dharavi emerged in 1884 when British colonial authorities expelled polluting industries and workers from the city center, forcing them onto marginal lands. Similarly, Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, grew from colonial segregation policies that confined African workers to peripheral areas. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, favelas like Rocinha sprouted as rural migrants flocked to cities, only to find no affordable housing.

These patterns repeat across the Global South. Rapid rural-to-urban migration, driven by poverty and lack of rural opportunities, overwhelms urban infrastructure. Governments, often underfunded or corrupt, fail to provide housing or services, leaving migrants to build shanties on vacant land.

33% of the developing world’s urban population lives in slums, with sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia bearing the brunt. Yet, slums also exist in developed nations, think of the homeless encampments in Los Angeles or the bidonvilles of Lisbon, proving that no city is immune.

Resilience Amid Squalor

Life in a slum is a study in contrasts. In Dharavi, one million people cram into 2.39 square kilometers, creating a population density of over 418,000 per square kilometer, one of the highest in the world. Open sewers, scarce toilets (one per 1,440 people), and limited water access breed diseases like cholera and tuberculosis. Yet, within these cramped alleys, residents display remarkable resilience. Artisans craft leather goods, women stitch garments, and children sort recyclables, contributing to a $665 million economy.

Globally, slum dwellers survive through ingenuity. In Kibera, Nairobi, community-run schools provide education where formal systems fail. In Neza, Mexico, residents band together to fight for land rights, transforming corrugated shanties into concrete homes. But survival comes at a cost. Health risks are rampant, 46% of India’s urban poor children are underweight, and 60% miss vaccinations. Social stigma and lack of legal rights further marginalize residents, trapping them in a cycle of poverty.

Dharavi, founded in 1884 as a mangrove swamp inhabited by Koli fishermen, it grew into Asia’s largest slum as Mumbai urbanized. Today, its informal economy thrives, with 80% of Mumbai’s plastic waste recycled in Dharavi’s “13th Compound.” But its prime location, sandwiched between Mumbai’s rail lines makes it a target for redevelopment.

Since the 1950s, plans to raze Dharavi have surfaced repeatedly, often failing due to resident resistance or lack of developer interest. The latest, led by billionaire Gautam Adani’s Adani Group, aims to transform Dharavi into modern apartment complexes by 2026. Residents who lived there before 2000 qualify for free housing, but others face eviction or unaffordable rents.

The “Dharavi Model” gained global attention during COVID-19, when its 4-T strategy (tracing, tracking, testing, treating) flattened the curve in just two months. This success underscores slums’ potential as laboratories for innovation, yet redevelopment threatens to disrupt this delicate balance.

From Slums to Solutions

How do cities go slum-free? Global examples offer clues, but no easy answers.

• Hong Kong’s Tai Hang: Once a sprawling slum, Tai Hang was redeveloped in the 1970s through public housing projects. The government provided affordable flats and infrastructure, preserving community ties. Today, Tai Hang is a vibrant neighborhood, but rising costs have pushed some former residents to the city’s fringes.

• Medellín, Colombia: Medellín’s favelas, plagued by violence in the 1990s, transformed through innovative urban planning. Cable cars and escalators connected slums to the city, while libraries and community centers fostered inclusion. The result? A 60% drop in violent crime and improved living standards.

• Kibera, Nairobi: Efforts to upgrade Kibera have faltered. Top-down projects like the Soweto East resettlement ignored residents’ informal livelihoods, leading to displacement and unrest. High-rise buildings predict a formalized life that’s unreachable for most.

These cases reveal a critical lesson: Slum-free doesn’t mean demolition. Successful models prioritize in-situ upgrades, land rights, and community participation over forced evictions.

India’s Place in the Global Slum Narrative

India, home to 65 million slum dwellers, faces a unique challenge. Its urban population is projected to hit 600 million by 2036, with slums growing faster than cities. While Chandigarh’s targeted approach sets a precedent, scaling it nationwide is daunting. Mumbai’s Dharavi redevelopment, estimated at $1.8 billion, highlights the financial and political hurdles. Unlike Hong Kong or Medellín, India’s caste system and informal economy add layers of complexity.

Globally, India lags behind nations like Singapore, which eradicated slums through aggressive public housing, but leads in grassroots innovation. The “Dharavi Model” for COVID-19 control has inspired slums like Makoko in Nigeria and Mbare in Zimbabwe. Yet, India’s reliance on private developers risks prioritizing profit over people, a trend seen in failed redevelopment attempts in Mumbai.

What lies ahead for slums?

The future is a battleground of competing visions. Chandigarh’s model suggests a path where slums are replaced with equitable housing, but at what cost to community and culture? In Dharavi, the Adani project could either uplift residents or displace them, depending on execution. Globally, slum populations will double by 2050 unless radical action is taken.

Disruptive ideas are emerging. The Dharavi Community Land Trust, proposed by Mumbai’s Urban Design Research Institute, would transfer land ownership to residents, empowering them to shape their future. In Brazil, “favela painting” projects turn slums into vibrant art hubs, attracting tourism and investment without displacement. Blockchain-based land registries could secure tenure for slum dwellers, preventing evictions. These solutions challenge the status quo, suggesting that slums could evolve into self-sustaining urban villages rather than vanish.

The Brink of Change: What’s Next?

Chandigarh’s experiment could inspire cities worldwide, but it must balance progress with preservation. Dharavi’s fate will test whether India can honor its informal economies while addressing squalor. Globally, slums are not just problems but opportunities, laboratories of resilience, creativity, and survival.

Slums are not accidents but engineered outcomes of power and neglect. The powerful exploit them, the poor endure them, and the future depends on whether we can reimagine them. Will Chandigarh’s dream spark a global revolution, or will it become another sanitized city that forgets its roots?

-Chetan Desai (chedesai@gmail.com)

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