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Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters, A Urban New World
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 307.336
EAN: 9780415953610
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0415953618
Label: Routledge
Manufacturer: Routledge
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: March 28, 2006
Publisher: Routledge
Studio: Routledge
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Editorial Review:
In the middle of the night they quickly build houses and seize land before the police destroy their fragile homes. They're squatters--families that risk the wrath of governments and property owners by building dwellings on land they don't own--and they represent one out of every ten people on the planet.Investigative journalist Robert Neuwirth lived among squatter communities from Rio to Bombay to Nairobi to Istanbul to give us an impassioned, inside view of squatter life and a glimpse into the urban future. He met people in Nairobi who built homes with their bare hands, Turkish families who plot land invasions, and children in Rio whose parents justify outfoxing the authorities as the only path to a better life. And he shows us that in cities like Rio, squatter settlements have become decent places to live for formerly landless people. Tracing the notion of private property from the enclosure movement in Europe to the settlement of the U.S., Neuwirth shows how squatting rights may actually be seen as more "natural" than the current laws practiced in the U.S.In almost every country of the developing world, the most active builders are squatters, creating complex local economies with high rises, shopping strips, banks, and self-government. As they invent new social structures, Neuwirth argues, squatters are at the forefront of the worldwide movement to develop new visions of what constitutes property and community.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Disappointing, Of Passing Utility
This book was very disappointing. Although at 54 I am getting to the point where I need granny glasses to read those books where the print is too fine, this book goes way in excess to the other side: large print and triple spacing. This book is a 60 page article inflated to 300 pages.
The author has endured privation and offers many useful observations in the book, which makes it one of passing utility, but I put book down feeling somewhat dismayed as well as disappointed. Unlike C. ... Read More
Rating:  - Myths are dispelled and realities outlined
SHADOW CITIES: A BILLION SQUATTERS, A NEW URBAN WORLD confronts the issue of nations of squatters. Cities are home to a billion such squatters and that number is projected to double in a generation, so any college-level student of urban planning needs to understand the experiences, issues and results herein. Reporter Robert Neuwirth spent two years living in squatter neighborhoods on four continents, so his exploration comes not just from an outsider's perspective, but from one who has lived amongst ... Read More
Rating:  - Excellent read
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 ... Read More
Rating:  - A Haphazard Letdown
This rather haphazard book functions well as a sociological portrait of four squatter cities as well as a spirited PR piece for the people living there, but fails on other fronts. The best parts are the first four chapters, which outline Neuwirth's field work in the shantytowns of Rio, Nairobi, Mumbai, and Istanbul. This consisted of living in situ for several months and talking to as many people as possible in order to get the pulse of a place. These 150 pages are fairly engaging insider views of places ... Read More
Rating: - Should be required reading for anyone going to a developing country.
This is a great read. Neuwirth presents plenty of anecdotes and moving stories about people who he obviously respects and cares for. This book is a cure for the errors of both left- and right-leaning travelers. For those who want to sweep in and save the slum dwellers, he makes it quite clear that intervention is often the worst thing you can do for the people you're trying to help. For those who think slum dwellers are lazy criminals, he presents real stories of real people living courageously and honestly ... Read More
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